I’d
actually thought that the evening couldn’t get any worse. I was wrong.
“What the hell
is this?” Isabelle demanded, holding the items in front of Reed.
He took a deep
breath. “You shouldn’t be going through my stuff, Sis,” he said calmly.
Isabelle’s blue
eyes flashed with emotion foreshadowing trouble. “I wasn’t going through your stuff. This was lying out in the open on a
shelf in your closet!”
“Isabelle—“
“How could you
do this to Amber?” Isabelle cried.
Reed got to his
feet and faced his sister. “I haven’t done anything to Amber,” he said quietly.
Isabelle didn’t
seem to hear him. “You have no idea
how much she loves you, do you? You
broke her heart!”
It was like
watching a train wreck in slow motion. I stood up ready to tell Isabelle that all the stuff was mine when I
caught the warning in Reed’s eyes. He didn’t want me to say anything. I felt helpless and stared stiffly at Isabelle.
“What’s this
about Reed? Do you have some lingering
issues from our abusive childhood?” Isabelle’s teary eyes were full of
accusation.
I couldn’t
breathe. Isabelle was dealing with
something more than Reed not taking Amber back, and Reed seemed to realize it
as well.
“How could you
do that to a woman?” Isabelle was crying. “It’s all my fault. This is because of what she did to you,
isn’t it? I should’ve protected
you!”
“Isabelle
stop,” Reed ordered firmly, taking his sister into his arms and holding her
while she cried.
If I’d been
able to move, I would have left but I was frozen, shocked at the depth of Isabelle’s
emotion. I’ve no idea how long we stood there while Reed tried to calm her
down. Finally, Isabelle quieted.
“Oh my God, I’m
so sorry,” Isabelle whispered brokenly. “I’m sorry, Ellie.”
“It’s okay,” I
told her, but I didn’t know if it was. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“You don’t have
to go,” Reed told me, and Isabelle agreed.
I knew that he
didn’t want to leave things unfinished between us, and neither did I. But he
and Isabelle needed to talk. “I should visit my dad.” Reluctantly, I grabbed my
bag and turned to go.
“Can I come
over later?” Isabelle asked.
“Sure.”
I knew that she
wanted to talk, and so did Reed. Catching the disappointment in his eyes, I knew he didn’t want me to go but
he didn’t argue and I think it was because he knew Isabelle needed to talk to
me too.
Chapter 11
Three hours
later Isabelle sat on the floor beside the coffee table at my dad’s house
sipping on a screwdriver I’d made with the vodka in the cabinet. I told her to meet me here knowing Dad
was still at work, and Jack liked the company. I was also hoping I could stop
by Reed’s place on the way home.
“I shouldn’t
have freaked out like I did,” Isabelle whispered. I’d never seen her look so broken, and
it made me sad. She was always so
strong and confident and full of life. “I’m scared for Reed,” she admitted, taking a sip of her drink.
A slither of
unease weaved inside of me.
“Darryl was
abusive to both of us, but Reed had it much worse than I did. It was like
Darryl hated him. I’ve always prayed my brother didn’t have any lingering
issues from the abuse, but I’m not sure.”
My heart was
pounding. I couldn’t stand thinking of Reed and Isabelle as children and being
hurt by the person that should have loved them the most.
“You know what
a bastard Darryl was, but you don’t know everything that happened.” Isabelle’s
haunted eyes met mine.
I was all of
the sudden uneasy.
“Reed always
had a strong effect on women even when was younger. When he was fifteen, he caught the
attention of our landlord’s wife. She was rich and beautiful, and she looked at Reed in a way that no
woman should look at a fifteen year-old boy.”
The hairs on
the back of my neck lifted, anticipating what I knew was
actually thought that the evening couldn’t get any worse. I was wrong.
“What the hell
is this?” Isabelle demanded, holding the items in front of Reed.
He took a deep
breath. “You shouldn’t be going through my stuff, Sis,” he said calmly.
Isabelle’s blue
eyes flashed with emotion foreshadowing trouble. “I wasn’t going through your stuff. This was lying out in the open on a
shelf in your closet!”
“Isabelle—“
“How could you
do this to Amber?” Isabelle cried.
Reed got to his
feet and faced his sister. “I haven’t done anything to Amber,” he said quietly.
Isabelle didn’t
seem to hear him. “You have no idea
how much she loves you, do you? You
broke her heart!”
It was like
watching a train wreck in slow motion. I stood up ready to tell Isabelle that all the stuff was mine when I
caught the warning in Reed’s eyes. He didn’t want me to say anything. I felt helpless and stared stiffly at Isabelle.
“What’s this
about Reed? Do you have some lingering
issues from our abusive childhood?” Isabelle’s teary eyes were full of
accusation.
I couldn’t
breathe. Isabelle was dealing with
something more than Reed not taking Amber back, and Reed seemed to realize it
as well.
“How could you
do that to a woman?” Isabelle was crying. “It’s all my fault. This is because of what she did to you,
isn’t it? I should’ve protected
you!”
“Isabelle
stop,” Reed ordered firmly, taking his sister into his arms and holding her
while she cried.
If I’d been
able to move, I would have left but I was frozen, shocked at the depth of Isabelle’s
emotion. I’ve no idea how long we stood there while Reed tried to calm her
down. Finally, Isabelle quieted.
“Oh my God, I’m
so sorry,” Isabelle whispered brokenly. “I’m sorry, Ellie.”
“It’s okay,” I
told her, but I didn’t know if it was. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“You don’t have
to go,” Reed told me, and Isabelle agreed.
I knew that he
didn’t want to leave things unfinished between us, and neither did I. But he
and Isabelle needed to talk. “I should visit my dad.” Reluctantly, I grabbed my
bag and turned to go.
“Can I come
over later?” Isabelle asked.
“Sure.”
I knew that she
wanted to talk, and so did Reed. Catching the disappointment in his eyes, I knew he didn’t want me to go but
he didn’t argue and I think it was because he knew Isabelle needed to talk to
me too.
Chapter 11
Three hours
later Isabelle sat on the floor beside the coffee table at my dad’s house
sipping on a screwdriver I’d made with the vodka in the cabinet. I told her to meet me here knowing Dad
was still at work, and Jack liked the company. I was also hoping I could stop
by Reed’s place on the way home.
“I shouldn’t
have freaked out like I did,” Isabelle whispered. I’d never seen her look so broken, and
it made me sad. She was always so
strong and confident and full of life. “I’m scared for Reed,” she admitted, taking a sip of her drink.
A slither of
unease weaved inside of me.
“Darryl was
abusive to both of us, but Reed had it much worse than I did. It was like
Darryl hated him. I’ve always prayed my brother didn’t have any lingering
issues from the abuse, but I’m not sure.”
My heart was
pounding. I couldn’t stand thinking of Reed and Isabelle as children and being
hurt by the person that should have loved them the most.
“You know what
a bastard Darryl was, but you don’t know everything that happened.” Isabelle’s
haunted eyes met mine.
I was all of
the sudden uneasy.
“Reed always
had a strong effect on women even when was younger. When he was fifteen, he caught the
attention of our landlord’s wife. She was rich and beautiful, and she looked at Reed in a way that no
woman should look at a fifteen year-old boy.”
The hairs on
the back of my neck lifted, anticipating what I knew was
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