Page 64 of Dust Storm

Cassandra didn’t even seem to notice.

“Brought you a plate,” I said as I lifted the Tupperware container full of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

She let out a caustic laugh and took another long drink from the nearly empty bottle of whiskey.

I set the leftovers on the porch rail. “I see you skipped dinner and went straight to dessert and drinks.” I picked up the carton of soupy ice cream. “Didn’t even make it a whiskey float?”

Her only response was to finish off the bottle.

“You gonna be okay on your own long enough for me to get the girls to bed?”

Cassandra’s gaze was listless. “I’m fine.”

“Sit tight.”

I dipped inside, dumped the ice cream carton in the trash, and headed up the stairs, slipping into Gracie’s room first.

“You ready for bed, pretty girl?”

She let out a yawn. “I’m not tired. I wanna hang out with Miss Cass.”

“Too bad. You’ve got school in the morning.”

“But—”

“No buts.” The edge of her mattress sank as I sat down and rearranged the mountain of stuffed animals that lived on her bed.

I knew it was only a matter of time before she’d get too old for them. Bree had outgrown hers years before she was Gracie’s age, but Gracie seemed to be holding on to childhood much more tightly.

Bree remembered her mother, which meant when we lost Gretchen, she was forced to grow up and face some harsh truths far earlier than any child should.

Gracie was too young to have any memories of Gretchen. To her, this was normal.

“Anything you wanna talk about tonight?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

I didn’t push it anymore. “I love you.”

“Love you, Daddy,” she said when I kissed her head.

I closed her door and walked across the hall to Bree’s room. “Ready for school in the morning?”

She just stared at the ceiling, so I sat on her bed and fixed the covers.

“Anything you want to talk about?”

Bree sighed. “Can we go shopping this weekend? I need some new stuff for school.”

“What stuff? We got you new clothes at the beginning of the school year. You can’t tell me you’ve already grown out of them.”

“We got jeans and t-shirts,” she huffed with a quintessential teenage attitude. “Can wepleasego? I need cute stuff.”

I had shit I needed to get done on Saturday, but I didn’t want the day to end on a bad note. “Your request is noted and is under further review.”

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