BooksBarbecue
Back The House Party
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. April 2008
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. Author’s Note
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. About the Publisher

Linda could feel the other shoppers’ eyes on her as she released her grip on the shopping cart. She’d been holding on so tightly that her hands tingled as the blood rushed back into them. She left her cart where it was and walked back toward the entrance, avoiding gazes as she went. She suddenly remembered the night, not even a month ago, when she and Kim and a few other parents had all gathered at Hunter’s house to take prom photos of the kids in front of the Finches’ pond. The girls looked so grown up in their gowns and updos, while the boys looked somehow younger in their ill-fitting tuxedos. Kim had congratulated her on Will’s scholarship, and Linda had suggested poses for June and Hunter’s pictures based on ones that she’d seen at the many engagement photo shoots that took place at her orchard. They weren’t friends, necessarily, but they’d certainly been friendly. Though now she could see that Kim had only tolerated Will, and her, out of a flimsy notion of “open-mindedness.” It hadn’t taken much to go from sparkling-cider prom night toasts to a shouting match in the produce aisle.

In the parking lot, Linda sat in her car and thought about the day that Will told her he’d gotten into Princeton. She hadn’t even known that he’d applied. She remembered feeling like it was too good to be true, and she felt as if she’d been holding her breath ever since, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now she let out a long breath and her shoulders slumped into the worn seat of her car. Kim Jeffries was a bitch, she thought, but she was right about one thing: it was time to find out if her boys were involved in that party, before everyone else in town knew something she didn’t.

22

Maja was getting a taste of what it would be like to commute between New Falls and Manhattan. It had been two weeks since they’d learned about the house party, and she’d already been back and forth three times. First to make sure the house was secure after John had it boarded up. On Friday she’d gone down to sit in on the school board meeting. And then yesterday she’d taken another day off of work—much to Louis’s growing annoyance—to meet with several new contractors recommended by Aneeta. Maja hadn’t been wrong about John—aside from one last invoice for work he’d done right before the party shut everything down, she hadn’t heard a word from him after she gave him the news that her insurance company was trying to split liability with him.