The detective's words rang through my head. Maybe your mother had a reason to leave you and your father.

There was no way my father had hurt my mother. They'd always been so loving toward each other. It didn't feel right.

But did I even know what was right anymore?

I walked back to my car and got inside. I needed to go to the house, to see my sister, to talk to the one person in my life I could trust completely.

But as I drove away from the school, I couldn't stop wondering about my dad, and I couldn't think of one good reason why my dad would be in San Francisco, at the place where his allegedly dead wife now worked.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dani drove down the street thirty seconds after I parked the car in front of Laura's house. I waved her into the driveway. She parked next to the truck and got out. We ran into each other's arms, hugging for several long minutes, the way we had a million times in the past. We'd always drawn upon each other for strength and for hope. I needed both right now.

Finally, we broke apart. "Are you okay?" Dani asked, her gaze searching my face for a truth that might not be in my words.

I'd never been able to lie to her. "No. Not even close." I blinked back tears. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I should have been here from the beginning. You should have told me, Brynn. I should have been your first call."

"Well, you're here now. I only called Dad before you, and I didn't even tell him."

"You told Jeff. He came by the house right after I talked to you this morning. He said he was worried about you, and he wasn't supposed to say anything, but he couldn't keep such a big secret from me."

Anger ran through me. "He had no right to tell you. I told him not to. He and I are done."

"Don't be ridiculous. The man was worried."

"He made me a promise, and he broke it. I am not going to have one more person in my life who can't keep a promise."

Dani's gaze went from irritated to concerned. "We're not talking about Jeff anymore."

"She had another life, Dani. Our mother has people who love her and who she presumably loves back, and none of them have ever heard about us. When she left, she erased us from her life. She walked away, and she never gave us a second thought." An odd shadow passed through Dani's eyes. I frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Dani said quickly. "Let's go inside. I want to see her house."

There was something she wasn't telling me, but I didn't want to talk to her in the driveway. "All right. Follow me."

"Who lives there?" she asked, pointing to the door leading to the downstairs unit.