Chapter 45

After pulling into his driveway, Evan took his time. Darlene had been the first one out of the car, but she lingered as if waiting for him. Ann and Kimmy had already reached the steps. Deana was at the top, grinning at him. His sister knew precisely what Evan was up to. He flipped her the bird and placed his hand on Darlene’s back, guiding her just ahead of him.

The tumblers greeted each other in the screen room as if it had been a long time since their last practice, even though it hadn’t been. Deana said, “Hey, Darlene, you might want to let him go first. My brother wants to see your panties?”

Evan glared at his sister. Darlene said, “Too bad I’m not wearing any.” She leaned forward to give him a quick glimpse at perfection, then held her skirt close and climbed the last steps.

Deana kissed Darlene and said, “Great minds think alike.”

He huffed, walked past the girls into the kitchen, and kissed his mother. “I’ll be in my room until Jason gets here.”

Candy smirked. “That’s probably a good idea.”

On his way, Evan ran into Gloria. She grunted hello and rushed toward the kitchen. He didn’t know why Deana and Rebecca insisted he come to the party any more than Evan understood why he agreed. There would be seven girls in the basement. He had already had sex with three of them, and one Evan planned on doing it with, one he wished he could, and two were innocent bystanders. Unless Ann or Kimmy weren’t the prudes he supposed they were. Imagine stacking three tumblers and—No, stop thinking like that, Evan told himself. Deana promised nothing would lead to an orgy. He went up to his room to wait for Jason.

Candy leaned back against the counter and waited. None of her kids drank or used drugs, which is why she promised not to check on them in the basement. But, as a responsible mother, Candy needed to make sure none of the girls were smuggling anything in. After that, back to her room. She would probably call Cindy again. It was better that Evan didn’t see Cindy there, but it sucked letting her go. The previous twenty-four hours had been heaven, and Candy didn’t want it to end until her husband was on the ground at the airport. Then, Candy had to act like everything was normal. Too bad she wasn’t the award-winning actress required to pull off that role.

Rebecca, Kimmy, and Ann walked in, all talking at the same time. One in spandex, the other two in skinny jeans, and no handbags. Not a chance of smuggling in those clothes, Candy thought and said hello. They greeted her as Miss Candy, which she hated, and headed toward the living room. Candy listened to meaningless chatter until they closed the basement door.

Gloria said, “Hi, Mom,” and went out on the porch. Her daughter’s next words made Candy’s stomach twist. “Hey, Darlene, come on, meet my mom.”

Deana entered first and stared at the floor. Gloria and Darlene squeezed through the doorway with their arms around each other’s waist. “Mom, this is Darlene. You might have seen her at the ballpark.”

Candy’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish while her daughter stared expectantly. Darlene’s smile vanished. Sally had been a distant memory the last time Candy saw Darlene. At the time, it had been over a decade since Candy had even looked at a picture of her sister. Now, after spending time with Sally and the box of pictures, Candy felt as if someone had punched her in the face and knocked her back fifteen years. Darlene didn’t remind her of Sally; she was Sally. The lumpy, cracked linoleum floor and musty-mildew odor of their trailer overwhelmed Candy’s senses. A well of emotions threatened to buckle her knees.

“Mom?” Deana stood in front of her, blocking Candy’s view. “You alright?”

It took her breath away when Candy saw Sally again for the first time, but seeing Darlene was like a kick in the gut. The girl had been punished by John, and Candy felt partly to blame. She shouldn’t have stayed with John or should have done more for Sally’s little girl. How many times had Candy practiced the conversation she planned to have with Darlene? Thousands, but not a single word came out of Candy’s mouth. “No, Dee, no, I’m not.”

“Just go,” Deana whispered, “I’ll handle it.”

“Sorry, girls, I’m gonna, gotta.” Candy rushed out of the room with her hand over her mouth.

Gloria looked at Deana and back to Darlene. “Sorry, I guess—”

“She’s sick,” Deana said. “Food poisoning, or something. Come on, let’s get this party started.”