The Girl Next Door (34 page)

Nina thought of all the things that Patrick had not suspected. Gemma’s pregnancy all
those years ago. The birth and death of his baby, which had begun a chain of disaster.
Was it his own, willful ignorance that had brought his life crashing down around his
head? Part of her blamed him, but still, he was her brother, he was suffering, and
he did not need to be reminded of his own culpability. “No one suspected,” said Nina.
“You said it yourself. She was an expert liar.”

Patrick sighed. “I spoke to Gemma’s attorney. He’s advised her that her best bet is
to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty. She’s considering it. I told him to beg
her to do it for the boys’ sake. I remember what it was like going through that trial.”

Nina looked away from him. “Yes. That would be best.”

“Too bad you weren’t a better shot,” said Patrick bitterly.

“Patrick,” Nina cried.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m trying not to hate her. So far, it’s a struggle.”

Nina got up and walked over to her brother. She held him in a brief embrace. “We’ll
get through this, too, Patrick,” she whispered. “I’ll help you. I promise.”

Patrick sighed. “You get back to your friend,” he said. He
raised a hand in farewell just as the nurse bustled in. The nurse looked at Nina
sternly. “Time to go. This guy needs to get some rest.” She picked up Andre’s chart,
wrote something on it, and then headed for the door. “Five minutes. I’m gonna be counting.”
Patrick held the door open for her.

“Patrick,” Nina called after her departing brother. “Wait out in the hall for me.
I’ll go home with you. Just give me a minute.”

“Sure,” said Patrick, and though he didn’t smile, he looked relieved.

Nina sat back down and gazed at Andre. “I hate to leave you,” she said. As she said
it, she realized how profoundly she meant it. She had no desire to play it cool. “I
wish I never had to leave you,” she said.

“Will you come back?” he asked.

“Of course. I’m sure your family will be here tomorrow.”

“My parents are on their way. You’ll get to meet them.”

“And your fiancée?”

Andre shook his head on the pillow. “No. Not Susan. That’s over. I told her when I
was out there.”

Nina frowned. “But I thought. You said that she …”

“I was trying to be chivalrous, okay?”

Nina blushed, knowing her relief must be showing on her face.

“It had been coming for a long time,” said Andre. “She never liked the fact that I
wanted to work at the prison. We have different ideas about … a lot of things. The
situation has been rocky between us for a long time. We probably should have broken
up ages ago. It wasn’t just about you.”

Nina cocked her head and squinted at him. “Are you saying it was partly about me,
Dr. Quinteros?”

Andre smiled. “Yeah.”

“But she still has the ring …” Nina protested.

“Well, it’s impolite to ask for it back,” he said wryly. “We’ll get another one.”

Seeing his smile, realizing what he meant, she was filled with happiness for the first
time in what seemed like ages. The recent horror seemed to vanish in its glow. All
those she loved were still laboring under a load of grief, a dark cloud. Aunt Mary
would need weeks, maybe months, to recover from her skull fracture. Jimmy would be
facing another battle with his addictive demons. And Patrick—his agony would go on
for a long, long time. She almost felt guilty to be so blessed. But blessed is what
she felt.

“How can you say that?” Nina exclaimed. “How can you be so … sure? It’s not like we
were … dating. We never even—you know. Not even a kiss.”

Andre looked down at their intertwined fingers. “No. But it’s destiny. Your father
used to tell me about you. ‘Andre,’ he’d say. ‘She’s the one for you.’”

“He did?” she said, smiling shyly.

Andre nodded. “When you came to visit, he always wanted me to meet you. It never happened.
But he dreamed it. All he wanted was for you to be happy.”

“I know he did,” she said. And can I be happy now, Dad? she wondered. In spite of
everything? She knew what his answer would have been. The same answer he always gave
her when she doubted herself. You can do it, Nina. She remembered her father’s eyes,
the approval and the love she always saw there when he gazed at her. And though she
would never see those eyes again, she realized, looking at Andre, that she would not
have to live her life without the solace of a loving gaze. Her father had seen to
it before he left her.