Page 25 of Last Seen Alive

“Sounds good.” There were still steps moving overhead, some Amanda would swear belonged to Zoe. None came toward the stairs. “I’m just going to go check on her.” Amanda made a move to do just that, but Kristen caught Amanda’s arm on a back swing. Amanda turned. “What?”

“Just let her have some space. Trust me. She gets to be Ava’s age, and you’ll be happy she’s grown up to be independent. You don’t want Zoe to become clingy, do you?”

Yes…“No, of course not.”

Kristen smiled. “I know it’s hard to let go, but it’s best for everyone.” She got a large glass pitcher from the fridge that was mostly full of iced tea, slices of orange and lemon floating on top. Kristen poured a glass for Amanda and topped up her own.

They went out back and settled on the patio. They talked about a myriad of things and nothing at all. Kristen’s husband, Erik, was golfing with friends, and she had been enjoying the peace of the yard.

Kristen let out a long, deep sigh, and looked up at the sun and the cloudless sky. “What a beaut today.”

“It is.” Amanda had her sunglasses on, but it was so bright, it was possible to forget they were there. She might look into getting darker lenses.

“So what changed? First you were going to be late, and now you’re here and it’s just after lunch.”

That reminded Amanda’s stomach it needed food. A loud rumble.

“Oh, someone hasn’t eaten.” Kristen laughed.

Amanda smiled. “That obvious, eh?”

“You can help yourself to leftover hot dogs in the fridge. Buns are on the counter.” Kristen spoke and pointed toward the house.

“I’m good for now.”

“Not from the sound of that stomach. You need a muffler for that thing.”

“Very funny.” With all the talk of food, Amanda was starving, but she was also comfortable sitting there with her sister. It was familiar. It was safe. It was free of conflict. She could almost forget what else was going on in her life.

“So, Mandy, what changed? You’re here sooner than I expected.” Kristen looked over at her, peering into Amanda’s eyes like a skilled therapist.

“Last night just didn’t go according to plan.”

“I kind of picked up on that given our earlier phone call.”

“Yeah…” Amanda would love to leave it there, one word dangling until the end of time.

“It was really that bad?” Kristen took a sip of her drink and licked her lips. If Amanda were anyone else, she might be fooled by her sister’s cavalier approach, but she was dying for information.

“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

Amanda drank some of her iced tea, for a distraction and a delay—anddamnthis stuff was delicious. The perfect balance of sweet and tangy. “I went out with Becky.”

“I know that much.” Kristen was getting impatient now.

“Fine, I’ll skip ahead to the shitty parts. I ran into an old boyfriend, we headed back to his place—”

“Oh…” Kristen shuffled up straighter in her chair. “An old boyfriend? I didn’t even know you saw anyone after Kevin.”

“I had no reason to tell you.” Just like her sister had no clue Amanda went through a time when one-night stands were a regular occurrence, as if falling into the arms of a stranger could fix a broken heart. In hindsight, it was more like Amanda was punishing herself, judging herself unworthy of love. After all, God or the universe saw fit to strip her of her husband and her daughter.

“Amanda,” Kristen prompted, a grin on her face.

“It was nothing. Very casual, and it only lasted a few months.”

“Afewmonths? When was this?”