9
After that dramatic day, Norma Jean “Jeannie” Taylor spent the whole day savoring the gossip, sending me dozens of 60–second voice messages, replaying every juicy bit.
Since Scarlett’s house burned down, she, Jasper, and Delilah moved into Harrison Drake’s home. Already, Scarlett’s marriage had cracks, and with me out of the picture, they’d been fighting constantly. Scarlett soon quit her job to take care of Delilah’s school routine, which she could barely manage. Meanwhile, Sabrina had her eyes on Jasper’s salary and quickly roped him in with flirtation. It wasn’t long before Harrison and Vivienne got wind of the affair, even helping to cover for them. Little Delilah stumbled on her dad and “Aunt Sabi” more than once; a lollipop was all it took to keep her quiet.
This disaster snowballed until Scarlett found herself kicked out of Harrison’s house. Worse still, Delilah clung to Sabi, even calling her “Mom.”
One evening, while I was taking a walk around Green Willow Estates, I saw Scarlett crouched near the entrance. She looked like a stray kitten, abandoned, and reached out to hold my sleeve. “Mom, I’m sorry. Please forgive me, okay?”
