BooksBarbecue
Back The Favorite Daughter
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. Quote
  6. SUNDAY
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. MONDAY
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. TUESDAY
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. WEDNESDAY
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. THURSDAY
  45. 35
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. 40
  51. 41
  52. 42
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. DEAR READER LETTER
  55. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  56. READERS GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  57. Best Day Ever

This is all working out perfectly. My devious daughter has hung herself. And Josh will be her executioner. I should probably feel sorry for Betsy.

But I don’t.

31

7:30 p.m.

Hoffman crosses the tennis court and sits on the bench next to me. He hands me a green The Cove sweatshirt.

“Thanks.” I grab it from him and pull it over my head. I do have the chills.

“How’d everything go? Did he tell you what you needed to know?” His eyes are green speckled with brown, I just noticed. “Are you okay?”

I force a smile. He is so kind. “It’s terrible. Everything is a mess. Especially me. I’m sorry, I must look like a wreck.”

“You look beautiful to me.” He leans lightly against me and I can feel the warmth of his body through the sweatshirt.

Our bare legs almost touch. It’s been so long since a man has been kind to me. I deserve this. “Thank you. I should probably get home, skip the lesson.” Even though I want to do more than play tennis with this young man. I know he can feel the zing of energy bouncing between us. It’s nice. But he’s not my type.

“What did Josh say? Can you tell me?” Hoffman is both kind, a little sexy and the designated gossip of The Cove. Everyone knows that.

Be good, Jane.

I speak quietly, slowly. “He said Betsy killed Mary. He was there.”

“No.” Hoffman shakes his head. His eyes are huge.

“I know, that’s what I said.” My body shakes with a deep chill. I can see Mary’s face, angry, self-righteous. And then she’s falling.

“What are you going to do? Did you tell him to keep it a secret? If the cops hear about this it could be bad. You could lose Betsy, too.”

I nod. Look into his kind eyes and tell a little fib. “I told him to keep what he knows a secret. I told him to do it for Betsy. He still loves her, it seems, even though she has a thing with Bo. You were right about that, I’m afraid.”

“That guy. He’s like almost my age. So wrong.” Hoffman cracks his knuckles. An annoying little habit, but nobody is perfect.

“So wrong.” Hoffman is like half my age, but I’m an adult. “You know what else is wrong?” I place my hand on the bench in the small space between the two of us. My pinkie finger touches his thigh.

“There’s more?” Hoffman wraps his arm around my shoulders. It feels nice. I let him keep it there.

“My husband closed escrow on a lovely house on one of the Port Streets for his mistress this week.” I sigh, slump against him. I am quite a tragic figure.