The Other Side

Chapter Seventeen

As soon as she heard the doorbell ring, Mindy frowned. It was too early to be Jenna. They weren’t supposed to leave for the pizza place for another hour. It was probably her mother’s latest boyfriend coming to pick her up for their date.

            “Mindy!”

            Mindy rolled her eyes at the sound of her mom’s shrill voice. Any other mother probably would’ve come up the stairs and knocked on her door, but not hers.

            At least I can be gone before her date gets here, Mindy thought as she grabbed her purse and started down the stairs to meet Jenna.

            “I’m sorry, but how did you say you know my daughter?” Lynette said, and Mindy drew her eyebrows together.

            “I know this seems a little odd, but I’d really like to wait until I see her to explain it.”

            Mindy’s frown deepened. There was something familiar about the other woman’s voice, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. When she entered the living room to find out who it was, she stopped short. Time froze along with her as she stood staring at a woman she’d seen only once before.

            The woman smiled at her. “I’m so glad it’s you. I was afraid I’d come to the wrong house and then I’d have some serious explaining to do.”

            “Actually, I think you do have some explaining to do,” Lynette replied. “Who are you and what do you want with my daughter?”

            Mindy snorted. If she wanted to play the role of concerned parent, she was about seventeen years too late.

            “What are you doing here?” Mindy finally found her voice.

            “I was hoping I could come in and talk to you about that.”

            “I’m not letting a stranger into my house until someone tells me what’s going on,” Lynette insisted.

            “Mom, I can handle this. Just go get ready for your date or something.”

            “Since when do I take orders from you?”

            “Since you kissed my boyfriend,” Mindy snapped, and Lynette’s cheeks pinked.

            “Fine, what do I care about this for anyway? It’s not like you care about me, never letting me forget one mistake.”

            Mindy waited until her mom stormed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door behind her before she spoke again. “Sorry about that. It’s a long story. You can come in.”

            Violet Forrester offered her a smile as she stepped inside. It was the same smile Mindy remembered from their chance meeting in the cemetery. Then she hadn’t noticed how similar Violet’s smile was to her brother’s, but that was before she’d known Nolan so well. At least she thought she knew him.