But he didn't. "Forget the weather," he said. "Tell me what you're thinking."
"It's just the answer to your question – as to why I didn't notice the stuff with my roommate. I guess I have a theory, but it's kind of disturbing." I almost winced. "To be honest, I'm not even sure you'd want to hear it."
"AndI'msure I do."
Still, I hesitated.
In a quiet voice, he said, "Tell me."
"All right." I bit my lip. "But remember, you asked for it."
"Duly noted."
With growing dread, I said, "Okay, you remember that my dad died when I was little, right?"
"Right."
"And my mom got remarried, pretty soon, actually. The guy's name was Gordon, and he was kind of a creeper."
In the driver's seat, something in Jack's posture changed, becoming more rigid, or at the very least, less relaxed. Still, his voice remained eerily calm as he said, "Is that so?"
"Yeah. The way he looked at my sister, it wasreallyweird." At the recollection, I stifled a shudder. "Maybe I didn't realize it at first, but later on, when I hit junior high and became more aware of things, I started to notice that he looked at Annaallthe time."
Now Ididshudder. "It was like he wanted to eat her alive or something. And it's the'or something'that was the real problem."
"So he was attracted to her. That's what you're saying?"
I gave a snort of disgust. "That's putting it nicely. But anyway, yes, he was attracted to her, maybe even obsessed with her. It made our housereallystressful, especially for Anna."
"I can imagine. And what aboutyou?"
"It was different. I mean, I was three years younger than Anna." I tried to laugh. "I still am, actually. But I just mean, it wasn't the same."
"How so?"
"Well, the thing is…" I couldn't help but cringe. "…I hadn't yet 'blossomed', as Gordon liked to put it."
Under his breath, Jack said, "What the fuck?"
"Yeah. No kidding. But anyway, once I was old enough to realize that he was drooling over Anna, it was worse for both of us, especially her." At the memory, my stomach clenched, but not in a good way. "And not just because she had to deal with Gordon. She was dealing withme, too."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she started to notice that I was noticing." I sighed. "And it made everything so much worse."
"Worse how?"
"She was really embarrassed. And evenmoreworried." In a quieter voice, I added, "Not just about herself. Aboutme."
"I can see why," Jack said, giving me a sideways glance. "So I've gotta ask—"
"Don't." I cleared my throat. "I just mean, no, Gordan never had that kind of interest in me." I looked heavenward. "Thank God." Desperately I tried to look on the bright side. "And even with Anna, nothing ever happened."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes. Absolutely." I tried for a shrug. "Who knows, maybe he just liked to look. But trust me, I know. Henevertouched her."
"Because Anna told you?"