Page 92 of Fire

“I’ll never forget when we got the call that Susan had been found. Blake and Sissy were so broken, but I felt like it was my chance to finally make things right. It’s been an uphill battle and Sissy—I don’t know if Sissy will ever recover—but Blake, he found you, and that makes all the struggle worth it.”

She wiped at her tears with a crumpled tissue.

“Carol?”

Gwen startled at the sudden booming voice that split the silence.

“In the kitchen,” Carol yelled before looking at Gwen and explaining, “My husband, Hank. He plays golf with his buddies on Fridays. He calls it networking, but he’s not fooling anyone. He’s been retired for over five years.”

Gwen smiled as Blake’s grandfather walked into the kitchen. Average height with a good dose of gray mixed with his blond hair, he and Blake held no resemblance. In fact, Blake looked like neither one of his grandparents, leading Gwen to believe he’d favored his dad more than his mom. Decked out for a day of golf in a polo and chinos, Hank appeared trim and fit.

“I saw Blake’s car in the drive. Is Sissy—” he stopped mid-sentence when his eyes landed on Gwen. “Well, hello.”

Carol was beaming. “This is Gwen. Blake’sgirlfriend.”

Hank raised both brows, and he and Carol shared a look. “You don’t say?” He held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gwen.”

Gwen took his hand. The skin was warm and papery, but his grip was firm. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

He turned troubled eyes Carol’s direction. “Sissy okay?”

Carol nodded. “Blake’s with her now.”

He gave a curt nod and went to the fridge. “What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

Carol looked at her watch. “Oh, goodness. I didn’t realize how late it was.” Gwen knew that it had to be close to eight. “Hank, get your head out of the fridge.” She looked back at Gwen. “Come on. You can help me whip something up.”

Standing, Gwen laughed. “I’ll probably be more of a hindrance than help.”

“You don’t cook?”

Gwen shook her head. “Not really, but I make a mean microwaved dinner.”

That got a chuckle out of Carol. “Well, don’t worry, dear. I’ll teach you everything I know. I’ll have you making all of Blake’s favorite meals in no time.”

A couple of hours later, Blake came into the kitchen, and all eyes turned to him. “She’s sleeping.”

“Come. Sit down and eat something,” Carol said.

Blake pulled out the chair beside Gwen and sat. Fatigue lined his eyes, and she placed her hand on his thigh, giving it a squeeze. “You okay?”

Giving her a soft smile, he said, “Yeah. We watched her favorite movie, and she eventually fell asleep.”

Carol passed him a plate piled with food, and he dug in, clearing most of it before anyone spoke again.

“Blake?” Carol said hesitantly.

When she got his eyes, she froze, then opened her mouth but no words came out.

Hank reached over an placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just tell him.”

She seemed to collect herself and said, “Dr. Franklin found a pl—”

Blake cut her off, his words biting. “Not this again.”

“Please just listen to—”

“I won’t put my sister in an institution.” Blake angrily pushed his plate away.

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