“I know you,” Mom says to Kieran. She tries to sit up straighter in her bed, but struggles. I immediately rush over to help her.
“Yeah, he’s sort of famous, I guess,” I say with a hint of distaste.
“No—not because he’s a CEO.” She scans his face thoughtfully, then smiles. “Kieran Sharpe. You’ve grown into a handsome young man.”
I glance back at Kieran, who looks about as bewildered as I feel. “Sorry,” I say, “but… are you saying you know him from Oakland?”
“I was friends with Heather,” she explains. “We met at one of the PTA meetings, and we hit it off right away. Kept our friendship quiet, I suppose. The things we had in common weren’t exactly…”
The realization strikes me like a punch to the gut. She was friends with Kieran’s mother because of the abusive husbands they had in common.
