When We Were Friends, page 21
“Where are you going?” Frannie asked.
Lexi spun on her heel and glared at Frannie. She had spent so much time over the past few weeks trying to get into Frannie’s good graces, she had forgotten how it felt to be angry with her friend. The depth of fury she felt shocked her.
“You’re lying to me,” Lexi said. “I thought you wanted to have a friends’ night, but this whole thing was a setup to bring your mother and me together.”
Frannie reached for her hand. “Lex, don’t. It’s just dinner. My mom would love to catch up with you.”
“This is about him, right?” Lexi watched Frannie’s face. “Unless Crystal is done with him by now. Please tell me that’s the case. She never stays with any of them long.”
“Jesus, Lex. That’s rough.”
Lexi blinked back tears. “I’m sorry. You’re right. She really stepped up for you while you were in prison. I’ll be nice to her. I owe her that.”
The bathroom door swung open, and Frannie’s mother was already talking. “Lexi, Frannie tells me you and Rob got Teeny a dog.” She pulled plates from Frannie’s cupboard and set them on the table as she spoke then went for the silverware drawer.
“Bettina,” Frannie said reflexively, but she didn’t put any heat into it.
Crystal didn’t acknowledge the interruption. “Frannie said his name is Max. Bettina must love him. How’s she doing in school?”
Crystal’s lighthearted prattle set the tone for the rest of the dinner. Lexi relaxed into the conversation, and the tension slowly eased out of her body. She really could see the good in Frannie’s mother despite the woman’s many flaws. But by the end of dinner, Frannie’s smile seemed tight. She was restless, shifting in her seat. That set Lexi on edge all over again.
“Don’t forget about the goat,” Frannie said as she scooped up the salad bowl and carried it to the sink. Crystal and Lexi stopped clearing dishes and stared at her. “We’ve covered everyone else we know. I wouldn’t want the goat at Bettina’s grandparents’ farm to feel left out.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes, but Frannie’s mother smiled sweetly. “We’ve left out someone else,” Crystal said.
Now Lexi smiled too. “Seth.”
Frannie shot a pleading look at Lexi.
Lexi lowered her voice. “They had a lovers’ spat.”
“Aw, that’s a shame.” Crystal patted Frannie’s hand. “Is he still such a polite boy?”
Frannie scowled at her mother. “He’s twenty-seven. He hasn’t been a boy in years.” She gave Lexi a withering look. “And I never said anything about a spat.”
Lexi ignored Frannie’s discomfort. After all, she was the one who had brought the three of them together. She should have expected Seth would come up in conversation with her best friend and her mother.
Lexi spoke to Crystal while they resumed clearing the table. “She almost never says anything about him. But he always has good things to say about her. Until this week. Rob says he’s gone radio silent on the matter.”
“Enough about that because there’s nothing to tell.” Frannie turned to face both women and leaned against the sink. “But since we’re all here, maybe we should take the opportunity to discuss another important matter.”
Lexi’s gut twisted. No. No, no, no! That sounded like a segue into the one topic Lexi would not tolerate. She set the half-empty lasagna pan on the counter. “Actually, I have to call it a night. I promised Bettina I’d be home in time to tuck her in.”
“Lex, just ten minutes.” Frannie laid her hand on Lexi’s shoulder.
Lexi stepped away from her and gave Frannie’s mother a quick hug. “Let’s do this again when my mom can join us.”
“That would be great,” Frannie’s mom said.
“Please, Lex, stay. Mom brought cookies.” Frannie flashed puppy-dog eyes at her.
Lexi refused to fall for it. She would not indulge Frannie. She would not discuss Jack Greene with Crystal. “Gotta run. Don’t forget the dog park tomorrow morning.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the front door. “And I’ll pick up my pan next week.”
Frannie followed her, catching up with her at the top of the outside staircase. “Lex, come on. Don’t run away like this.”
Lexi whirled around to face her. Anger rushed through her like a flash flood. “Don’t ambush me. I told you I cannot have this discussion with—” Lexi stopped talking when Crystal popped up behind Frannie. Lexi smiled and waved to her. “Goodnight, Crystal.”
Frannie’s mother waved from the doorway, and Lexi hurried down the stairs. By the time she reached the minivan, she was crying. A minute into the drive, she pulled off the road, sobbing. How could her best friend have done that to her? How dare she try to force Lexi into a confrontation with Crystal? Did she really expect Lexi to share her deepest, darkest secret with the woman who was dating her rapist?
“DAMN IT,” FRANNIE MUTTERED as Lexi drove away.
A small part of her flinched, understanding that the ambush, as Lexi had called it, had cracked something between her and Lexi, something fragile that had just begun healing. But dealing with that would have to wait for another day. She couldn’t let this night end until she finished what she had started when she had invited Lexi and Crystal to dinner.
She herded her mother back into the apartment and motioned for her to sit down at the table. “You’ll stay for tea and cookies, right?”
Her mother remained standing. “I think I should go too. I have the hour-and-a-half drive home.”
“Mom, it’s eight o’clock. One cup of tea. You’ll still be home by ten.”
She popped open the Tupperware container and took a cookie. When she bit into it, the taste of childhood triumphs and failures filled her mouth. The time she had gotten the highest grade on the algebra final. The night she had come home from her disastrous first date with the star of the baseball team, a boy she had worshipped from afar for months before he had finally asked her out then had made it clear he had only wanted one thing from the pathetically smitten girl with freckles and untamable red hair. The time she had won the third-grade spelling bee, beating out Jayde, the shiny girl who was supposed to have won. The weekend after she had walked herself home alone from kindergarten, bringing hell down on her mother’s head and her own.
“I might not go straight home.” Her mother smiled slowly. “I might stop in Indianapolis on the way.”
Indianapolis. Where Jack Greene lived.
Frannie dropped the cookie onto the counter and struggled to swallow the large bite she had taken. Her mother was being nice. Maybe even motherly. And Frannie had to break her heart.
Her mother took her hand. “Frannie, you look upset. Is this about Seth?”
Frannie picked up her water glass and took a big swig to wash down the cookie. Then she slid into a kitchen chair. Her mother sat across from her. “It’s about the truth, Mom. I’ve never told you the truth about the burglary.”
“You’ve told me everything I need to know.”
“There was a good reason I took the money. It was for Lexi.”
“For Lexi.” Her mother shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. You were across state lines, running away. Lexi was with Brandon. She was with Jack’s son while you broke into his safe.” Her mother wrinkled her brow.
Put the pieces together. Put the pieces together. Put the pieces together. If ever she had needed Lexi’s magical thinking to work, now was the time.
But her mother shook her head, not getting it. “Lexi didn’t need the money. Her parents were paying her tuition. And there was no reason for her to run away. She had friends and a boyfriend.”
Unlike you, her mother didn’t need to add. But Frannie had still had a friend, her best friend, and she had given up four years of her life to save her. And her mother was going to face the truth about Jack Greene if it damn near killed all of them.
“And an unwanted pregnancy,” Frannie said. “Lexi was pregnant.”
“Pregnant. And just twenty years old.” Her mother took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I understand how scared she was. I understand it completely. But I was alone when I was pregnant with you. She had Brandon. They could have made it work.”
“No, they couldn’t.” This was it, the moment of truth. Or more precisely, the moment of the lie, when the promise she had made to keep Lexi’s secret crumbled to dust. “It wasn’t Brandon’s.”
“Someone else? Lexi?”
“Not by choice.”
Frannie hesitated, let it hang in the air for her mother to decipher. But that was exactly what Lexi had done all these years, and look what had happened: Jack Greene had gotten off scot-free while Frannie had languished in prison, so he had never been forced out of their lives. That had to change.
“Lexi was raped, Mom, by Jack Greene.”
“Oh, Frannie.” Her mother laid her hand over Frannie’s. Her face softened. “That’s why you called him a monster? It was a mistake. They made a mistake, and I don’t doubt Lexi felt awful about it, the way she loved Brandon. And if she was pregnant, that must have been terrible for her, and I can understand why she hid it—and even why you stole the money to help her.” Her mother squeezed her fingers and smiled.
Just as Patrice had predicted, Frannie’s mother understood and sympathized with what her daughter had done. The relief had to be the reason for her serene expression, given she had just learned the man she was dating, a man she obviously had feelings for, had raped her daughter’s best friend.
“So, you understand why you need to stay away from him. He’s dangerous. He’s a rapist.”
Her mother furrowed her brow. “Frannie, they made a mistake.”
She had used that word twice now. Frannie shook her head.
“Jack regrets it,” her mother continued. “Doing that with his own son’s girlfriend. But it doesn’t make Lexi or Jack a monster.”
Frannie’s breath came too fast and shallow. “No, Mother, it was not a mistake. He raped her. Are you listening to me? Do you understand? Rape!”
Her mother pulled back her hand and stood. “That’s ridiculous. He told me about it himself, Frannie. Not the pregnancy. He didn’t know, did he?”
Frannie shook her head as her fingers and toes went numb.
“But he told me how it happened. A stormy night, alone in his house, drinking Scotch, him so lonely, her intrigued by an older man.”
“Oh my god.” Frannie collapsed forward onto the table. “He made it sound like a romance novel. I was wrong when I called him a monster. I should have called him a sick, fucking monster because he raped her!”
“This is ridiculous.” Her mother picked up her handbag and stomped to the front door. “I’m not going to stay here and listen to this nonsense. In your desperate need to hate the man who forgave you, you’ve twisted Lexi’s words.” Her mother stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Is this why she ran out of here? Did you ask her to go along with this lie of yours to break up Jack and me?”
“She ran out of here because the memory still overwhelms her. She’s sickened and disgusted by it.” She shook her head, remembering how pale and sallow Lexi had looked, sitting across from Frannie at the Italian restaurant. The scent of tomato, garlic, and basil had hung in the air there too. The shadows under her eyes. The way she jumped at every little sound and glanced over her shoulder like she was being hunted. “You should have seen her after, Mom. You should have seen the damage.”
Frannie was still shaking, but the fury was fading, leaving behind the familiar wake of helplessness.
“She has a good life, Frannie. A happy family. A job she loves. From where I’m standing, she’s not the one who’s damaged.”
Frannie struggled to find words. Her mother opened the front door to leave. Frannie grabbed her arm.
“Mom, please do one thing for me the next time you talk to Jack Greene. Tell him Lexi and I are fighting. Not about what, but just that we’re fighting and that we’ve been fighting since I came here.” The wheels were spinning faster now, careening out of control. “Lie to him. Tell him Lexi never forgave me for stealing the money and blames me for her and Brandon breaking up. Then never speak to Jack Greene again. Promise me you’ll do this for me.”
Her mother snatched away her arm. “Frannie, what the hell has gotten into you? Maybe we both need a break. I’ll call to check on you next week.”
Her mother walked out the door and closed it quietly behind her without saying goodbye. Like all of this was Frannie’s fault, when she was the only one dealing with the truth and trying to protect them all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A few minutes after ten the next morning, Frannie stepped through the dog-park gate, carrying a drink tray. She spotted Bettina and Sandra working on commands with Max. He responded almost immediately to Sandra’s entreaty to heel, which made Bettina jump and clap her hands. That in turn made Max forget to heel and run in front of his favorite person. Sandra gave them both a patient smile and started again.
Lexi was capturing all of it on her phone from her spot on the park bench a few yards away. Frannie had been sending Lexi text messages since her mother had hung up on her at six that morning. She had tried every iteration of apology she could think of and had begged Lexi to call her. Lexi hadn’t answered her. Frannie stared down at the drink tray. A large cup of Patrice’s famous coffee for Frannie and a large cup of a peppermint-infused herbal tea for Lexi. It was supposed to be good for calming emotions. Frannie had googled it. The scent was pleasant enough, but it wasn’t doing a lot to soothe Frannie. Still she held out hope that drinking it would put Lexi in a more accepting frame of mind.
“Hi, Frannie.” Sandra had sneaked up on her with Max at her side, just as Frannie had been steeling herself to make an apology.
Bettina, just a few feet behind Max and Sandra, was so excited she hopped from one foot to the other. “Your turn!” Bettina announced as Sandra held out the leash.
“This is a harder command for Bettina to master,” Sandra explained, “and I think Max needs an adult to work with him too.”
Frannie glanced at the drink tray in her hand then at Lexi.
“You can leave those on the bench,” Sandra said.
“Shouldn’t Lexi be the adult working with Max though?” Frannie asked.
“Lexi is making good progress.” Sandra frowned. “But she and Max need to focus on their mutual trust issues. He already trusts you.”
Great. One more reason for Lexi to be pissed at her. But the kid was grinning from ear to ear, and wasn’t that what this dog training was all about?
Frannie crossed the grass and stopped at the bench. “Good morning.”
Lexi nodded but didn’t make eye contact.
“I brought you tea,” Frannie said. “Peppermint.” She set the carry-out tray on the bench beside Lexi and dropped her oversized purse on the ground. “I’ll leave this here, if that’s okay.”
Lexi remained silent.
“I’ll be back shortly. Then we can talk. Lex, I’m sorry.”
Still no comment from Lexi. This would take longer than Frannie had hoped. She couldn’t remember Lexi ever staying mad at her for more than a few hours. Then again, Frannie had never before ambushed her friend.
Frannie joined Sandra, Bettina, and Max. The three humans spent a few minutes keeping step with Max while Sandra gave the verbal commands. She then turned over the responsibility to Frannie. After a few minutes of mixed results, Sandra laid a hand on Bettina’s shoulder.
“Let’s let Frannie and Max spend a few minutes working on it alone.”
“Sure. You can do it, Francesca.” Bettina gave Frannie’s hand an encouraging squeeze.
Even from yards away, Frannie saw Lexi flinch. She was the one who had wanted Frannie in Bettina’s life, but now she was hurt every time she saw them together. Frannie fumed. When was Lexi going to stop being so damn stubborn and be satisfied with what she had? A devoted husband and a hopeful kid and a mess of a dog and an imperfectly wonderful family. And a friend who really was sorry for what had happened last night.
“Frannie, he’s waiting,” Sandra prompted.
“Can I walk him over to Lexi?” Frannie asked.
“Sure. Remember, make him heel as you walk, and when you get there, command him to sit.”
Frannie did as Sandra instructed, stopping a few feet in front of Lexi and telling Max to sit. He obeyed. Frannie looked over her shoulder to see Bettina giving her a thumbs-up. Frannie held up a finger, asking them for a minute, then sat down beside Lexi. Max tugged at the leash.
“Sit, Max. I need a minute,” she said without looking at him. “Listen, Lex, can we just move past this? My mom needed to know the truth, but you’re right. I shouldn’t have ambushed you like that. If we could just talk—”
"You told her?”
Frannie nodded.
“No.” Lexi switched off her phone and threw it into her purse. “Then I’m officially not speaking to you.”
Max tugged at the leash.
“Please, Max, sit. Lexi, if you could just accept my apology, we could schedule a time to talk.”
Lexi shook her head. “Not everything is about you, Frannie. Today is about Bettina. And Max.”
“Max!” Bettina called.
Out of her peripheral vision, Frannie saw Bettina and Sandra running in their direction. Lexi jumped to her feet. Frannie turned slowly toward the dog, trying to make sense of the chaos erupting around her, and saw Max’s head buried in her purse.
Her purse.
She jumped to her feet and tugged at the leash. “Max, no! Sit, Max.”
Sandra reached them and pulled at Max’s collar to get him out of Frannie’s bag. Shards of a plastic wrapper hung out of his mouth.
“Was there food in there?” Sandra asked.
Frannie nodded, horror dawning on her. “Cookies.”
“What kind?” Sandra asked. “How many?”
Frannie swallowed. “Oreos. An unopened sleeve of them.” She glanced at Lexi. The look on her friend’s face made it clear that the horror was dawning on her as well. “I didn’t have time for breakfast, and I just grabbed them, and—”
