Page 55 of The Law of Deceit

“I won’t keep you long. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Great. Here we go.

“It’s about Dempsey.”

Bile creeps up my throat. I force myself to swallow down the nausea. “What about him?”

Don’t sound guilty. Don’t sound guilty.

“Tonight is his art expo. Did you know he’s the featured artist?”

What?

“Uh, no.” Honest answer. “That’s good, right?”

“Good? It’s wonderful. I’m a little heartbroken he didn’t invite us, though. I think he’s still upset about the car thing and us making him go to college. If it were up to that kid, he’d goof off all day playing pool and razzing Spencer.”

That kid.

Her baby boy.

Ugh.

“How do you know about it if he didn’t invite you?”

“The dean of the art department called. Said there weren’t any RSVPs for his family, aside from Gemma or friends. Todd was emphatic that this is an extremely big deal at PMU. It’s an honor and will propel his career as an artist. Of course I told him we’d be there. I’m a little miffed Gemma didn’t say anything either.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.” Pride swells in my chest. I have the urge to text him to demand to know why he didn’t tell me, but then that’d be opening the box back up. The same box I’ve been trying to keep closed all week.

“It’s a fancy event. If you need to borrow a dress, come over early and you can wear whatever you want.”

Wait.

Me?

“Huh? I wasn’t invited.”

She laughs. “Neither were we. You got him that iPad, seeing potential in him when no one else was taking the time to. I assumed you wanted to see him doing so well.”

“I, uh, do. Of course I do. I just…”

“I have clothes,” she reminds me.

“No,” I blurt out. “I have my own stuff. I’ll be presentable. Don’t worry.”

She sighs softly and then forces cheer into her tone. “Absolutely. We’ll pick you up then. I’ll text you later when I know the time for sure.”

I hang up the phone as Aisha exits the restaurant with to-go bags in hand. I’m really going to see him tonight? My heart aches at the prospect.

Seeing and touching are two totally different things.

Tonight, I’ll keep my hands to myself.

Looking is okay, though. That’s all I’ll ever be able to do.

I’m a plainly dressed rat beside Jamie. Even pushing into her late thirties, she’s gorgeous. Her sleek black dress fits all her curves and her hair is pulled up in a stylish way. Meanwhile, I’m wearing my ol’ trusty blue dress and barely managed to run a straightener through my hair before they arrived to pick me up.

It’s a reminder of how different I am than the Parks.