Page 52 of Little Bitter Truths
He nodded, his expression shifting to one of concern.Then he stepped forward to shake my hand.“I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.”
“Me too,” I said.
“Right before you came in, Georgiana was telling me something unexpected,” Renee said.“She thinks Wren might not have … ahh, let me think of how to put it.She thinks?—”
Bryan raised a hand, stopping her.
“I want to hear everything, of course.But first …” he turned toward the girls.“Why don’t you two go into the playroom and watch something on television?I’ll bring you a snack in a few minutes.Mommy and Daddy need to have a grown-up talk with Mommy’s friend, okay?”
“Can we have ice cream?”the taller one asked.
“Sure, just give us a few minutes to talk first, and I’ll bring it to you.”
The kids nodded and skipped out of the room.Once they were out of earshot, I gave him a shortened version of the story I’d just told Renee.
The lack of forced entry.
The clean shot.
The possibility Wren had been moved.
When I finished, he said, “I never got the chance to know Wren or Mia well.We saw them here and there at family events over the years, and at their grandfather’s funeral, of course.I’d always hoped they would reconnect with Renee one day and be a bigger part of our lives.In fact, I even reached out to Mia after we found out Wren died.”
Renee looked surprised.“You did?When?”
“About a week after the funeral.I figured if I talked to Mia, maybe I could help bridge the gap between cousins, so you two could lean on each other for support.”
“What did Mia say?”I asked.
“She thanked me for getting in touch and said she just needed a little time, and then she would reach out.”
“Wow, I can’t believe it,” Renee said.“I’m sorry it had to happen the way it did, but maybe there’s a way for us to be in each other’s lives after all.”
One of the girls returned to the room, tugging on Bryan’s sleeve.“Daddy, you said a few minutes.We want ice cream.Pleeeeease.”
“All right, honey.Hang on.I’ll get it.”
He kissed Renee on the forehead, ruffled his daughter’s hair, and walked with her to the kitchen.
Renee and I talked for a few more minutes and then Bryan returned.
“It was nice meeting you, Georgiana,” he said.
“You too.”
Renee glanced up at him.“Are you leaving?”
“I thought I’d go to the store and grab a few things for dinner.Is there anything specific you feel like eating tonight?”
“Pasta sounds good.”She turned toward me.“I’m not much of a cook, but Bryan is, and he makes some great dishes.”
“I have one of those.”
“A husband who cooks?”
I nodded.
With the kids home, continuing our conversation would be difficult, and I decided enough had been said for now.
