Never Tell Them, N.L. Hinkens [unputdownable books txt] 📗

as she made her way back across the adjoining lawns. All in all, it had been an uncomfortable encounter. Ray had been evasive when it came to her questions. She’d basically had to pull the answers out of him. And Celia’s grandson had been a jaw-dropping twist. Wait until her mother heard about that!

She frowned to herself, rubbing her arms briskly as she quickened her step. Was she reading too much into things, or had Henry seemed frightened of his father? And why on earth was there a price tag hanging from the kid’s sweater? Something felt off about the situation. Ray had been in an awful hurry to get rid of her—a little too eager for someone with nothing to hide.

2

Evelyn was busy wiping down the polished concrete kitchen counters and putting away her baking supplies when Sonia got home. She looked pointedly at her daughter as she wrung out the sponge in the sink. “Well, what’s the scoop?”

Sonia pulled out the rattan-and-walnut bar stool at the kitchen island and slid onto it. “He’s aloof. I got the impression he couldn’t wait for me to leave.”

Evelyn put a hand on her hip, a testy look on her face. “Did he at least thank you for the muffins? Maybe his highness thinks I should have made a bigger effort for the long-lost son. Which of them was it anyway—Ray or Tom?“

“Ray, the older one.” Sonia reached for an apple from the white marble fruit bowl and twisted it coyly in her hand. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think he noticed what was on the plate I handed him. He was too busy trying to restrain his child.”

Evelyn’s lips flapped open and closed several times before she spluttered, “Child? What child? Celia never mentioned anything about a grandchild.”

Sonia munched on a bite of apple, savoring the rare opportunity to relay some juicy news. “Ray has a little boy—he looks to be about three or four. His name’s Henry.”

Evelyn gave an annoyed shake of her head and began rubbing a cloth vigorously over the gleaming countertop. “I can’t believe it. Why would Celia keep something like that from me all these years? I mean, she adored Jessica. She always said there was nothing she would have loved more than a grandchild of her own.”

“That’s the sad part. Ray said she didn’t know about Henry. Apparently, she didn’t know Ray was married either. He told me his wife passed away recently too.”

“What?” Evelyn gasped, her papery skin contorting in shock.

”Crazy, isn’t it?” Sonia shook her head. “Regardless of how neglectful he was of his mother, that’s a rough hand to be dealt all at once.”

Evelyn gave a dismissive grunt and resumed wiping. “It’s that little boy my heart bleeds for. Let’s hope, for his sake, Ray’s a better father than he was a son.”

”He didn’t look like he was coping too well with the whole single parent thing. Henry was extremely upset, kicking and screaming, and Ray didn’t have a clue how to calm him down. He seemed more embarrassed that I was witnessing the situation than anything.”

Evelyn smoothed a hand over her wispy bob. “Well, if he was always working, as Celia claimed, I imagine his wife did most of the childcare. Henry may not have spent much time with his father up until now. No surprise Ray’s struggling to figure things out. Sounds like he neglected all his relationships.”

“Maybe. Henry acted like he didn’t want to be anywhere near him. You’d think if he’d just lost his mother, he wouldn’t want his dad to put him down.”

Evelyn gave a small shrug. ”Children are unpredictable. I’m sure Henry’s confused about all the changes in his life.”

“That’s true,” Sonia conceded. “But it made me uncomfortable. Right when I was leaving, I noticed a price tag hanging from Henry’s sweater. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

Evelyn let out a snort. ”It proves my point. Ray’s a neglectful father. I’m guessing he has no idea what boxes he put Henry’s clothes in. He probably took him shopping and forgot to pull the tag off.”

Sonia got to her feet. ”Yeah, sounds like something I would do. Anyway, I need to get to work picking out window treatments for a renovation project. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

By 3:00 p.m., Sonia was in the carpool lane outside Broad River Elementary School waiting for Jessica to emerge. She’d managed to finish the design she’d been working on for the young couple who was planning on remodeling the 1970’s house they’d bought as a starter home. But Sonia hadn’t been entirely focused on her work. Her thoughts kept wandering to her new neighbor—although, he hadn’t actually confirmed he was moving in. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized how little she’d learned about him. She’d done most of the talking—something she was good at—filling in the gaps in the conversation with the details of her life in a bid to exude a welcoming aura. To say Ray hadn’t reciprocated was an understatement.

“Mom! Look what I painted today!” Jessica cried, as she clambered into the car trailing her backpack behind her and waving a sheet of paper in Sonia’s face.

“Wow! That’s beautiful!” Sonia exclaimed, admiring the lifelike robin her artistic daughter had drawn.

“It’s for Grandma,” Jessica said matter-of-factly, fastening her seatbelt. “She misses seeing all the birds on her morning walks.”

“That’s thoughtful of you,” Sonia said. “It won’t be too much longer before she’s back cruising around the neighborhood again. Speaking of which, we have a new neighbor—two new neighbors, in fact.”

“Who?” Jessica asked, her freckled nose pressed to the window as she waved goodbye to one of her school friends.

“You know Mrs. Jenkins who passed away—it’s her son, Ray, and her grandson, Henry.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. ”I never knew she had a grandson. Is he going to my school?”

“Henry’s only a little guy,” Sonia explained. “Three or four, I’m guessing. I told him we’d invite him over to play later.”

“I