Chapter 25 Doubts
Doubts
“You know, if you don’t stop grinning like that, someone’s going to figure out you got laid.”
Abby smiled even harder as Lindsey and Naomi joined her at the small table in the teacher’s lounge. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t,” Lindsey said. “Let’s see. Can’t stop smiling. Good mood. One might even say chipper.”
“Blushes every time her phone buzzes,” Naomi added.
“All the hallmarks of a well-fucked woman,” Lindsey finished.
Abby gasped. “Lindsey!”
“What? Am I wrong?”
“That’s not the point,” Abby said.
“Is it because I said ‘well-fucked’? I don’t know how else to describe it, ‘cause ‘laid’ doesn’t cover all of this.” She used a carrot stick to gesture at Abby.
“Spill,” Naomi said. “We left you alone yesterday. That’s plenty of time. Give us the deets.”
Abby grinned and let out a squeak. That’s the only way she could describe it.
As if all the excitement rushed up out of her and got caught in her throat, escaping through a tiny hole in her vocal cords.
She felt like a teenager wanting to gush over her new boyfriend, not a woman trudging along the uphill slope toward forty.
She leaned forward and whispered, “I have never had sex like that. Ever. I thought ‘came so hard she blacked out’ was just an expression. I didn’t know it actually happened.”
Naomi stared, slack-jawed.
“You actually passed out?” Lindsey asked.
Abby nodded. “I think so. At least for a couple of seconds.”
“How many times?” Lindsey asked.
“Five.”
“You had five orgasms?” Naomi asked.
Abby’s eyes widened and she glanced around. Naomi hadn’t yelled, but she hadn’t whispered either. Abby didn’t need Mr. McGaw, the history teacher, knowing her business. Thankfully, he was doing his sudoku in the corner and not paying them any attention.
“Could you not yell? We had sex five times. I came more than that.”
They both gaped at her. “What?” Lindsey asked.
“I know! Right? I’m still sore.”
“Now you’re just bragging and being mean,” Naomi said.
Abby’s phone rang and she checked the screen before answering. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, sweetie. I wanted to let you know I picked Will up early. The daycare called and said he was running a low fever.”
“Do you need me to come home?”
“No, I’ve got it covered.”
She felt a tap on her arm and glanced up at Naomi, who mouthed is everything okay? She moved her phone away from her mouth. “Will has a fever.”
“What, honey?” Her mom asked.
“Nothing, I was just telling Naomi and Lindsey that Will has a fever.”
“Oh, say hi for me. I’ll see you when you get home. Around four, right?”
“Probably a little earlier than that. Olivia and I don’t have any after-school activities, so we should be able to leave as soon as last period is over. I can review assignments at home.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Abby ended the call and set her phone face down on the table.
“Is Will okay?” Lindsey asked.
“Oh, yeah. His daycare is a little militant on temperature. Anything over 99.1 and one of us gets called,” Abby said.
“Why’d they call your mom?” Naomi asked.
“She’s listed as the first contact for emergencies. It makes more sense since I’m going to call her to pick him up anyway.”
“Cool. Can we go back to you bragging about your sexcapades?” Lindsey set her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand.
“Oh my god. No.” Abby felt the heat rising up her neck.
“Why not?” Lindsey all but whined.
“For one, this is not the place or time,” she said in a harsh whisper. “For another…it’s private. Just accept that it was the best sex I’ve ever had and that’s all you’re getting.”
“Was it as good as you imagine the sex in your favorite MC book to be?” Naomi teased.
Her face was on fire.
Lindsey gaped at her. “Oh my god. As good or better?”
Abby cleared her throat and made a show of packing her empty containers into her lunch bag. “Better.”
She stood and walked out of the lounge to the sound of Lindsey and Naomi cackling behind her.
Will was curled on the couch watching TV when she and Olivia arrived home.
“Hey, Bubs.”
“Hi, Mama.”
Abby brushed his hair back from his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He was warm. There was a small trash can in front of the couch, but it was empty.
Her mom was in the kitchen, washing a glass. “Hey, honey.”
“Hey.” She kissed her mom on the cheek and set her lunch bag next to the sink. “Has he thrown up?”
Her mom unzipped the bag and took the empty containers out. “No, but he said his tummy was hurting, so better safe than sorry. I gave him some watered-down apple juice to sip on. He didn’t seem too interested. I don’t know if that’s because of his tummy or because it’s watered down.”
“Mom, you don’t have to wash my dishes.”
She waved a sudsy hand. “Pssh. I’m here and I’m almost done anyway.”
Abby shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She shut off the water and grabbed a dishtowel to dry her hands. “See? All done.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
She gave her a saintly smile. “I gave Will some Tylenol about an hour ago. You might want to get some Motrin as well. I noticed you didn’t have any.”
“I forgot to get some after the last time he was sick. I’ll run by the pharmacy later.”
“Okay. Well, I’m off. Call if you need anything.” Her mom gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek.
“I will.”
“Is Olivia in her room?” she asked.
“She headed that way when we got home.”
“I’ll pop in and say hi on my way out. Oh, there’s some mail for you on the table.”
“Thanks.” Abby took some ground beef from the freezer and set it in the sink. Looked like it was spaghetti bolognese for dinner for her and Olivia. Will could have some plain noodles since his stomach was upset.
She grabbed the mail from the dining room table and headed back into the living room. She sat at the end of the couch and patted Will on the leg. “You hungry, Bubs?”
He shook his head, eyes glued to the TV.
Most of the mail was bills, account statements, and the postal equivalent of spam, except for the large manila envelope. There was a return address from Kentucky, but no name.
A sliver of unease slithered through her. She didn’t know anyone in Kentucky—except for Olivia’s aunt. She glanced down the hall toward the bedrooms.
A sense of dread settled over her. She was tempted to ignore it and give it to her lawyer to open. But that wouldn’t change the contents.
She patted Will on his leg. “I’ll be right back. Okay?”
He nodded and she went into her office that doubled as her art studio. Grabbing the letter opener from the desk drawer, she slid it along the flap fold. She tossed the letter opener back in the drawer and peeked inside the envelope. There were only a few pages of paper, and she pulled them out.
Tinker’s photo stared up at her from the corner of the top page. More specifically, Tinker’s mug shot photo. He was much younger in the photo. Jeez. He must have been in his late teens when this was taken.
Someone had done her the favor of highlighting certain parts of the report.
Felony Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature
Assault, 2nd Degree
According to the dates on the report, Tinker was only twenty when he was charged.
The arrest record was attached, along with a short, typed message.
This isn’t going to look good when we go to court. Send Olivia back and this stays buried.
Abby’s lip curled and she snarled at the page in her hand. That bitch. At the same time, she couldn’t stop looking at Tinker’s mugshot. Her initial reaction was to dismiss it as fake. There was so much you could do with Photoshop or AI these days.
But the vague memory from the night she’d met Tinker rose to the surface. Julia had called him a convicted criminal. Dani’s reaction had been anger and defensiveness. That meant there was some truth to it, right?
Abby scanned the police report as she walked back to the kitchen.
The report looked like a copy of a copy and was difficult to read.
Olivia’s aunt hadn’t taken the time to highlight anything in the actual narrative, but a few words jumped out at her.
Tinker’s full name. Bloody. Multiple. Mangled.
Who the hell wrote “mangled” in a police report?
“Mama?” Will called weakly from the living room.
Abby walked into the hall. “Yeah, Bubs?”
“I don’t feel good.”
“Okay, why don’t you—”
Blurgh.
Abby dropped the papers and envelope on the counter and rushed to the couch. She grabbed the trash can and held it closer to Will’s head, now hanging over the side of the couch. Crap. At least he’d managed to aim well.
Looked like she was calling out of work tomorrow.