The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches, #4)(38)
“I don’t blame you,” Iris said in a supportive tone.
She glanced at Eli as if for confirmation. Quickly he said, “There’s nothing wrong with choosing to pursue your own happiness.”
Sally sniffed. “From what I hear, Howard’s doing the same. He went after Gladys as soon as our divorce was finalized!”
Eli had no idea who that was, but he supposed it must be someone from their circle, so he made a sympathetic noise. “Did he start…” What was the right word? “Dating her?”
The older woman shook her head. “Nope. She ended up with Leonard. Howard is single and ready to mingle, just like I am.”
Before Eli could reply, a sharp rap sounded at the front door. Iris hopped up, and he heard multiple voices coming from the foyer. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he went to see who’d arrived on their doorstep. He didn’t recognize any of the new arrivals, but they felt…cold in a way he’d rarely experienced, radiating a bone-deep chill that threatened to suck away all light and joy. Three women, all dressed in fashionable attire, immaculately coiffed and each wearing expensive shoes while carrying designer bags.
This has to be Iris’s family.
It didn’t seem like an improbable conclusion, given her tight expression and the way her shoulders rounded. He stepped to her side instinctively, as the older woman said, “Aren’t you planning to invite us in, Iris?”
“Mom. Lily. Rose. The front room is through here,” she said, her whole body radiating tension. “I’ll make tea.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Eli felt the sharp slice of the older woman’s gaze as it roved past him; he’d never felt more inadequate or insignificant in his life. And this is the woman who raised Iris? It’s a wonder she didn’t freeze to death.
“Fine. What’s this about?” Iris asked.
He didn’t follow them into the living room, but he couldn’t make himself walk away, even if they required privacy. Their relationship wasn’t such that he could offer moral support, but he had the unshakable impression that she needed it. Sally came to the foyer and glanced around the doorway to the front room.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
Silently he shook his head, and she motioned to the kitchen and mimed pouring a hot beverage. Though they’d said no, if Sally made drinks, he could bring them in. Maybe Iris would want him to stick around.
“This wasn’t something we could discuss over the phone,” another woman said in a careful tone, the kind people heard in hospitals before bad news was delivered.
Likely one of her sisters, Lily or Rose. It definitely wasn’t her mother’s voice with its diamond chill. Yeah, I’m definitely eavesdropping. This doesn’t involve me. I should—
“Let’s cut to the chase,” a third woman added. “We’ve learned something completely startling, but it makes so much sense. In time, you might even be relieved. I know I am.”
“Lily!” the older woman said sharply.
So the first speaker must be Rose.
“What?” Sulky tone. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
“Iris is having her world upended. There’s no reason to be cruel.” Strange how the words didn’t match her tone.
“What is it? Why are you here?” Iris asked.
Her mother paused, so much weight in that stillness that Eli’s forearms prickled. “Iris…there’s no easy way to say this.”
Rose offered, “Should I…?”
Iris’s mom took a deep breath. “No. I will. You got some mail at the house, a card asking you to donate blood, and it reminded me to pick up your medical records. I was planning to send them. I thought you’d need them here, in case something happened.”
To Eli, that sounded like a good deed. Records were supposed to be easily accessible digitally, but some offices made it more complicated than it needed to be. But maybe he didn’t understand why Iris’s mother was doing that. Context could change everything.
“Okay…” Iris sounded confused.
“But I noticed something that raised a few questions—”
“Just tell her already,” Lily said.
“Don’t rush me! This isn’t an easy thing to say.” Another long pause.
Eli could only imagine how baffled and worried Iris must be. It took all his self-restraint not to interrupt and get in the middle of a complicated situation that had nothing to do with him.
Finally, Rose spoke up. “Mom wasn’t there when you got your physical before college. And none of us had any reason to check on your blood type. But it was in the records they sent—”
“Just tell me,” Iris said, sounding resolute.
“You’re AB,” her mother said in a neutral tone. “Iris, I’m type A. Your father is O. And…”
Oh shit. That’s not possible. Even basic bio informed him of that much. Eli wondered if the woman was about to confess to cheating or something. Maybe Iris was about to learn she had a different biological father? He glanced at Sally, who was standing beside him in silence, her eyes as wide as his own must be.
“This is better than a telenovela,” she breathed.
Rose continued the narrative. “I asked Mom if she cheated.”