Page 77 of Extra Witchy

“Hell no, it was hot. I thought you might even punch Paul.”

“Is that the younger one’s name?”

“Yep. Brian is the oldest, Ruth is the middle one, I think, and Paul is the spoiled baby.”

“That tracks, according to his behavior. Think he’s mad because he’s not the youngest anymore?” Trev asked.

Leanne lifted a shoulder in a careless half shrug that spoke volumes about how invested she was in this family drama. “Who knows? I’m out anyway.”

“You don’t have to be,” Brian said.

He’d managed to catch up to them at the elevators. “I apologize for Paul. It’s been the hardest for him. He took a leave of absence to stay with Dad, and he’s seen the most of…”

His deterioration?

Trev couldn’t bring himself to say that aloud, but it probably applied. If Paul had been watching his old man weaken day by day, it explained his hostility at least. Leanne waved a hand, dismissing the explanation.

“I didn’t expect any of you would be happy to meet me,” she said bluntly.

Unexpectedly, Brian said, “I am, though. You have nieces and nephews if you’re interested in meeting them. If you have kids, they’ll have cousins. It’s up to you, of course. If you’d rather not pursue a relationship with us, I get it.”

“Do I have to decide now?” she asked.

Brian shook his head. “Take your time. You’re welcome to attend the funeral.”

“It seems hypocritical. I didn’t know him.”

When Leanne glanced at him, Trev said, “It’s up to you. I’ll go with you if you want to.”

“We’ll see,” she said.

Trev knew her well enough to read her misgivings about this whole situation, so he put himself between her and the brother she didn’t know if she wanted. “We’ll let you know. Sorry for your loss.”

The man took the hint and let Trev guide his wife into the elevator. Before they shifted down even one floor, he tucked her against his side, and she buried her head in his chest. Her whole body shook, so he stroked her back, holding her as they left the hospital. It was cold outside, everything brown and lifeless.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel,” she finally said. “I keep waiting for it to hit me, but I feel more like I just opened an emergency exit door on a plane. Like, it’s always a possibility in the safety talk, but you never expect that you’ll actually have todoit.”

“However you feel, it’s okay. There’s no manual. It seems like Brian is open to having another sister—”

Leanne broke into frenetic laughter. “He’s practically old enough to be my dad, hon. He’s fifty-four. Our father was like eighty or something.”

Quickly, Trev did the math.Holy shit.That meant the dirty fucker had been in his forties while messing around with Junie, a girl less than half his age. It probably wouldn’t help to say so, but…This is so messed up. What am I supposed to say?

“Junie sure did favor the ashen ferrets,” he said.

“What?” His wife stared for a few seconds then started laughing again.

As he walked her back to the car, he explained the silver fox/ ashen ferret thing, and finally, Leanne’s smile seemed natural, less tinged by the awfulness of everything. “That’s so Junie. I hope you don’t mind my copping that.”

“Nah, I did the same. It’s so quotable.”

She narrowed her pretty eyes with their ridiculous lashes, as if visualizing. “I can see the memes already. ‘Why silver fox when you can ashen ferret?’”

Relieved she seemed to be feeling better, he opened her car door and put his hand on her head as she got in. “Are you hungry? I suspect you didn’t finish your breakfast.”

“I could eat.”

“Let’s stop somewhere on the way home?”

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