Page 69 of The Banned Books Club
“Quit putting words in my mouth!” his father snapped and bolted from the house without even bothering to close the door.
Cormac watched as he got into his old Blazer and tore out of the drive, nearly hitting the neighbor’s car, which was parked on the street. What had just happened? Evan had admitted the truth but then taken it back?
Thathadbeen an admission, though, hadn’t it?
What was Cormac supposed to do now? Would his sisters even believe him if he told them what’d just happened?
He didn’t shut the door even after his father was gone. He stared out into the night for several minutes, letting the chill wind ripple through his hair and clothes. All this time his father had been saying and doing anything he could to avoid responsibility for what he’d done to Gia. And until very recently Cormac had stood by him.
The whole thing was so disgusting!
“Hey.”
He blinked and focused. Gia had come from around the back. Had she heard Evan leave?
He didn’t get the impression she even knew Evan had been here. Fortunately, she’d missed him, but only by a matter of minutes.
He tried to answer her but couldn’t speak. The rage that filled him tightened his throat to the point that he didn’t have a voice.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking alarmed.
He shook his head. He didn’t want to see her right now. He was too upset. But he didn’t know what to do to make her leave, not without also making her feel bad.
“Cormac?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but once again couldn’t squeeze any words past his throat. Then, inexplicably and without warning, his eyes began to fill with tears of anger and frustration.
That was the last thing he wanted. Embarrassed on top of everything else, he started to close the door. He had to get away before she could tell he was breaking down. But the next thing he knew, she grabbed hold of his arm and turned him toward her.
“What is it?” She searched his face for answers with those stunning eyes of hers, but when he couldn’t provide her with an explanation, she put her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Gia had been worried about how Cormac’s family would respond to what he’d done last night. Now she knew she’d had good reason to be concerned. Something significant must’ve happened with them—or, much less likely, something else had upset him—because his whole body was rigid. “It’s okay,” she murmured again, rubbing his back. “What happened?”
“My father... I’ve just...lost my father,” he said as if everything he was thinking and feeling could be summed up in that one simple statement.
“What do you mean? Has he been hurt?” She started to pull back, but he buried his face in her neck and continued to hold her.
“No. I...” When he’d had a moment to compose himself, he lifted his head. “I just realized that he’s not the man I always believed he was. I mean...since you’ve been back, I’ve had to face the idea that he was probably lying about what happened in high school. That’s shameful enough. But harassing you at the diner, too, and the way he characterized it afterward, and how he’s been using Louisa and Edith—and wants to continue to use me—to give him false credibility...” He shook his head as if that was the best he could do to explain what was going on.
“I feel terrible,” she said. “I don’t want to be the cause of this. For nearly two decades, I’ve been blamed for destroying your family. I hate the thought that just by coming home, I’m responsible for more pain.”
He stepped back, breaking the contact between them. “That’s just it.Youcare about the damage that’s being caused. That says it all right there.”
“Your father’s a proud man, Cormac. He’s embarrassed that he was caught doing something so far beneath him. So he’s still fighting to shore up the lies he told. I think he’d do anything to reclaim some of the respect he had before. It’s not right, but...it’s understandable.”
“Not to me,” he argued. “If he’d just told the truth, I could’ve forgiven him! You were almost an adult andsobeautiful, even back then. I could understand wanting you. I’vealwayswanted you. It’s what he’s done since—all the lying and the total disregard for how it affects everyone around him—that’s shown me who he really is. And I don’t like what I see. I can’t admire it. I can’t—”
He stopped. The way she was looking at him let him know he’d said something completely unexpected.
“What?” he said, taking another step back.
“You’ve alwayswantedme?” she echoed.
Squeezing his eyes closed, he rubbed his forehead. “I shouldn’t have said that. I can’t talk right now. I have no filter. I’d better—”
“Cormac,” she cut in.
Dropping his hand, he looked at her.
