Page 26 of The Other Side of Green

Her words. They killed me.

“Talk to me, Jack.” Mom reached for my T-shirt pulling me to face her, but I yanked it away, unwilling for her to read my face.

“No, Mom, you talk to me.” I flicked my head toward the new man of the house. “How’d this happen?”

“Are you cross, Jack, that I’ve finally managed to find some happiness, find a man who treats me right?”

My face grew hot. “No. It’s weird though right? The detective on Dad’s case ends up living with you.”

Mom gave a soft laugh. “It’s not like that. Phillipe and I are old friends. We’ve known each other a long time.”

I glanced between them, swiveling my gaze to catch out any extensions of the truth. My time with the Collins family had honed my bullshit detecting skills.

“You haven’t mentioned him before.”

“He...” Mom’s gaze dropped for a nanosecond before lifting to mine again. “He left, for a very long time. Then he came back.”

“So, your old boyfriend, I’m guessing, disappears for years while you and I are subjected to systematic abuse from an alcoholic low-life and then magically reappears to pick up the pieces.”

Phillipe cleared his throat.

“Where are you from?” I fired off in his direction, catching Mom’s sigh in return.

“French quarter born and raised.” Phillipe met my eye, not backing down.

“How charming for you. Where did you and Mom meet?”

“Jack!”

“At high school.”

I narrowed my gaze at Mom. “Childhood sweethearts?” Her cheeks colored.

“Yes, and then after he joined the police Phillipe had to move away. That’s when I m- met your father.”

Mom stepped back and turned for the stove. “Can we at least have tea while we do this?”

I shook my head. “I’m beat. It’s been a long day, a really shit few days actually. I’d like to crash into a coma and preferably not wake up.”

“Jack!” Mom clanged the kettle down onto the stove. “Please don’t ruin this. I’ve waited so long for you.”

I sighed. “Sorry. It’s just...” Just what? Underwhelming, maybe a little depressing?

Phillipe patted my shoulder. He actually patted my shoulder, like he even knew me at all. Which he didn’t. No one did. “I think I’ll leave you two to it. Jack, we can reconvene your interrogation of my motives tomorrow morning, yes?”

I shot him a tight smile. “Sure. I’ll be writing notes all night, be prepared.”

He chortled, although I wasn’t joking at all.

After he’d turned and left, Mom and I just stared at one another. “Right, I think you should start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out,” she said.

“What do you mean? I told you everything when I got home.”

“Jack Cross, don’t bullshit me. Now start at the beginning and don’t stop until you get to the end.”

Impulsively, I pulled her in tight, inhaling her smell. “I’ve missed you, Mom.”

“And I you. Now talk.”