Page 17 of Twisted Fate

For a moment, I thought about lying to her and telling her I was fine, but she would know that wasn’t true. I opted for the best response I could muster that wouldn’t lead to more questions.

“No, but I will be.” I continued placing dishes in the rack, unwilling to look at her. I couldn’t. It hurt a little more every time I did.

16

Delilah

Charlie’s excitementwas contagious when we set out for her playdate Friday afternoon. When I told her she would get to see her friend Hazel, she squealed with delight and hugged her teddy bear close. I made sure to grab the stuffed animal from her bed before coming downstairs for lunch. We couldn’t leave him behind, or this trip would be disastrous.

Our companions were already at the park when we arrived. It was surprisingly empty aside from a couple of children with their parents. I approached the blonde crouched in front of a bench tying the shoe of a little girl who looked to be Charlie’s age. “Lara?” I asked as she finished the task and turned to look at me. Her eyes went wide, and she nearly lost her balance as she took me in. Standing, her gaze never left my face.

“Oh my… Wow, you really do look like her,” she mused, stunned disbelief filling her face. “Vance warned me, but I hadn’t—” She shook her head, dismissing those thoughts. “I’m sorry. It’s nice to meet you, Delilah.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. And it’s okay,” I assured her. “I get it. It’s startling how much I look like my cousin.”

Her eyes filled with sadness. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Sarah was a sweetheart and such a wonderful mother.”

“She was,” I agreed, emotion welling in my chest. I pushed it down, not wanting to ruin the day. The girls were already heading for the slides, their giggles echoing through the air.

“I’m so glad Vance contacted me. We’ve missed Charlie. She and Hazel always have so much fun together.” I wondered if she knew what kind of struggles Charlie had been dealing with lately. Newfound anxiety snaked its way through me, settling heavily in my chest. I hoped Charlie did okay today. I squeezed her bear tight, hoping it would bring me luck.

Lara and I sat on one of the benches surrounding the playground and watched as the girls played. Every now and then Charlie would search me out, and I’d hold up her teddy to assure her he was still there. Aside from a brief squabble over whose turn it was to go down the “big slide” as the girls affectionately dubbed it, Charlie and Hazel got along fine during the hour we spent at the park. We made plans to meet up again in a couple weeks and bid our friends goodbye. I sent Vance a quick message to let him know how it went. A few minutes later, his reply came through.

Vance: I’m glad to hear it went well. Thanks again for doing this. I think it’s going to help Charlie to be around her friends.

Delilah: I agree. And I’m happy to help any way I can.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and loaded Charlie up. She was asleep before we even made it home.

That evening, as I was setting out my supplies to start dinner, there was a knock at the door. Vance hadn’t mentioned that he was expecting anybody, so I was hesitant to answer it. I pulled aside the curtain to peer out the window and saw the familiar blonde hair of my aunt. I immediately went to the door and flipped the lock. Swinging it open, I was met with tired blue eyes. A sad smile slid over Darla’s painted lips.

“Hey, Delilah.”

“Aunt Darla, it’s so good to see you.” I wrapped my arms around her thin frame and hugged her for a long moment. The last time I saw her was the day she brought me over after Vance decided to hire me. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her.

“It’s good to see you, sweetie.” She rubbed her hand soothingly over my back. It struck me that I should be the one offering her comfort. She was grieving the loss of her daughter.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, shutting the door behind us. She followed me as I headed toward the kitchen.

“I just came to visit. I haven’t seen Charlotte in a couple weeks, and I miss her dearly.” Darla was the only one who called Charlie by her given name. “I’m hoping to convince Vance to let me take her home with me for the weekend. I haven’t kept her overnight since—” Her words fell away, and her chin wobbled. Tears pricked the backs of my eyes as shear sorrow washed over her features.

“I’m sure he won’t mind,” I assured her. “It’ll give him a chance to get out of the house.” Her sad smile returned as she gave me a pitying look.

“Honey, that man isn't going to go anywhere. He’ll hole up in this house and work himself to exhaustion.” I gave her an inquiring look. “All he does is work and take care of Charlotte. You can’t get him to do anything for himself. Believe me. I’ve tried. So has Vivian. It’s like he stopped living as soon as we lost Sarah.” Tears brimmed in her crystalline eyes, and I choked back a sob. My poor aunt, who’d lost so much, was worried about Vance. Maybe I should’ve been worried too.

At that moment, Charlie noticed her grandmother and dropped her crayons onto the paper she’d been coloring. Sliding out of her seat, she ran to Darla and hugged her legs. Darla lifted her into the air and hugged her close, then settled her on her hip.

“I just hope that once Charlotte starts her therapy next week, he’ll relax a little. He’s just about worried himself sick over that little girl,” she added.

“Therapy?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied, looking at me like I should already know. Then her expression changed, morphing into regret. She’d just let something slip that I wasn’t privy to.

I tried not to let that tidbit of information bother me. After all, I was her nanny. I didn’t necessarilyneedto know everything about her. But it still hurt. Vance hadn’t thought to tell me she was going to therapy? Maybe I had no right to that information, but I felt like we had a pretty amicable relationship, one where he would realize that was something I’d want to know about.

I had to put a stop to that line of thinking. He didn’t owe me an explanation. He was the one who took on the responsibility of raising Charlie when I wasn’t able—him and Sarah. I gave up those rights the day I signed the adoption papers.

17

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