“You’re not weak. You’re amazing. If you can handle everything you’ve been through in the past and whatever has gone on in the last twenty-four hours and still be standing? You’re stronger than me or Cael … or James.”
A small tear streaked its way down Lily’s cheek.
“We all do what we have to do in order to survive, Lil. If you want to come out of the closet with your sister, do. If you want to confront your Mom, do. If you want to believe it was all a misunderstanding and forgive, there’s another option. Do what you want.”
“I don’t … not yet at least … I can’t—Cael’s mimicking me.”
“What?” Surprise came with a chuckle.
Lily drew in a deep breath. “Tony called Angela’s mother … our Mom. He called her to come help, and I just—”
“No, of course you couldn’t. No, Lil, no. This is not on you. No tears, okay?”
Lily wiped at the one that had already fallen.
“You trust him, right?” Charley asked.
“I do. Always have.”
“He’ll do what needs to be done. All you have to do is ask it of him.”
“Yeah. I know. He’s always been like that.” Always.
Charley’s deep sigh passed through the phone. “When all this is over, I think you and Cael need to sit down and talk.”
Lily agreed . But how? What if he didn’t have the same underlying feelings? What if Angela is gone, and I decide to stay here? I can’t be in two places at once.
“He loves you as much as you love him, Lily. Has for years and years, probably decades by now. You have to see that.”
“I … do.” As friends. One accident grew into friendship, and that remained for a lifetime.
“But—no, never mind. What’d you call for?” Her tone changed to one of light-hearted friendship.
“Um …”
Voices on the other end broke through, James and Wyatt both taking part of the line, each with a quick ‘hello’.
“I need help getting into a computer,” Lily said. “A laptop. It’s Angela’s, and I thought I’d break in.”
“Lily the little con woman.” James chuckled.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” That he could make her want to laugh warmed her. “I’ve tried a couple simple names as passwords, but so far nothing.”
“Can I connect to the machine?” James asked.
“I don’t know. Can you?”
Chuckles sounded on the other end of the line. “Yeah, I can.”
James talked her through going in as a guest so that she could run some commands to hack, or as he put it, take control. Once in, the mouse moved without her effort and letters typed on the screen until, all at once, the screen opened to a desktop with a family photo of Angela, Tony, Max and Leigh and dozens of files and folders around it.
“I think you’re in, Lil.”
“Well … you are. I’m just along for the ride.” A smile tweaked her cheeks. “Thank you, James.”
“Know what to look for, or want me to do some digging?”
She could sit back and let him at it but wanted something to do other than twiddle her thumbs—then again, he’d get to the heart of the information faster than she would. “Um, can you, and I’ll watch? Maybe I’ll learn something.”
“All right, then. Let’s see what’s hiding in here.”
• • •
Fifteen minutes later, after the three of them had eaten the entire box of Macaroni and Cheese and chatted about everything and nothing important, Max yawned.
“Long day getting Mommy back, huh?” Levelyn ruffled his hair again. “How about Grandma gives you a bath and gets you tucked in?”
Cael smiled at Max’s overexcitement as he nodded and jumped from his chair, wiggling like every little boy in preparation for time in warm water.
“Afterward, honey …” Levelyn stared into Cael’s eyes as she followed Max. “… I want to talk with you in P-R-I-V-A-T-E, where certain little ears won’t hear us.”
With their disappearance, Cael’s worry returned to Lily, upstairs, who hadn’t eaten in at least a few hours, though he wondered at what Lily and Angela’s
A small tear streaked its way down Lily’s cheek.
“We all do what we have to do in order to survive, Lil. If you want to come out of the closet with your sister, do. If you want to confront your Mom, do. If you want to believe it was all a misunderstanding and forgive, there’s another option. Do what you want.”
“I don’t … not yet at least … I can’t—Cael’s mimicking me.”
“What?” Surprise came with a chuckle.
Lily drew in a deep breath. “Tony called Angela’s mother … our Mom. He called her to come help, and I just—”
“No, of course you couldn’t. No, Lil, no. This is not on you. No tears, okay?”
Lily wiped at the one that had already fallen.
“You trust him, right?” Charley asked.
“I do. Always have.”
“He’ll do what needs to be done. All you have to do is ask it of him.”
“Yeah. I know. He’s always been like that.” Always.
Charley’s deep sigh passed through the phone. “When all this is over, I think you and Cael need to sit down and talk.”
Lily agreed . But how? What if he didn’t have the same underlying feelings? What if Angela is gone, and I decide to stay here? I can’t be in two places at once.
“He loves you as much as you love him, Lily. Has for years and years, probably decades by now. You have to see that.”
“I … do.” As friends. One accident grew into friendship, and that remained for a lifetime.
“But—no, never mind. What’d you call for?” Her tone changed to one of light-hearted friendship.
“Um …”
Voices on the other end broke through, James and Wyatt both taking part of the line, each with a quick ‘hello’.
“I need help getting into a computer,” Lily said. “A laptop. It’s Angela’s, and I thought I’d break in.”
“Lily the little con woman.” James chuckled.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” That he could make her want to laugh warmed her. “I’ve tried a couple simple names as passwords, but so far nothing.”
“Can I connect to the machine?” James asked.
“I don’t know. Can you?”
Chuckles sounded on the other end of the line. “Yeah, I can.”
James talked her through going in as a guest so that she could run some commands to hack, or as he put it, take control. Once in, the mouse moved without her effort and letters typed on the screen until, all at once, the screen opened to a desktop with a family photo of Angela, Tony, Max and Leigh and dozens of files and folders around it.
“I think you’re in, Lil.”
“Well … you are. I’m just along for the ride.” A smile tweaked her cheeks. “Thank you, James.”
“Know what to look for, or want me to do some digging?”
She could sit back and let him at it but wanted something to do other than twiddle her thumbs—then again, he’d get to the heart of the information faster than she would. “Um, can you, and I’ll watch? Maybe I’ll learn something.”
“All right, then. Let’s see what’s hiding in here.”
• • •
Fifteen minutes later, after the three of them had eaten the entire box of Macaroni and Cheese and chatted about everything and nothing important, Max yawned.
“Long day getting Mommy back, huh?” Levelyn ruffled his hair again. “How about Grandma gives you a bath and gets you tucked in?”
Cael smiled at Max’s overexcitement as he nodded and jumped from his chair, wiggling like every little boy in preparation for time in warm water.
“Afterward, honey …” Levelyn stared into Cael’s eyes as she followed Max. “… I want to talk with you in P-R-I-V-A-T-E, where certain little ears won’t hear us.”
With their disappearance, Cael’s worry returned to Lily, upstairs, who hadn’t eaten in at least a few hours, though he wondered at what Lily and Angela’s
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