Letters from Peaceful Lane (New Americana 3)

It would be like Burke to turn off his cell phone, or even leave it at home, when he was with friends. He hated having a good conversation interrupted by a ringing phone. If he was out with Hoagie, she’d have no way of letting him know about finding the fake contract until he got home. Worse, she couldn’t tell him about the fiasco in Garrett’s office.

All she could do was keep looking for Brianna.

When she’d run outside to stop the girl, Allison had left her purse, with her car keys, in her desk. By the time she’d run back to get it—without encountering Garrett, thank heaven—Brianna’s car was nowhere in sight.

Calling her had been useless, although Allison had tried. All she could do was drive, trying to remember Brianna’s favorite places where she might go to be alone, think, and maybe phone Liam.

Now, after half an hour of frantic driving, Allison was running out of options. Maybe it was time to go home and wait for Brianna to show up. But something told her that right now, home was the last place Brianna would want to be. All she could do was keep calling and keep looking.

She was headed down a side street when her car engine sputtered and stalled. Using the forward momentum that remained, she steered to the right and made a rolling stop at the curb. Cranking the ignition, she tried to start the car again. Nothing. Then she noticed the fuel gauge.

Not only was she out of options—she was out of gas.

* * *

Brianna walked along the trail, fallen leaves crunching beneath her feet. She could feel her heart pumping adrenaline through her body. Tears stung her eyes. She was so hurt, so angry. How could Allison betray her family like this?

A half mile down the trail she came to a sheltered bench. By now she was ready to sit down and phone Liam. She didn’t usually call him when he was working, but this was an emergency. She needed to hear his voice and know that, even at a distance, he was there for her. It wouldn’t make everything all right. At this moment it seemed as if nothing would ever be all right again.

When she turned on her phone, she saw several voice mails from Allison. She deleted them without listening. Then she called Liam.

Liam answered on the third ring. In the background she could hear the clatter of metal tools and the sound of an engine starting up.

“Brianna, are you okay?” he asked anxiously.

“More or less,” she said. “I know I’m interrupting your work. But, oh, Liam, I’m having the most awful day! I just had to hear your voice.”

“It’s okay that you called,” he said. “Hang on, let me get someplace quiet where I can hear you.”

She could hear the garage sounds fading, then the closing of a door. “That’s better,” he said. “Now, what’s wrong?”

She began with the news from Northwestern. “They’re not letting me come back. My grades are okay but not good enough. Liam, I miss you so much. Maybe I could just come back to Evanston and get some kind of job, as a waitress or a receptionist. At least we’d be together.”

“Don’t even think about that, Brianna. We can work things out, but you’ve got to get back into school.”

“I did apply to Missouri State in Springfield. It’s cheaper and closer than Northwestern. But I’m still waiting to hear. Oh—and here’s some good news. My dad is willing to meet you. He wants you to let us know when you can come.”

“That’s great—I hope. I’ll see when I can get time off. Is that all? Your bad news doesn’t sound like the end of the world.”

“That’s because I haven’t told you the worst.”

She told him then, about walking into Garrett’s office and catching Allison in his arms.

“You’re talking about your stepmother? The woman who came here with you? She seemed pretty cool. That’s hard to believe. Are you sure that’s what you saw? Could she have been trying to fight him off?”

“They were all over each other—and no, she wasn’t trying to fight him off. Oh, Liam! I don’t know what to do! I don’t want her in our house. I don’t want to talk to her, or even look at her. And my poor dad—this is going to kill him!”

“Have you talked to your dad?” Liam asked.

“I don’t know if I can. It would devastate him.”

“Listen,” Liam said. “I know what can happen when secrets fester. Put yourself in his place. Would you rather hear the truth from someone who loves you, or have it come out—as it will come out—some other way?” His voice gentled. “I’m not telling you what to do. I’m only asking you to think about it. Ask yourself how long you can hide a lie?”

Tears welled in Brianna’s eyes. Liam was right. Much as it would hurt her father to tell him what she’d seen, it would hurt more for him to find out she’d known the truth and kept it from him.

“I’ll think about it—and try to be brave,” she said. “Thank you, Liam. Just hearing your voice helps. Let us know when you can come.”

“I will—and you’ll get through this all right, Brianna. You’re a strong person and I love you.”