Lacey refused to open Thomas Grady\u2019s letter at first.<\/p>\n
She stared at the envelope as though it contained something contagious.<\/p>\n
Cynthia placed it on the bedside table and waited.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stood near the window.<\/p>\n
I remained beside the foot of the bed.<\/p>\n
No one urged her.<\/p>\n
After nearly a minute, Lacey reached for it.<\/p>\n
Her fingers shook badly enough that Cynthia offered a letter opener.<\/p>\n
Lacey shook her head.<\/p>\n
She tore the envelope herself.<\/p>\n
Inside were two pages.<\/p>\n
The first line changed her expression immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Jeremy asked.<\/p>\n
Lacey kept reading.<\/p>\n
Her mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
Then she handed the pages to Cynthia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia scanned them.<\/p>\n
Her professional calm faded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She looked toward Lacey for permission.<\/p>\n
Lacey nodded.<\/p>\n
Cynthia began carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas says he recently learned Lacey was seriously ill.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d Jeremy asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia read silently for another moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he has carried regret about 2004 for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy folded his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of regret?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia looked at Lacey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey\u2019s face had gone pale.<\/p>\n
I moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey whispered, \u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy\u2019s anger returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you said he never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how does he know now?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered until Cynthia continued reading.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Eleanor told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey looked stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hated Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia kept reading.<\/p>\n
Apparently Lacey\u2019s mother had contacted Thomas shortly before her death.<\/p>\n
Years earlier.<\/p>\n
She told him Lacey had been pregnant.<\/p>\n
She told him Jeremy believed the child was his.<\/p>\n
She told Thomas she suspected otherwise.<\/p>\n
And she made him promise not to contact Lacey unless Lacey reached out first.<\/p>\n
Thomas had kept that promise.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
Jeremy paced once across the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo her mother knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe couldn\u2019t have known for certain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about the letters between Eleanor and my mother.<\/p>\n
Two women carrying secrets their children would inherit without understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Thomas want?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Cynthia read the final paragraph.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to apologize. And he says there\u2019s something Lacey needs to know before making any final decisions about her estate.\u201d<\/p>\n
That caught everyone\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
Lacey frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy estate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could Thomas possibly know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia folded the pages.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims part of the Nashville property may have been purchased using money that belonged to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey\u2019s voice was stronger now.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother invested with Thomas\u2019s father briefly. It went badly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore she bought the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia asked, \u201cWas there litigation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the journal in my purse.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother used money from mine for the down payment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd possibly money connected to Thomas\u2019s family too?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy muttered, \u201cThis house has more ghosts than people.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one disagreed.<\/p>\n
Cynthia sat beside Lacey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something we need to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe will?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a disputed ownership interest, transferring the property to Jill could become complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already said I don\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may change your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJill\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour property problems are not going to become the prize at the end of this nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t a prize.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy said quietly, \u201cMaybe that\u2019s why she should take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Cynthia placed Thomas\u2019s letter beside the will.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he\u2019s coming to Nashville today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe included a phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to see him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared back.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I don\u2019t want the last days of my life turned into a courtroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe isn\u2019t threatening you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cynthia intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeeting him doesn\u2019t obligate you to anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey\u2019s eyes moved toward Jeremy.<\/p>\n
Then me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are things about Thomas I never wrote down.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt exhaustion settle over me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are always things you didn\u2019t write down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced toward Cynthia.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we have a few minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawyer stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Jeremy and me.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
Lacey sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I need to speak privately with Cynthia.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped toward the door.<\/p>\n
Jeremy followed reluctantly.<\/p>\n
In the hallway, he said, \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStupid question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
We walked toward the family waiting area.<\/p>\n
A coffee machine rattled in the corner.<\/p>\n
Jeremy bought two cups without asking.<\/p>\n
He handed one to me.<\/p>\n
Black.<\/p>\n
The way I drank it.<\/p>\n
I accepted it because refusing would have been theatrical.<\/p>\n
We sat several feet apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think she\u2019s hiding?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done guessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a while, we drank bad hospital coffee.<\/p>\n
Then I asked, \u201cDid you ever meet Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he like?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cConfident. Loud. The kind of guy who thought every room belonged to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you jealous?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty came easily now.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Lacey liked him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he liked her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not that they slept together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched Jeremy\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it change how you remember her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n
His brow furrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent decades believing you betrayed her first.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did betray her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou fell in love with someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was sneaking around with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n
That word caught me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy\u2019s eyes closed.<\/p>\n
I put my coffee down.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeremy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked miserable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe kissed before Lacey and I officially ended.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
Once, twenty-two years earlier, I had asked him exactly that.<\/p>\n
He had said no.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me we didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many times?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwice.\u201d<\/p>\n
A laugh escaped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJill\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what is almost impressive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I think we have finally reached the oldest lie, another one is hiding underneath it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did we kiss?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind the hardware store.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
A humid evening.<\/p>\n
His truck.<\/p>\n
Standing close enough to smell rain on his shirt.<\/p>\n
I remembered believing I had stopped before crossing the line.<\/p>\n
Apparently memory had edited the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did I forget?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked me about it later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you said?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat it happened after Lacey and I broke up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cold spread through me.<\/p>\n
I had built my innocence on his version.<\/p>\n
Not complete innocence.<\/p>\n
I knew we had flirted.<\/p>\n
I knew we had grown emotionally intimate.<\/p>\n
But I had believed the physical line had remained intact until he was single.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy lie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you were already guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you made the story cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around the hospital waiting area.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you understand what you keep doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
He met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou decide what truth other people can handle. Then you edit reality for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy did not move.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what you did twenty-two years ago. That\u2019s what you did with Lacey. That\u2019s what you did every Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had expected resistance.<\/p>\n
His agreement almost frightened me more.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think it\u2019s that simple?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed both hands together.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I can stop adding new lies.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was not forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Still, it mattered.<\/p>\n
Cynthia appeared in the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
We returned to the room.<\/p>\n
Lacey looked emotionally exhausted.<\/p>\n
Cynthia remained near the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll let her explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she left.<\/p>\n
Lacey stared at her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas and I did not just sleep together once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy went still.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we were together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you let me think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
Lacey flinched.<\/p>\n
Jeremy turned away.<\/p>\n
I remained beside the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy hide this until now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Thomas wasn\u2019t simply revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s somehow worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned toward the window.<\/p>\n
Lacey continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I realized I was pregnant, I genuinely didn\u2019t know which of you was the father.\u201d<\/p>\n
That changed the room.<\/p>\n
Jeremy slowly turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut yesterday you said it wasn\u2019t mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey looked toward Cynthia\u2019s closed briefcase.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother had kept something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lab report.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat lab report?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I miscarried, tissue was tested because the doctors were trying to determine whether there was a genetic issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cDNA?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly the way people think of it now. But later, years afterward, my mother had additional testing done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout telling you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey took a slow breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas was the father.\u201d<\/p>\n
The uncertainty that had haunted Jeremy vanished in one sentence.<\/p>\n
Not his child.<\/p>\n
Never his child.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two years of guilt had been built around something biology had already disproved.<\/p>\n
He sat down.<\/p>\n
Hard.<\/p>\n
I watched his face.<\/p>\n
He did not cry.<\/p>\n
That would come later.<\/p>\n
For now, he looked empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the report?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCynthia has a copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy pressed his fingers against his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo your mother knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd still let me believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought telling you would reopen everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly laughed at the familiar logic.<\/p>\n
Protection.<\/p>\n
Always protection.<\/p>\n
People lying because truth might hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many people spent twenty-two years deciding Jeremy couldn\u2019t handle facts?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Lacey looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo many.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy lowered his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Thomas know the result?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter my mother contacted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he\u2019s known for years that he got you pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd never contacted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe promised her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis entire family loved promises more than honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one argued.<\/p>\n
Lacey reached toward him.<\/p>\n
He did not take her hand.<\/p>\n
The rejection hurt her visibly.<\/p>\n
But she let her hand fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI almost wish you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m too tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
That might have been the saddest thing he had said.<\/p>\n
A knock sounded at the door.<\/p>\n
All three of us turned.<\/p>\n
David stepped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a man asking for Lacey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
David nodded.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWaiting area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey gripped the blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one is ever ready in this place,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
Something almost like gratitude crossed her face.<\/p>\n
Jeremy moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeeting him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeremy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to hit him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should probably be somewhere on the list.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I laughed.<\/p>\n
So did Lacey.<\/p>\n
The absurdity lasted only a second.<\/p>\n
Then Jeremy left.<\/p>\n
I stayed.<\/p>\n
Lacey looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should go with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Thomas knows something about Jeremy.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you know enough to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said years ago that Jeremy\u2019s firing from Reeves Restoration wasn\u2019t only because of my phone call.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe implied Calvin was already looking for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Thomas knew Calvin.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared toward the hall.<\/p>\n
Old lies were colliding now.<\/p>\n
The false accusation.<\/p>\n
Thomas.<\/p>\n
Calvin.<\/p>\n
Jeremy\u2019s ruined job.<\/p>\n
Whatever happened twenty years ago might not have been random revenge after all.<\/p>\n
I moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, I looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more.\u201d<\/p>\n
I entered the waiting area.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stood near the windows facing a tall man with silver at his temples.<\/p>\n
Thomas Grady.<\/p>\n
He looked older, of course, but I could imagine the young man Lacey had described.<\/p>\n
Confident posture.<\/p>\n
Expensive coat.<\/p>\n
A person accustomed to being listened to.<\/p>\n
Thomas saw me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re Jill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes shifted toward Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose everybody finally knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to know you owe us some explanations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you should know something before we go into that room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey thinks she cost Jeremy his job twenty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalvin Reeves was going to fire you anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause somebody paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The waiting room seemed to go quiet around us.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s eyes moved to me.<\/p>\n
Then away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part none of you are going to like.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my pulse quicken.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho paid him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacey refused to open Thomas Grady\u2019s letter at first. She stared at the envelope as though it contained something contagious. Cynthia placed it on the bedside table and waited. Jeremy … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25717"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25783,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25717\/revisions\/25783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}