Truth Be Told. Barbara McMahon

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СКАЧАТЬ Her photo on the identification card stared up at them.

      “You’re a cop!” Eliza said, grabbing the ID and reading the card. “A Los Angeles police officer.” She burst out laughing and handed the card to April.

      April grinned as she took it. “We all thought you might have been in jail somewhere, a criminal—not arresting criminals.”

      “A criminal!” Jo felt offended.

      Eliza nodded, her eyes brimming with laughter. “You were always getting into trouble—skipping school, hanging out with those guys who were bad news.”

      “Hey, Josiah Heller is the one who told me about Maddie.” Not that his revelation was altruistic.

      “Can you arrest whoever attacked you?” April asked, handing back the leather case.

      “The statute of limitations has run out, and I’m not living in this jurisdiction. I’m here to apologize to Maddie, nothing more.” Though she had thought over the years how she’d like to make the man pay. Maybe something would come of her visit, but she didn’t have high hopes.

      “Mending fences is a good thing, especially now that we’re all together again,” Eliza said. “You’ll have to stay for the fair.”

      “And my wedding,” April said.

      “What are you talking about?” Jo asked.

      “Which, the fair or the wedding?” April asked.

      “You told me about the fair. Are you really getting married that quickly?”

      “As soon as Maddie’s able to attend. Doesn’t seem quick to me.”

      “And everyone in the county shows up at the fair, making it the perfect place for you to show your support by helping out, and making sure anyone who asks knows Maddie never beat you,” Eliza said. “That’s even better than we planned. Since you gave the false information, you can set the record straight.”

      “Like anyone is going to listen to me,” Jo muttered. No one had twelve years ago.

      “I bet people in L.A. listen to you,” April said. “How else could you do your job?”

      “They don’t know the situation.”

      Eliza frowned. “Well, I’m thinking we don’t know it, either.”

      Jo nodded. “Just let me talk to Maddie and I’ll tell you everything—if it’s okay with her.”

      Jo leaned back on the pillow propped against the headboard and looked at the two women who’d once been closer to her than sisters. “So tell me all that’s been going on with you two,” she invited.

      In the time before dinner Eliza filled Jo in on her move to Boston and becoming a chef. April regaled her with her account of becoming a model in Paris and then startled Jo when she told her she’d been married twice. But the biggest surprise was that she’d just discovered Maddie was her biological grandmother!

      Jo listened, glad her friends’ lives had turned out so well. She would have felt far worse than she had if other lives had been ruined because of her. She’d always figured she deserved what she got, but Eliza and April hadn’t.

      They were still talking when Cade arrived. Eliza dashed downstairs the moment she heard his voice, though Jo didn’t know how she could distinguish it from the voices of the construction workers.

      “Jack’ll be here soon,” April said, rising. “Freshen up and come meet him.” Spontaneously, she reached over and hugged Jo. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

      Jo watched April go, closing the door behind her. She was back in Maraville, but nothing was as she’d thought it would be.

      How amazing to find both April and Eliza here. And both engaged to be married. When she’d allowed herself to think about them over the years, she’d always envisioned them married with the families they used to talk about having one day. In her case, she had no dreams of building a family. There was plenty to do on her job. The fact she’d never met a man she felt she could trust also played a big part in her decision. She’d leave romance to April and Eliza.

      Jo went to the bathroom at the end of the hall. The construction crew had finally left. Dust wafted in the air. She peeked in the door of the room Eliza had always had and saw a new connecting bath between her room and the room she herself used to use.

      She moved to the door of her old room and went in. Surprised to see everything almost as she’d left it except for the new door to the connecting bath, she studied the posters and announcements on the old bulletin board. Together they captured moments of time in a teenage girl’s life.

      At last she pushed away and went to freshen up. She wasn’t that same girl. Time had moved along and so had she. After seeing Maddie, she’d have to decide if she would stay for Independence Day. Small towns had long memories. Jo knew she didn’t want to be the focus of gossip and speculation for days on end. Yet…she owed Maddie. It would be little enough to endure if the record were set straight.

      Where was Allen McLennon these days? He and Maddie had been dating for several months before Jo’s attack. Maddie had believed Allen, not Jo. Was he still lording it over people? Wouldn’t the town be shocked to learn the truth about the lofty town banker?

      When she entered the kitchen a short time later, Eliza was dishing up some delectable sauce and spreading it over pasta. April poured iced tea into tall glasses. Cade Bennett was setting the table. He looked older, of course, and had filled out nicely. There was another man Jo didn’t recognize, undoubtedly April’s fiancé.

      “Here she is,” April said, spotting her. “Come and meet Jack.”

      Introductions were made. Cade greeted her, and before long all were seated at the old table enjoying Eliza’s cooking.

      Jo felt odd sitting with the two couples. Eliza and April bubbled with excitement at her arrival. Cade seemed as easygoing as always. Jack Palmer, on the other hand, studied her as if he didn’t trust her. No biggie. She was used to going it alone. And she did not begrudge Eliza or April their happiness. She just felt like a fifth wheel.

      “Seen Maddie yet?” Cade asked.

      “Going after dinner,” she said. “She’s still at the hospital, April said.”

      Cade nodded. “Want a lift?”

      “Thought I’d walk.”

      “We’ve been doing a lot of that lately,” Eliza said. “It’s nice to be able to walk so many places without needing a car.”

      “Be strange for an Angeleno, I expect,” Jack said.

      “Right. I always drive everywhere. Usually on my Harley.”

      Jack’s eyebrows rose.

      “Motorcycle?” Cade asked with a grin. “Do you really have a Harley?”

      She nodded. “Traffic is a bitch, so I have a bike. I can weave through the stopped cars to get to where I’m going faster.”

      “Dangerous,” СКАЧАТЬ