Page 14 of Before and After

She held up the phone in front of her and pasted a fake smile on. I’d never seen Allie fake anything before.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Allie, sweetie.” There was a pause. “Those bags under your eyes need attention, Allison. Really. You need a better concealer.”

I moved enough to catch a glimpse of the older blonde woman on the screen. She looked nothing like Allie. She had artfully styled hair and a lot of makeup.

“Sure thing, Mom. I’ll get right on that.”

“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time?”

“I’ve just finished work, but I need to leave shortly to pick up Ollie from school.”

“Oh, of course. My sweet grandbaby.”

Allie’s mouth tightened. “How are you?”

“Wonderful, sweetie. After my yoga session today, I had a long lunch with friends, then headed to the shops. Fendi is having a sale. You need a good handbag, Allie. You should check it out.”

“No, I don’t need an expensive handbag, I have a kid to feed and nowhere to wear an expensive handbag.”

“A good-quality piece in your wardrobe never goes to waste. I’ve told you that you need to put some effort into your appearance. It shows your commitment, makes a good first impression. If you look like a tomboy, no one will ever take you seriously.”

“How’s Harold?”

I listened to the less-than-stealthy change of subject.

“My darling is great. He’s at golf right now. He’s booked us a cruise around the Caribbean next month.”

“That’s great. Ollie’s doing well at school.”

“Excellent. Give him a hug from his Coco.”

Allie blew out a breath. “Sure. You could call on the weekend and talk with him.”

“This weekend? Oh, sweetie, Harold and I aresobusy. I have a meditation retreat on Saturday, then we’re out with friends on Sunday.”

“Another time then.” Allie’s tone was flat.

“Yes. Okay, Allie, I have to run. And why don’t you grow out your hair. You know how much I hate it that short.”

“Bye, Mom.” Allie stabbed at the phone.

My gaze on her face. Everything in my file said that Allie had an idyllic childhood here in Windward, except for when her parents divorced when she was in her teens.

I was thinking maybe I didn’t have all the facts.

“Coco?” I asked.

“Oh, Mom had no desire to be called grandma, granny, or nana. She said it made her feel old. She picked Coco instead.” Allie was tense, her voice tight. “I need to go.”

“You aren’t close with your mom?”

She met my gaze. “I really need to get Ollie. I always make sure I’m never late to pick him up.”

“Does your mom help out with Ollie?”

Because it sounded like she was too busy buying fancy bags and going on vacations while her daughter worked her ass off to care for her orphaned nephew.