that house was wrong.
Andie peeked at her mother again. She seemed to have forgotten her daughter was even there. She stared off into space, her expression so sad it broke Andie’s heart.
“Mom?” she said softly. When her mother didn’t acknowledge her in any way, she tried again, this time louder.
Her mother started. “I’m sorry, honey. What is it?”
“Are you all right?”
Marge Bennett smiled, though to Andie it looked forced. “Fine. It’s just…just that I’m tired. I’m not sleeping much, and…”
Her voice trailed off, and her eyes filled with tears. She drew in a choked breath. “It’s just hard, you know? I thought we, your father and I…I thought forever meant forever. I thought we were…that we were happy. I was. Completely.”
Her mother fell silent for a moment, her gaze turned to the window and the bright day beyond. “I still love him.”
Andie stared at her mother, hurting so bad each breath tore at her chest. Even so, anger at her father coiled inside her, anger and resentment.
How could he have done this to them? How could he have done it to her mom?
As if sensing her daughter’s despair, Marge turned back to her. She covered her hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t apologize, Mom. It’s his fault. He’s the one who—”
“No,” her mother said, cutting her off, “I shouldn’t have said anything to you. Not now or the night he…told us he was leaving. I handled that all wrong. And everything since, too.” She sighed. “I was so hurt, I wanted to hurt him back, just a little. I used you kids, his love for you, to do it.”
“Mom, don’t—”
“No, honey, what I did was wrong and not very mature. Your father loves you and your brothers very much.”
“Then why did he leave us?”
For a moment, she said nothing, then lifted her shoulders in a defeated looking shrug. “I guess he’s not perfect.”
“I’ll never forgive him, Mom.”
“Yes, you will.” She touched her cheek. “You will.”
When Andie opened her mouth to protest, her mother shook her head again. “I know how tough this has been for you, too. And your brothers.” She bent and rested her forehead against Andie’s for a moment. “Thank you, sweetheart. For all the help you’ve been these past weeks. And for being such a good girl for me.”
She squeezed Andie’s fingers, then released them. “Now, you needed to talk to me about something. What is it?”
Andie shrank back in her chair. How could she tell her mother that her “good girl” had been breaking into empty houses and peeking in windows and watching kinky sex? She imagined her mother’s face, her surprise and disappointment, her sigh of defeat. That’s all her mom needed, more to worry about, more disappointment.
No, she couldn’t do that to her. She wouldn’t.
Andie forced a smile. “I just wanted to tell you about the party Sarah Conners is having and ask your opinion about what I should wear. But it can wait.”
“Are you sure? We could go to your closet and—”
“I’m sure.” Andie stood, bent and kissed her cheek. “This is something I have to take care of myself.”
11
M r. and Mrs. X, as Andie and her friends had begun to call the mystery couple, didn’t show again. After a week, the girls concluded that the couple met only late at night, so they gave up all their day watches and returned to their normal summer routine.
As they went to the mall and the movies or to parties at friends’ houses, Andie could almost believe that it was a normal summer. That everything was as it had always been between her and her best friends.
But nothing was, or had been, normal since the night they had peered at Mr. and Mrs. X through the window. And everything certainly was not as it had always been between the three friends.
Andie glanced from Raven to Julie, then returned her gaze to the tree house floor. The three of them sat at their post, lost in their own
Andie peeked at her mother again. She seemed to have forgotten her daughter was even there. She stared off into space, her expression so sad it broke Andie’s heart.
“Mom?” she said softly. When her mother didn’t acknowledge her in any way, she tried again, this time louder.
Her mother started. “I’m sorry, honey. What is it?”
“Are you all right?”
Marge Bennett smiled, though to Andie it looked forced. “Fine. It’s just…just that I’m tired. I’m not sleeping much, and…”
Her voice trailed off, and her eyes filled with tears. She drew in a choked breath. “It’s just hard, you know? I thought we, your father and I…I thought forever meant forever. I thought we were…that we were happy. I was. Completely.”
Her mother fell silent for a moment, her gaze turned to the window and the bright day beyond. “I still love him.”
Andie stared at her mother, hurting so bad each breath tore at her chest. Even so, anger at her father coiled inside her, anger and resentment.
How could he have done this to them? How could he have done it to her mom?
As if sensing her daughter’s despair, Marge turned back to her. She covered her hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t apologize, Mom. It’s his fault. He’s the one who—”
“No,” her mother said, cutting her off, “I shouldn’t have said anything to you. Not now or the night he…told us he was leaving. I handled that all wrong. And everything since, too.” She sighed. “I was so hurt, I wanted to hurt him back, just a little. I used you kids, his love for you, to do it.”
“Mom, don’t—”
“No, honey, what I did was wrong and not very mature. Your father loves you and your brothers very much.”
“Then why did he leave us?”
For a moment, she said nothing, then lifted her shoulders in a defeated looking shrug. “I guess he’s not perfect.”
“I’ll never forgive him, Mom.”
“Yes, you will.” She touched her cheek. “You will.”
When Andie opened her mouth to protest, her mother shook her head again. “I know how tough this has been for you, too. And your brothers.” She bent and rested her forehead against Andie’s for a moment. “Thank you, sweetheart. For all the help you’ve been these past weeks. And for being such a good girl for me.”
She squeezed Andie’s fingers, then released them. “Now, you needed to talk to me about something. What is it?”
Andie shrank back in her chair. How could she tell her mother that her “good girl” had been breaking into empty houses and peeking in windows and watching kinky sex? She imagined her mother’s face, her surprise and disappointment, her sigh of defeat. That’s all her mom needed, more to worry about, more disappointment.
No, she couldn’t do that to her. She wouldn’t.
Andie forced a smile. “I just wanted to tell you about the party Sarah Conners is having and ask your opinion about what I should wear. But it can wait.”
“Are you sure? We could go to your closet and—”
“I’m sure.” Andie stood, bent and kissed her cheek. “This is something I have to take care of myself.”
11
M r. and Mrs. X, as Andie and her friends had begun to call the mystery couple, didn’t show again. After a week, the girls concluded that the couple met only late at night, so they gave up all their day watches and returned to their normal summer routine.
As they went to the mall and the movies or to parties at friends’ houses, Andie could almost believe that it was a normal summer. That everything was as it had always been between her and her best friends.
But nothing was, or had been, normal since the night they had peered at Mr. and Mrs. X through the window. And everything certainly was not as it had always been between the three friends.
Andie glanced from Raven to Julie, then returned her gaze to the tree house floor. The three of them sat at their post, lost in their own
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