She and Marley always had gone about things in different ways.
Gretchen met them there. She was too pale, the circles beneath her eyes standing out starkly. Her hair hung down to her shoulders in a lank wave and she moved as if she were decades older than her thirty-four years. “I’m ready.”
It happened quickly after that. They arrived at the funeral home and went through the motions of watching the slideshow. Gretchen held it together during her speech, though she had to stop multiple times. Other people stood up and told stories about Ethan. How he’d helped them, laughed with them, been one of the pillars of this community. Kendall found Gretchen’s hand and held it throughout, even as her sister’s grip tightened and tightened, as if she could squeeze out her pain.
Then it was time to go to the grave site and do it all over again.
By the time they made it back to the house for the wake, Gretchen was leaning heavily on her. She guided her older sister to a chair in the back corner of the living room and went to check on the food they’d spent all yesterday preparing. The doorbell rang and then it was off to the races. She fell into a rhythm quickly. Greet. Accept condolences. Direct them to the food. Check in with Marley to make sure Gretchen was doing okay. Repeat. Over and over again, until the house felt like it would burst at the seams. By the time people got their fill of the wake and began leaving, she was weaving on her feet.
Just a little longer. Just hold it together a little longer.
The doorbell rang.
She closed her eyes and counted to five. She could do this one more time. Kendall took a deep breath that only shuddered a little and walked to the door. She pasted a smile on her face and opened it, but the words died on her lips when she found herself looking up at the man she never thought she’d see again. She blinked, but he didn’t disappear. “Alex?”
“Hey, sweetheart.” He glanced past her into the house, his expression carefully blank. “What can I do to help?”
With that single sentence, he dismantled anything she could have said. A simple offer of assistance she desperately needed. She swallowed past her suddenly dry throat. “Um, I need to put the food away.”
“Show me.”
She nodded shakily and led him into the house. Neither of them spoke as they started the process of putting the food away. Through it all, Kendall couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a fever dream, that it couldn’t possibly be real, that he couldn’t be here, helping her in silence without demanding an explanation for her not calling once in the last couple weeks.
She put the last dish into the fridge. “Um, I need to check on my sister really quick.”
“No rush.” Alex slipped his hands into his pockets and studied her. “Want me to wait outside?”
“Maybe just wait here? There’s beer in the fridge.” She turned for the door and stopped. “And if Marley bursts in and starts interrogating you, just hold her off until I get back.”
Alex raised his brows. “I’ve got it handled, sweetheart. Check on Gretchen.”
She found Marley quietly closing the door to Gretchen’s room. She gave a tired half-smile as Kendall walked up. “I convinced her to lay down for a few, but I think she was asleep before I left the room.”
“Good. She needs it.”
“Yeah.” Marley glanced back at the closed door and her shoulders drooped. “We can’t leave her.”
“I know.” Kendall nodded. “I already quit my job.”
“I’m, uh, between jobs at the moment.”
She laughed softly. “We’ll talk about the future tomorrow, okay? Figure out a plan.”
“You and your plans.” Marley shook her head. “I need to get out of here for a little bit. Can you hold down the fort?”
She thought of the man waiting for her in the kitchen. “Yeah, I have things covered until you get back.”
“You’re the best.” Marley squeezed her arm and then she was gone, snatching the keys and disappearing through the front door.
Kendall peeked into Gretchen’s room, but as promised, she was out cold. Then there was nothing else to do but go back to the kitchen where Alex waited for her. He sat at the nook table, a beer bottle in front of him. When he saw her walk through the door, he pushed to his feet. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She worried her bottom lip, the events of the last few days—few weeks—suddenly too much to hold. “I have questions about your showing up here, but… Would it be okay if you just held me for a minute?”
Alex’s expression went soft. “Come here.” She stepped into his arms and the second they closed around her, it was like her defenses crumbled. She clung to him and buried her face in his chest. Oh god, she was going to cry. Kendall started to push away, but Alex tightened his hug. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you. You don’t have to be strong right now.”