“Where are you going?” Charity paused in her hunt for munchies. Her sister’s pale complexion and Graham’s clenched jaw were signs all was not right with the world. Again. She’d come home expecting it to be the same boring, predictable place she’d been so eager to leave years ago. How she wished that was the case.
“Jack’s awake,” Graham said, shrugging into his coat. “I’m taking Felicity to the hospital.”
“I’ll hold down the fort. Diana and Nick are having way too much fun blowing each other up to interrupt.” She held up the bag of Cheetos and pack of red licorice laces. “With enough sugar, they probably won’t even know you’re gone.”
“Are you sure?” Graham wavered.
Poor Graham. He was all serious and responsible. Like Felicity. And, after listening to Diana, it was clear he and her sister probably shared something else: the need to go out and have some fun. If they were really lucky, they’d get laid. Big time. Talk about a stress reliever. Why two good-looking singles would choose to remain sad and celibate didn’t make any sense.
Her gaze darted from one to the other, the ideas bouncing around in her mind all good ones.
Her sister.
Graham.
Oh my God, yes. Move over Widow Rainey, I’m all over this matchmaking thing. “Sure, I’m sure. If they get burned out on video games, we’ll find a horror movie to watch. Or something.”
Felicity hugged her. “Thank you.”
Graham handed her his card. “In case you need me.” Oh, she was going to need him, all right. But for reasons that had nothing to do with his daughter. There was something dependable about Graham Murphy. And since she had no idea what she was doing, she needed a doctor she trusted. She’d already called to make her first prenatal appointment, and she was counting on the whole doctor-patient confidentiality thing—for the time being. Her family couldn’t take one more hit at the moment.
“Feel free to, you know, go have a drink or see a movie or something afterward.” She stared right back at them. Too much. Way too much. Tone it down, Charity. “What? Maybe we could use a break from you two? Ever think of that? Maybe giving them a night of video games, horror movies, and junk food away from their parents is just what they need?” She sighed.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can.” Felicity shot her a look.
Her sister was so off her game. Good thing she was here to help things along.
Graham nodded and held the door for Felicity. Because he was a gentleman. Exactly what her sister deserved—for a change.
Charity peeked out the front glass door, watching as they hurried down the walkway. Sometimes, life could suck. Those two had had more than their fair share of sucking. As Graham’s black luxury SUV pulled away from the curb, she hoped they’d take her suggestion to heart. A few shots and some heavy petting might just help them both relax.
Her sister was the strongest person on the planet, but she had to be running on fumes. Not that Felicity would say so, or confide, or lean—she was way too into the big-sister protector thing. Still, Matt had been dead five days. In those five days, her sister had been saddled with his funeral arrangements, keeping her kids’ spirits up, and the whole “when will the ex’s illegitimate love child and destroyer of her niece and nephew’s happy family wake up from his coma?” thing.
Charity felt for the baby, she did. But her loyalties were here, to Nick and Honor, and Felicity, too.
She grabbed a bag of sour-cream-and-onion chips and added it to her pile of snacks, then backed out of the kitchen. “Who’s hungry?” she asked, flopping onto the couch beside Honor.
Honor was watching the bloody melee on the television, a growing look of disgust on her face. “This is horrible. I keep jumping.”
Nick chuckled. “You should try it. Definitely
calms the nerves.”
Charity snorted. She was pretty sure trying to shoot a zombie before it bit into you wasn’t relaxing. At least not her idea of relaxing.
“Right?” Diana added. “Dad took my game away because of the whole pot thing. It sucks, big time. Which is why I have lots of sleepovers.”
Charity didn’t say a word. She wasn’t sure how to read Diana yet. Was she really messed up? Or was she acting messed up for attention?
“Pot?” Honor asked.
Diana nodded, taking a licorice lace from Nick. “It’s no big deal. It was one joint. One. The school totally flipped out and expelled me.”
“You were expelled?” Nick looked skeptical.
“Why else do you think I’m going to your school next year?” Diana rolled her eyes. “Dad can’t buy my way back into any of the private schools. Why he thinks I’m better off at a private school versus a public school is beyond me. Where does he think I bought the pot to begin with?”
So, the real deal then. Not that she was going to judge the girl. She couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to lose a parent. There had been plenty of times during her school years when she’d wished her parents would leave her alone—disappear even. But death? Permanently losing one? She couldn’t imagine that.