Page 93 of Teasing

He’s always needed background noise to sleep.

I don’t know how he does it.

“It really was. But his nurse manager stopped me on my way out and said they were changing computer systems and couldn’t find Dad’s living will. I need to find it and send it to them. You haven’t seen it, have you?”

Camden’s face falls, and he shrugs.

One day he’s going to have to see him.

One day soon, if I have anything to say about it.

Whatever.I’m choosing to focus on the good parts of today.

“We should probably check the office,” he finally says, and I know why he’s so hesitant.

The office became Vivi’s years ago.

And there goes the good day.

The anger courses through my veins, sneaking up on me like a snake lying in wait in the tall grass. “Why don’t you go home and check on Rosie? This could take a while. I’ll come over later.”

“Rosie and Sparkle have their first riding lesson today,” he bitches, and Camden laughs.

“Is that the pony she isn’t allowed to have?”

I shoot Camden a glare, hoping he shuts up, but he doesn’t because that would take common sense. Something my big brother seems to lack sometimes.

“How’s that working out for you?” Cam taunts, and I shove him in front of me toward the office. If I have to do this, so does he.

We stop outside the closed door, neither of us in a rush to open it.

“Is it locked?” Mav asks from behind me.

I shake my head and harden my heart.

Damn, I don’t want to do this.

I don’t want to talk about why either.

After staring at the knob for far too long, Camden opens the door when he realizes I can’t and walks ahead of us.

My good mood plummets as soon as I step in. How could it not?

Boxes line the top of the desk with a few scattered on the floor in front of it, and my heart sinks.

“This is going to take forever.” Cam pulls out the chair behind the desk and stares at the frame lying flat next to a box. He picks it up and turns it over, so he isn’t faced with the picture of the happy family staring back at him. “Shouldn’t we have an electronic copy somewhere?”

I shrug, unsure, and my brother groans and lifts the lid of the first box, disturbing the dust that’s settled on top, sending it into the air like Rosie’s glitter.

Maverick reaches for a scrapbook sitting on top of one of the boxes. A picture of Camden, Vivi, and me at one of Cam’s high school games is glued to the front with black photo corners holding it in place. “You were a baby,” he muses, looking at middle-school me.

“Yeah... I guess I was.” I lift the lid on another box full of papers and start flipping through. “Would it be in a folder?”

“You’re asking the wrong person, Em.” Camden pulls out an envelope and dumps out the pictures inside. “This is all scrapbook stuff.”

“I’ll take that one.” Mav takes the box from Camden and presses a kiss to my temple before moving to the chair in the corner of the room.

My God, what evenisall this stuff?

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