“Weekend before last.” Pattie leans away and fixes her hair again. “Your aunt is due to get her hair done Friday, and I don’t know what to do. Would you want to know if your husband was having an affair?”
My stomach twists at the thought of my sweet Aunt Carol finding out from Pattie what my uncle had been up to. My aunt has never raised her voice in all my memories and has always been incredibly kind to me. “Can you wait to say anything until we can gather a few more facts? I don’t want to break my aunt’s heart.”
Pattie snorts. “You don’t think your aunt really believes your uncle plays that much golf, do you? Women tend to know when their husbands are unfaithful. Some just choose to look the other way.”
Yeah, but my aunt and uncle’s prenup makes me doubt Pattie’s theory. “Have you mentioned this to anyone other than Pete?”
Pattie shakes her head. “Not since your uncle stormed in here after his haircut last week. He told me he’d double my rent if I spread any more untrue rumors about him. I don’t want to cross him, so I’ve kept my mouth shut.”
I highly doubt that. “If you’d keep this to yourself for a bit longer, it’d be a huge favor to me.”
“Fine.” Pattie shrugs. “It’s no skin off mine either way.”
“Thanks. See you tomorrow.” I hurry out the door and walk toward the bookshop, pondering what I’ve learned.
The thing weighing most on my mind is, why would my uncle risk so much by having an affair with Tina? Unless he’s pretty sure he’s going to win our court battle, in which case, he could do anything he wanted with all the properties in the trust, unlike me. My half ownership is full of restrictions my grandparents put on my mom because they didn’t want her to give it all away. Which, to be fair, she probably would have done. It was her kind nature to help others. She was the exact opposite of my greedy uncle.
I’m passing by my best pal Renee’s ice-cream shop when my growling stomach votes for a pit stop.
Two groups of tourists are lined up at the front counter, so I settle into a seat by the window to wait until Renee is free. Today, she’s wearing a silk blouse I happen to know cost a fortune because I was with her in San Francisco when she bought it, and a pair of slacks that belong on a New York runway instead of a tourist town ice-cream shop. But then, that’s my beautiful best pal in a nutshell. Always dressed to the nines and looking sharp. Her long dark hair has never gone more than six weeks without a trim and highlights, unlike me, who forgets to cut my hair until my bangs flop over my eyes.
It’s too bad her tall, lanky frame makes it impossible for me to inherit her hand-me-downs. But we can share shoes, so there’s that.
Renee sees me and lifts her chin in greeting. When she’s done with her guests, she dishes up a two-scoop sundae with mint chocolate on one side, vanilla on the other, topped with fudge, nuts, and whipped cream, and then joins me at my table.
“Hi.” Renee pushes the treat toward me. “Long time, no see.”
“That’s relative, you know. In Chicago, I wouldn’t say that to a friend unless two weeks had passed. Not two days, like here.” I dig in and moan. “Thank you.”
Renee smiles. “You’re welcome. But if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to steal my boyfriend. Gage spends more time with you or working on your case than he does with me.”
I nod as I swallow. “Sorry about that. Hopefully, we’ll figure things out soon.” I take another bite and then ask, “Do you think Brittany would be better off with her mom? If Stella has really changed, that is.”
Renee steals a finger swipe of whipped cream before she says, “Gage asked me the same question this morning but wouldn’t tell me why he was asking. Quoted lawyer-client privilege. What’s going on?”
I quickly fill Renee in on Stella’s threat to come home and take Brittany back. “The thing is, I don’t believe Brittany’s mother could change her spots that easily. I suspect Stella has something up her sleeve, and I wonder if it doesn’t have to do with my uncle too.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past your uncle. He’s pretty determined to take what’s yours. Even Brittany. But she belongs with you. Period.”
I stop midbite and put my spoon down. “Why do you say that?” As good as the vote of confidence makes me feel, I still want to do the right thing for Brittany.
Renee glances over her shoulder to check on her guests before she leans closer to me. “Because I’ve seen how happy Brittany is with you. And how she’s blossomed since being allowed to be just a teenager, not that that’s easy.”
“True.” I pick up my spoon again and take another bite. “But I’m not my mom. I have a lot to learn about being a guardian.”
Renee slides a hand over mine. “Your mom knew she was sick when she took Brittany in. She also knew you were the perfect person to raise Brittany. I agreed with the plan to save Brittany from a criminal life when your mom told me about it before she died. And I still agree with it.”
I sometimes forget Renee and my mom stayed close after I left town. “My mom told you the specifics of the adoption?”
“Some.” Renee shrugs. “We talked about it a lot. Why?”
I push my sundae aside. Has Renee known what Gage and I have been trying to figure out all this time? Maybe Gage is too good about not discussing his cases with others. “Do you know how Brittany’s mom paid for the adoption?”
“No.” Renee slowly shakes her head. “Your mom planned to pay until Stella volunteered right before she signed the papers.
