Chapter 27
NORA RAN UP NATE’S porch steps and knocked on his screen door. “Mal,” she called out. “Are there enough pancakes for me and Em too? We’re starving, and it’s too hot in our house to cook.”
Emily might normally feel embarrassed for Nora’s brazenness with Nate, especially after the way she’d been throwing herself at him last year.
But now Emily just felt relieved that she wasn’t the one having to beg.
She walked across the yard and by the time she reached Nate’s door, Mallory was already there, opening it, nodding (plenty of pancakes!), and inviting them both in.
Then, as they were sitting around his dining table, Emily thought Nate looked uneasy at the sight of her and Nora across from him. But maybe she was imagining it.
“So what were you doing in LA?” Nora asked Nate in between bites of pancakes, after Mallory had finished gushing about the Playbill Nora had given her.
“Teachers’ conference,” Mallory piped up cheerfully, and it was clear how proud she was of her dad. Emily suspected he was also probably the most loved teacher by all his students.
“Teachers’ conference?” Nora said. She raised her eyebrows and gave Emily a look that said: On a Sunday? Of Memorial Day weekend? Emily nodded slightly, so Nora knew she understood.
They didn’t have to say anything, in that way sisters could just communicate with looks and nods. They both agreed, Nate was definitely hiding something. The question was, what?
“What kind of—” Nora began, but Emily kicked her under the table and shot Nora another look. Mallory. Then Nora nodded slightly and said, “What kind of blueberries did you use in these pancakes? They are truly delicious.”
“Just regular old blueberries,” Mrs. McAllister said.
“California blueberries,” Emily rambled. “Better than East Coast blueberries.” She heard how silly the words sounded and yet they were masking the ones she wanted to say. Nate was lying. Julia was missing.
What the fuck was really going on?
When the pancakes were all finished, Mallory went upstairs to take a shower, Mrs. McAllister left to go home, and Emily and Nora remained at Nate’s dining room table, refusing to budge.
“I should go call Tim about your AC,” Nate said, moving to stand.
“What were you really doing in LA?” Nora asked. She heard the noise of water running through the pipes from upstairs and figured Mallory was in the shower. “On a Sunday of a holiday weekend? You were not at a teachers’ conference.”
Nate frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “It’s not any of your business,” he finally said. “I’m not trying to be rude, Nora… It’s just… personal.”
Nora felt wounded by his words. He wouldn’t trust her with something personal?
He was clearly hiding something from them.
“I think you know where Julia is and you’re not telling us.
” Nora blurted out her accusation, the pitch of her voice rising.
Nora might be forty now, but she could still use her emotions to elicit a response.
Nate shook his head. “Come on.” His voice softened. “I wouldn’t do that. You know you three are like…” Maybe he was going to say the word sisters, but then he reconsidered, as if maybe that didn’t feel like the right word anymore. “Family,” he finally said.
“So Julia isn’t in LA?” Emily sighed, wondering if Nate was a dead end after all. Maybe whatever secret he was keeping, whatever reason he was acting evasive, had nothing to do with Julia.
“I…” Nate started. “I didn’t say that.” He paused and ran his fingers through his messy hair. “I said I didn’t see her there. I didn’t go to LA for Julia. And I don’t know anything about where she is.” Then he added, “Not for certain.”
“But you have a guess, don’t you?” Emily said.
As Nora said, “So wait, you think she might actually be in LA?”
Then Emily and Nate exchanged a strange look that made Nora’s head tingle with that awful feeling she’d felt her whole entire life of being left out.
Did they both know what was going on and only she was in the dark?
Usually, it was Emily and Julia who made her feel this way.
Was it possible that Emily could have secrets with Nate too?
“I don’t know,” Nate finally said. “I honestly don’t know where she is for sure. But…”
“But?” Nora pressed.
He looked from Emily to Nora. Then back again. “That other time, when Julia disappeared. She was here with me for a little while and then… she went to Santa Monica. I went with her. I took her there.”
“What the hell is in Santa Monica?” Nora asked.
“Not what,” Emily said softly. “Who.”