Page 53 of The Banned Books Club
“What?”he said, obviously confused.
“They’re planning to gang up on her? Four against one?”
“I guess you could say that,” Tyler said, suddenly sounding unsure. “They want to make her fess up at last.”
“What if she’s not lying, Tyler?”
He didn’t seem to know how to respond. “I didn’t even consider that because...well, we know sheislying, right? And she’s never been held accountable for it.”
Cormac dropped his head back to stare up at the ceiling. What was he going to do? He had to stop this before it turned into a train wreck. “When’s the meeting?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Where? Can you forward me that email?”
“I can if you want, but...”
A sour-faced Louisa stuck her head into the room. “Cormac, your one o’clock is here,” she said curtly before immediately closing the door.
“I have to go,” he told Tyler. “Just...send it to me.”
“Is everything okay?” he asked. “I thought you’d be happy that you finally have the chance to—”
“To what?” he broke in. “Hurt her even more?”
“Dude!” he said. “I thoughtshewas the one who hurtyou!”
The door opened again. “Cormac, are you coming?” Louisa asked. “We can’t get behind. Maybe you don’t care what time you get home, butIhave a family.”
“I’m coming,” Cormac told her and said to Tyler, “I’ll have to talk to you later.”
Because she hadn’t wanted to confront Margot when Ida was around, Gia waited until Margot had left and Ida had gone into the bedroom for a nap. Then she tried to call, but Margot didn’t answer, and she didn’t call back. It was after three o’clock before Gia was able to reach her.
“Why haven’t you been picking up?” she asked when her sister finally said hello. “I’ve called at least six times.”
“I was volunteering in Matthew’s class and didn’t have my phone on me. Why? What’s the emergency?” Her voice grew tense, worried. “It isn’t Mom, is it?”
“No. Mom’s been resting peacefully. We’re planning to watch an old movie this evening.”
“That’s what you said at lunch. So why would you call me six times when I was just there? Don’t tell me you’rethatbored.”
She hadn’t been bored today; she’d been agitated, worried and angry. When she couldn’t reach Margot, it’d been all she could do not to call Sheldon and give him a piece of her mind. “Ruth called earlier.”
“So? What’d she want?”
Now that she had her sister on the phone, Gia wasn’t quite sure how to approach the fact that everyone believed Sheldon was cheating with his ex-girlfriend. “She’s...concerned about you.”
The tension returned to Margot’s voice. “Why would she be concerned aboutme?”
“Because of Cece.”
Silence.
“Margot? Do you know that Sheldon and Cece have been seen together around town several times?”
“They’re just friends, G.”
There was no shock or surprise, which took Gia aback. “Friends? Margot, sometimes he’s with her when she picks up her son from school!”
