Jack glanced at the woman, then let out a short laugh. “Oh, yeah, I guess this looks weird, but it’s not what you think. This is Nina. My cousin. I’ve mentioned her.”
“No, you haven’t.”
He waved a hand. “She’s my second cousin on my mom’s side. She’s passing through, and I said she could stay here tonight. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“This is Nina. My cousin. I’ve mentioned her.”
Nina raised one hand in a small, miserable wave. “Uh… hi.”
“It’s almost midnight. And why didn’t you tell me about this?” I asked.
“Her flight got in late. I picked her up.” He shrugged. “I thought it didn’t matter since you’d be gone all night anyway.”
I looked at Nina again. She was in her late 20s, maybe, and wouldn’t meet my eyes. I had never once seen her at any family event.
“Okay… But where are the kids?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “At Mom’s. They’re more comfortable there. She’s better at handling babysitting than I am.”
“It’s not babysitting when it’s your own children, Jack.”
“You know what I mean.”
Nina shifted slightly. She looked like she wished the floor would swallow her up.
Standing there, watching my husband smile while cousin Nina squirmed, I realized I had the easiest way in the world to test this story.
She looked like she wished the floor would swallow her up.
I pulled out my phone.
“Who are you calling?” Jack asked.
I didn’t reply. Brenda picked up on the third ring.
“Michelle? Sweetheart?”
“Hi, I’m just checking on the kids. Are they okay? Is Liam sleeping?”
“Oh, he’s having a little trouble settling. You know how he gets. Ava’s fine.”
“Who are you calling?”
I kept my eyes on Jack’s face the whole time. He was watching me. Not smiling anymore.
“I really appreciate you taking them tonight,” I said. “With Nina arriving so late and all. I can’t believe I’ve never met her before.”
“Nina? Who’s that?”
“Jack’s cousin. Nina.”
The silence stretched out.
“He doesn’t have a cousin named Nina.”
Then I heard Liam’s voice in the background: “Is that Mommy? Tell her she can’t go home.”
“I can’t believe I’ve never met her before.”
“Liam?” Brenda said. “What are you talking about, honey?”
“Daddy said his friend could only visit if nobody else was home. I heard him on the phone.”
The room went completely still.
I didn’t realize I had stepped backward until I bumped into something solid.
