“What’s his name?”
“Chad.” And now it was time to get the next batch of towels from the dryer. These were smaller, from the kitchen, rather than the larger ones used in physical therapy and the gym.
“Is he local?” Renee’s tone had changed, becoming more like Lila’s every second. Jenna tensed.
“No.”
“You don’t want to talk about him.”
“No.” She gave her refusal gently.
“Of course you know that they say when you don’t want to talk is when you should.”
She couldn’t tell Renee about her plans, couldn’t tell any of the women that the programs that worked for them, that they were supposed to believe worked for them, didn’t work for her.
“I don’t talk about them because my family was killed,” she said, taking the folded sheet from Renee and putting it with the last one they’d done.
And while Renee stood there, hands empty, she rolled the cart over to the dryer and pulled out the next load of towels.
Her few things were done. Underthings neatly folded. Clothes hung and ready for her to take back to the bungalow where she could have done her laundry. If she hadn’t been helping Renee.
“Killed how?” Renee didn’t fold. She just watched her.
Picking up a towel, Jenna made short work of the task at hand. “In a car accident. It was a long time ago.”
So long ago she hardly thought about it anymore.
“How long ago?”
“Twenty years.”
“You were just a kid.”
“I was twelve.”
“Oh, my God, Jenna, I’m so sorry. What a horrible thing to have had happen. I don’t know what to say....”
“No one ever does. Which is why I don’t talk about it. It was horrible. But like I said, it was a long time ago.”
“Was it just the four of you, then?”
“In the car? Yes.”
A towel hung in Renee’s hands. “I meant in your family.”
“Yes. They were my whole family.”
“You were in the car with them?” Renee asked next.
“Yeah.” Jenna looked at the towel. Heard a clank as something went around and around in one of the dryers. Probably a fastener in some of the donated clothes Renee was sending through the wash before putting on the shelves in the store room.
“And you were the only survivor.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t imagine....”
She folded. “I know.”