Chapter Twelve
Jessica
It's late afternoon by the time we enter the house, and a familiar smell invades my nostrils.
"Coq au vin, that's a surprise," I say more to myself, because Parker is busy unloading the backpack and there's no one else in the foyer.
We find Helen and Tara in the kitchen, both bent over a thick cookbook.
"You took forever," Helen comments when she notices us, throwing me a furtive glance and smiling.
"Jess is not exactly sporty, so we had to take it slower."
"Thanks for ratting me out," I say, playfully pinching his shoulder.
"Where's Dani?" Parker asks Helen.
"Left for London about two hours ago," she answers.
I chuckle. So she decided to sneak out instead of actually coming up with an excuse for Parker. Sounds like something I would have done in my heyday. Not sure if it’s good or bad in her case, though. Seeing Parker frown, I can sympathize with her decision to not tell him.
"What do you mean she took off?” he growls. “How? Why?"
"Ah, I think she said she was invited to a party—”
"But how could she leave?" Parker runs a hand through his hair. "I drove her here."
Helen folds her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Trains were invented a while ago, you know?"
Parker swears loudly and Tara actually jumps, looking at him. Helen merely shakes her head and beckons Tara to leave the kitchen with her, muttering, "The coq au vin will take a while before it’s ready."
Parker already has his smartphone attached to his ear.
"She doesn't answer, damn it," Parker says after a minute or so. "Why did she have to take off like that?"
"Relax, Parker. She probably prefers to have fun with friends in some club in London to being here. She didn't seem too keen on coming," I say.
"Look, I am in charge of her. She can't just—”
"In charge? Parker, she's eighteen."
"I don't care how old she is. You are never too old to mess things up." He straightens up, hesitating for a full minute. "She was involved with a weird guy back in California."
"Oh," I say. "I didn't know that."
"James and I are afraid she might do the same here."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Parker. Honestly. I saw her friends a few times. They seem to be decent people."
"Dani used to be a really sweet, laid-back girl. A nerd, really. But about six months ago, she decided to, I quote, “reinvent herself.” I thought it was funny in the beginning, but ..."
I tap my fingers on the table nervously. Though Dani hasn't done anything dangerous since we moved in together, I can tell she's trying very hard to be something she isn't. But then again, my yardstick for dangerous things isn't exactly reliable.
"Why the decision to change?" I ask.
"No one really knows what has gotten into her. James tried to talk to her, but even he can't get anything out of her, which is bad because she used to tell him everything. But her decision came about the same time she got involved with that guy, so I’m sure it’s related to him. We're going back to London this instant."
"No, Parker. Cornering her isn't the solution. You'll only alienate her."