Читать книгу The Babysitter - Nancy Bush - Страница 11

Chapter Five

Jamie didn’t have a chance to answer as Vicky went on. “He and your sister were an item once, like in junior high . . . maybe high school. I’m not sure Cooper ever got over Emma. All the guys liked her, but after what happened, you know . . .” She shrugged lightly. “Anyway, Marissa is great, and so’s her mom, Laura.”

Jamie was just digesting that Cooper was married when Vicky added, “I don’t know if he was the cause of the divorce, but Laura’s been seeing someone else for a while. David Musgrave. He and Laura are looking to buy on the west side of River Glen, but Marissa stays with Cooper a lot, too, because he lives in the old Haynes house.”

East side of town. Like Jamie’s mother’s house.

“You know a lot about them,” observed Jamie lightly.

Vicky pretended to look rueful. “I shouldn’t have said all that. It’s just . . . you and I are such old friends!”

That was probably stretching it a bit, as Vicky knew Emma, not her little sister. However, recognizing she might have inadvertently stopped a font of information, Jamie put on a false smile and said, “Oh, I know exactly what you mean. It’s really been like old home week for me.”

Vicky beamed. “We were all so jealous of Laura when she landed Cooper. Who was this girl from Portland, moving into River Glen, snagging one of our most eligible, you know? But she’s really lovely. I’ll have to introduce you.”

“Uh . . .”

“Oh, is this your daughter? She’s so pretty!”

Harley had finally noticed Jamie and she hitched up her chin and gave her a nod, but didn’t immediately come her way.

“She’s gonna be a heartbreaker,” Vicky predicted.

Jamie was beginning to see Vicky could be a great connection, even if her motives for approaching Jamie were unclear. They weren’t “old friends” by anyone’s standards. Vicky likely perceived Jamie as a curiosity. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t use their association to her advantage. “Cooper’s with the police force?”

“Yesiree. He’s like a detective or something. He’s only gotten more handsome with age. Dara’s mom, Meghan, made a play for him when she and her husband were separated, but he wasn’t interested. Good thing, too, because Meghan’s husband was not okay. They’re divorced now. But the rumor is, he knocked her around a bit first. I don’t know. Who can tell what’s true and what’s just a good story? In any case, I wouldn’t let Tyler go anywhere near that house while he was still there, but it’s hard to keep horny teenagers away from each other, right? Wow, your daughter is all leg. She looks a lot like you. Your brown hair and the way you both walk. Is she going to the mixer tonight?”

“I don’t know about any mixer. This is Harley’s first day.”

“Normally, they do them closer to Halloween, but some of the moms in the PTA got a rod up their butt. Afraid of drinking and vaping, smoking dope and sex, just everything. So, no Halloween. It’s Autumn Daze, or something stupid like that, but the kids have fun. I’ve gotta run and find Tyler. He’s taking long enough. Don’t be a stranger. Like I said, if you need anything . . .”

“Let me give you my cell number,” Jamie suddenly decided.

“Oh? You got hooked up?”

“Went to Verizon today,” she lied.

Vicky whipped out her notebook and pen, and Jamie gave her the number. “We’ll get together soon and I’ll introduce you to some of the other moms,” she promised.

“Thanks, Vicky.”

“Victoria.” She gave her a quick smile, then hurried up the steps and into the school.

“Who was that?” Harley asked. She’d hung back while witnessing her mother talking with Vicky.

“A friend of Emma’s from high school.”

“She looked like she was talking your ear off.”

“She sort of was, but I’ll take any information I can get. How was school? Like any of your classes?”

“No.”

“That’s what I like about you, Harley. Consistency.”

Her daughter rolled her eyes. “You’re just always so funny, aren’t you?”

“Not always. Sometimes.”

Harley almost smiled but stopped herself. She shrugged and said, “It was okay. Some of the kids are pretty nice.”

“Like Marissa?”

Harley turned swiftly her way. “You know Marissa? How do you know Marissa?”

“I just heard about her from Ick . . . from someone I know.”

“That lady?” She jerked her head in the direction Vicky had gone.

Jamie nodded. “Her son’s named Tyler and on the football team, I believe. She said Marissa was a nice girl.”

Harley squinted. “Tyler.”

“Did you meet him?”

“I met a lot of people.” She brushed it off, clearly done with the conversation. She hiked her backpack over her shoulder. “Are we going home or what?”

The tone. It made Jamie want to scream at her, but she’d learned that approach did no good. Ignoring it wasn’t really an answer either, but she let it go for now because it was Harley’s first day. Tomorrow would be a different story.

They were walking back toward Jamie’s car when they heard footsteps behind them and Marissa came flying up. “Hey, give me your phone number,” she said to Harley. “We could go tonight to the mixer? You want to?” She glanced up at Jamie and said, “Hi, I’m Marissa.”

“I’m Jamie.”

Harley looked at Jamie and said in an accusing voice, “I don’t have a phone.”

“I could give you my number,” Jamie suggested.

“Okay.” Marissa swept her phone from her back pocket.

They exchanged numbers while Harley remained silent, maybe seething, as Jamie entered Marissa Haynes into her contact list, feeling slightly weird. You’re too old for this, she told herself.

“Oh, there’s my dad.” Marissa waved, and Jamie turned her head as if pulled by a string.

Cooper Haynes. Vicky was right. He was downright handsome. Looked even better than in high school. Broad shoulders. Fit. His dark hair, tossed a bit by the breeze, was a little longer than the clipped cut she remembered. He wore jeans and a white shirt and a black windbreaker. His eyes were blue, she knew from memory, and his long strides ate up the ground between them as he approached Marissa, who was waving madly.

“That’s your dad?” Harley asked.

“Well, my stepdad, but I call him my dad. I took his name.”

“You can do that?” asked Harley.

“I just use it. It’s not in my permanent record.”

Jamie was only half-listening as she watched Cooper approach. She looked at him, and looked away, and looked at him again, feeling like she was the one in high school.

“Hi,” Cooper said as he neared.

“Hi,” Jamie said as recognition slipped across his expression.

“Jessie . . . ?” he asked.

“Jamie. Whelan.”

“Sorry, yes. Emma’s sister, right?” He held out his hand.

She offered hers and felt him squeeze her fingers. A surf roared in her ears.

Jesus Christ, Jamie. Get a grip!

“I’m Cooper Haynes. Don’t know if you remember me.” He smiled, and laugh lines formed at the corners of his eyes.

“You know each other?” Marissa asked, delighted.

“We went to school together,” Jamie said. Her voice sounded strange to her own ears.

“You know Aunt Emma?” Harley asked him curiously.

“We were classmates.” The smile slowly disappeared.

“I’m Harley Woodward,” she said, thrusting out her hand. Cooper shook her hand, too.

“My daughter,” said Jamie, desperately trying to act nonchalant. “Emma’s niece.”

“Harley and I are going to the mixer together tonight, right?” Marissa turned to Harley, who nodded and shrugged, like, why not?

“Want us to pick you up?” Marissa asked, and then the conversation went on around Jamie, plans being discussed, decisions made, a flurry of information that ended with Harley looking at Jamie for their address. Jamie gave it woodenly. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience.

Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling into the drive and Harley was suddenly bright-eyed and eager about the evening ahead. She chattered on about her day without being prompted. Clearly, Marissa had eased her fears about being the new girl by inviting her into their group of friends, who appeared to be welcoming. Harley mentioned a girl named Lena and another called Katie. “I don’t think it’s the most popular group,” Harley revealed. “For the seniors I think that’s Tyler and some other guys, and a girl named Dara and another, Michaela, and a few more.”

“Oh, good.”

“Marissa’s great.”

“I’m glad. I hear Dara’s dating Tyler,” Jamie said.

She got the reaction she’d expected when Harley whipped around in the passenger seat to gaze at her in surprise. “How do you know that?”

“Oh, it’s all over the school.”

“But how do you know that?”

“I’m clairvoyant?”

“Mom! Oh. Tyler’s mom told you.”

“Alas, my powers of detection have been found out,” Jamie said on an exaggerated sigh as they pulled into the driveway.

Harley shook her head, as if she didn’t know what to do with Jamie. They climbed out of their respective doors and Harley glanced back at the garage door. “Are you ever going to park in the garage?”

“Mom’s car’s in there. We’ll have to figure that out, too, I suppose. Her Outback might be newer than the Camry.”

“When I turn sixteen, I’ll take the Camry, you take the Outback.”

“We’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it,” Jamie said as she bent down and grabbed the key from under the gnome where it still was kept, opened the door, then put the key back. “I’ve gotta get some keys made and find a better hiding place.” She’d left the key beneath the gnome because it was where Emma could find it.

Baby steps, she reminded herself.

Harley asked as they pushed inside, “So, what’s our plan? I mean . . . am I going to be at this school for a while, or are we going back to LA?”

“I don’t have any idea. Emma needs care . . . she’s really not independent . . .”

“You don’t want to take care of her, do you?”

Jamie gave Harley a hard look as her daughter dumped her backpack on the kitchen table and automatically opened the refrigerator. Harley didn’t notice as she gazed over the meager offerings—Jamie had stopped at the store for basics: milk, cereal, bananas, and coffee—finally choosing a yogurt. “It’s past the pull date,” she said, pulling out the small carton and eyeing it suspiciously.

“How far?”

“Two days.”

“Up to you,” Jamie said.

“Can we go to the store and get something else? Something good?”

“Yes . . .”

“Well, let’s go, then. Marissa’s going to call you, and I want to be ready. And I need a phone. I know, they’re too expensive, but now that we’re at Grandma’s, isn’t that cheaper? Like we don’t have to pay rent?”

“For now, we use my phone.”

“Jesus, I’m the only one without a phone!”

“Oh, you are not. I’d venture to say there’s somebody else at the school without a phone.”

“They all have phones.”

“No, they don’t.”

Harley was heading through the back door again. “I haven’t met anyone without a phone yet.”

“Well, look harder. And don’t swear.”