Chapter 22
Lizzie
Lizzie sat in the hotel van in the employee parking lot, phone pressed to her ear as the line rang.
She had twenty minutes before the spring breakers showed up for tonight’s bar crawl.
This would be her fourth one since arriving, third one she’d done on her own.
Four weeks. She’d been in Key West for four weeks now, and somehow it felt like both forever and no time at all.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite interning stepdaughter,” Jasper’s voice came, warm and soothing as always.
“Hey, Jasper.”
“How are you? Any more random weather disasters to report?” She heard the twinkle in his voice as he spoke.
“No, nothing so far. But I’m on my guard.
I half expect a random snowstorm.” Lizzie checked the time.
She didn’t mind chit chatting with Jasper, but this time she’d actually had a reason to call.
“I was wondering if I could ask you about something. Schools in Miami. Do you know anything about good writing programs there?”
A pause. “Why would you need to know about schools in Miami?”
“Just curious. You know, for future reference.”
“Lizzie.” That tone. He sounded so much like her mom when she knew something was up.
“What?”
“You’re being evasive. That’s my move.” Jasper’s voice turned serious. “Are you thinking about transferring?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet. Just exploring options.”
“Does this have anything to do with Sarah?”
Her blood froze. She hadn’t told him about Sarah. The only people who knew were Chrisla, who’d never tell a soul, Maya, whom she trusted with her life and …
“Mom told you. I asked her not to tell anyone.”
“I’m not anyone. I am her ex-husband. That doesn’t count.”
“I’m pretty sure spousal privilege end with divorce,” she pointed out.
“Here you are with the details again. And the deflection. So. Schools in Miami. Anything to do with Sarah? Yes? No.”
“Maybe.”
Jasper laughed. “My favorite evasive answer.”
“Please don’t tell anyone about Sarah.”
“I won’t. Don’t worry. I like her. She’s the one who gave me my most lucrative contract, after all. A long as she treats you right. If she messes with you the gloves are off. Mom and I are on the first flight down.”
“Good. Thanks.” Lizzie took a breath. “Have you talked to Mom lately?”
“Yesterday. Outside of worrying about you, she’s fine.” Jasper’s voice softened. “She was talking about coming down for a visit.”
“With Jack and Harry?” Usually, Lizzie and her brothers visited Jasper alone.
“Maybe.”
“Jasper.”
“What?”
“You’re being evasive now. Is mom planning to come visit you alone? Are you … are you two getting back together?”
She heard him switch the phone from one side to the other. Then liquid poured into a glass and he took a gulp. “Look. Your mom is... she’s always been special to me. Even after the divorce. Last time I was up there, we talked and it just felt…right.”
“I see.” Lizzie twirled her keychain around her finger. “I think you should go for it. You were good together. You made her happy. You made all of us happy.”
“That means a lot, Lizzie. Really.”
“I just want you both to be happy. You deserve that.”
“So do you, kid. Which is why I’m going to ask again. What’s really going on with this school talk?”
She shouldn’t have asked him. Why had she? He wasn’t going to let this go because Jasper could be like a dog with a bone. The best thing she could do was cut him off. “I have to go. The spring breakers are going to be here any minute.”
“Lizzie—”
“I love you. Talk soon.”
She hung up before he could press further.
Lizzie leaned back against the seat and let herself imagine it.
Her mom and Jasper getting back together.
Really together this time. They’d get married again.
Her mom would move to Miami with her brothers.
They’d all be close by. She could live with them and go to school in Miami and on the weekends, she could visit Sarah until all of this court mess was over. And then …
Her phone buzzed. A text from the front desk: “Group is heading to the van now.”
Lizzie shook off the daydream and climbed out. Twelve spring breakers signed up for tonight’s crawl. Not as many as usual, but spring break was winding down. A lot of people had already gone home.
The group appeared from around the building. She recognized a few faces from previous activities. No Cynthia, thank god.
Emma had left two weeks ago to get back to classes on time. But Cynthia had extended her stay again. Apparently she’d hooked up with some local guy and was spending all her time at his place. She barely came back to the hotel anymore.
Lizzie wasn’t complaining. The less she saw of Cynthia, the better.
Just as the guests were taking their seats, her phone buzzed again.
Miss you. S.
Miss you too. Headed to the bar crawl. See you later?
Yes. I’ll wait for you to get back from the bar crawl. Meet me in the employee garage.
Lizzie smiled and put her phone away. She and Sarah had been okay these past few days.
Ever since that strange conversation about Sarah’s parents, Lizzie had stayed away from that topic.
It felt saver that way. It wasn’t the healthiest thing, perhaps, but there was so much going on with Sarah, she wasn’t going to push her.
No, for the time being, Lizzie was determined to do the only thing she could-Enjoy her time with her and worry about the future when the time came.
***
Lizzie pulled the hotel van into the employee parking lot and killed the engine.
Eleven PM. The bar crawl had been small tonight.
Just eight spring breakers who wanted a guided tour of Duval Street’s best bars.
She’d brought them all back safely, nobody too drunk, no incidents.
She sent Sarah a quick text to let her know she was back. She replied immediately.
Great. I’ll be down in twenty. Just finishing up this report on the damage on Carlson Island for the insurance.
Got it. I have to use the bathroom anyway. Meet in the garage still?
Yup.
She grabbed her bag and headed into the hotel through the employee entrance and rushed to the bathroom and changed out of her clothes before making her way through the lobby.
The lobby was quiet. Just the night desk clerk and a few late-night stragglers. One woman, however, drew her attention.
Lizzie noticed her immediately because she looked so out of place. Small and thin with hair that looked box dyed because it was one of those unnaturally red colors that probably glowed in the dark. She wore a heavy suit jacket and tracksuit bottoms.
The woman fidgeted with her purse. Opened it, closed it, opened it again. Her eyes kept darting to the front desk and then away.
Lizzie walked to the restroom and when she came back out, the woman was still there. Still fidgeting.
The night clerk was a girl Lizzie had seen around but didn’t know well. Mary, maybe? She approached the desk.
“Who’s that?”
The clerk leaned in and lowered her voice. “Says she’s waiting for Sarah Barnes. Claims she’s her mother.”
“Her mother?”
“That’s what she said. I sent a message to Sarah’s office, but she hasn’t come down yet. Should be interesting. Even ice queens have mothers, I suppose.” She chuckled but Lizzie ignored the comment.
Sarah’s mom? Sarah had never mentioned her mother visiting. Had barely mentioned her mother at all except to say she lived in Texas.
The woman looked uncomfortable. Lost. Like she didn’t belong here and knew it.
Lizzie felt awkward just leaving her sitting there because if she and Sarah stayed together long term, this woman would be her family by extension. Without another thought, she walked over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.
“Hi. I’m Lizzie. I work with Sarah. Can I get you anything while you wait? Water? Coffee?”
The woman turned to look at her. Up close she looked rougher than Lizzie had initially thought. Red-rimmed eyes and deep lines around her mouth that spoke of years of hard living. When she smiled, Lizzie notices several missing teeth at the top and the bottom.
“You’re very kind. Do you know her well?” The woman’s voice was hoarse.
“Yes, we’re friends.”
“Sarah doesn’t talk about me, does she?”
Lizzie didn’t know what to say. “She mentioned she had family in Texas.”
The woman laughed. It was a bitter sound. “Texas? I’ve never been to Texas in my life. I live in Wisconsin. Always have.”
Lizzie’s confusion must have shown on her face.
“She didn’t tell you that, did she?” The woman shook her head. “My daughter’s good at rewriting history. Making herself look better.”
Lizzie frowned. This was beyond strange. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Isolde. Isolde Fairview.” She opened her purse again and pulled out a tissue. Dabbed at her eyes. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with Sarah for months. Calls go straight to voicemail. Emails bounce back. I finally just drove down here. Took me three days.”
“You drove from Wisconsin?”
“I didn’t have money for a plane ticket. My car barely made it.” Isolde twisted the tissue in her hands. “We’re in trouble, my husband and me. We really need our daughter to show up for us.”
Our daughter? Sarah hadn’t mentioned a stepfather. Not once.
The woman continued. “Her father needs new teeth. They all had to be pulled. He can barely eat. We lost our home. We live in a motel.” Isolde looked around. “Nothing like this. Nothing so fancy.”
Lizzie barely listened because the words her father rung in her head. Sarah’s father? Not stepfather?
“Did you say her father? Don’t you mean stepfather?”
Isolde shook her head and looked at her as if she’d sprouted a second head.
“No. Sarah’s father is not dead. Did she say that? Oh, that would break Gerald’s heart.” She dabbed at her eyes with a ratty looking napkin she’d pulled from her purse.”
Sarah lied about her father? How could she? It was one of the things they had bonded over, having lost their fathers. Or at least Lizzie felt as though they had bonded. Was it all a lie?
“She told me her father died.”
Isolde snorted, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “She has always been troubled. Telling tall tales about us to everyone who’d listen. I was hoping the years would change her but no. I was wrong. I should have let her go to that detention center when she was thirteen and wrecked our car.”
Lizzie’s jaw dropped. What in the world was this all about?
Was this woman crazy? Sarah Barnes in detention for wrecking a car?
Lizzie looked around, wondering if she was in some strange prank video.
Then she spotted Sarah at the bottom of the staircase.
She must have gotten the message from the front desk.
When she saw her mother sitting with Lizzie, her face went completely white.
Then it hardened into ice.
That ice queen expression Lizzie hadn’t seen in weeks. The one from her first day at the hotel. Cold and distant and completely shut down.
Sarah strode across the lobby. Her heels clicked on the tile with sharp precision.
“Lizzie. Go upstairs and wait for me in my office.”
Her voice was sharp. Commanding. Not the soft tone she used when they were alone.
“Sarah, I was just—”
“I said now.”
Lizzie flinched. She stood up automatically. She wanted to stay and understand what was happening. But Sarah’s face was completely closed off.
Defeated, she headed for the stairs. But instead of going to the office, she stopped at the second-floor landing where the windows overlooked the front entrance.
Down below, Sarah grabbed her mother by the arm. Not gently. She practically dragged her toward the front doors. Several late-night guests were returning from dinner. They stopped and stared as Sarah and her mother passed.
This was completely undignified. Completely unlike the composed GM Sarah always presented. Through the glass doors, Lizzie saw them on the front walkway. Sarah said something. Her mother responded. They were arguing but Lizzie couldn’t hear the words.
Isolde was gesturing wildly. Pleading. Her hands were pressed together as if she were praying, pleading with Sarah. Sarah stood rigid with her arms crossed.
Then Isolde’s hand moved and flew through the evening air. It connected with Sarah’s face. Hard. Sarah’s head snapped to the side. Lizzie gasped and pressed her hand over her mouth.
Her feet itched to intervene, but she didn’t have a chance. Sarah composed herself, said a few words and turned away from her mother. Her posture was straight but something about it looked brittle. Like she might shatter if you said another word to her.
Isolde stood there for a moment. Then she walked to the parking lot where a beat-up sedan was parked. She got in and drove away.
Movement caught Lizzie’s eye. Some of the late arrivals had witnessed the scene and were talking. Not a good look for the hotel. But outside, something far worse was happening. Cynthia had appeared. And she smiled. She’d clearly seen the whole thing.
Lizzie ran to the office and got there just before Sarah did. She sat in one of the chairs when Sarah walked in and closed the door.
They looked at each other. Sarah’s cheek was red where her mother had hit her.
Lizzie walked to her side. Despite the news she’d learned this evening, she wanted nothing more than to comfort Sarah.
“Don’t.”
“Are you ok? Your mom … she said…”
“Whatever she said, don’t believe her. She’s a liar. A professional liar.” Sarah’s shoulders shook. Lizzie realized with a shock that she was crying. Silently. Tears running down her face while she stared at the floor.
Lizzie attempted to put her hand on Sarah’s shoulder, but Sarah jerked away.
“Don’t touch me. Please. I can’t—if you touch me right now I’m going to fall apart and I can’t fall apart. Not here. Not now.”
“Then let’s go to your apartment. We can talk there.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Sarah, your mother just slapped you in front of guests. A bunch of people saw. And she told me you were in trouble in the past…that you crashed a car and…”
Sarah’s face went even paler. She sank into her desk chair and put her head in her hands. “This is a disaster. This is what Billy was trying to prevent by paying her off all these years.”
What? What strange soap opera had Lizzie walked in on here.
“Sarah, please explain what is going on. Paid her off for what? Where you in trouble or…”
Sarah jumped up. “Lizzie, I adore you but I can’t do this tonight. Please go home. To your place. I need to be alone.”
There was no argument to be made. Sarah’s voice was firm. She wasn’t going to tell Lizzie anything. And she wasn’t going to let her comfort her either. So, Lizzie did the only thing she could. She kissed Sarah’s cheek-and left her alone.