Chapter 6
“We were careful.”
“Caleb.”
“We needed food.”
Her eyes closed.
That was worse than being yelled at.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For letting things get that bad.”
“You were sick.”
“I’m still supposed to take care of you.”
“You do.”
Her eyes filled.
I hated seeing that.
So I said the first thing that came into my mind.
“Arthur made us soup.”
Grace opened her eyes.
“Arthur?”
Mr. Whitmore shifted beside the doorway.
Grace finally looked directly at him.
Their eyes met.
Something changed in the room.
It was so small that Annie probably didn’t notice.
But I did.
Grace knew him.
Or knew of him.
The color faded slightly from her face.
Arthur noticed too.
“Grace Foster,” he said.
She swallowed.
“Mr. Whitmore.”
I looked from one to the other.
“You know him.”
“No,” Grace said too quickly.
Arthur’s jaw tightened.
Helen quietly stepped toward the door.
“I think,” she said, “I’ll give everyone a few minutes.”
But Grace stopped her.
“Please stay.”
Helen did.
That told me more than Grace probably intended.
Arthur approached the bed slowly.
“I should have spoken to you years ago.”
Grace’s voice was tired but firm.
“There wasn’t anything to say.”
“I disagree.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
I had never heard Grace speak that way to an adult.
Not rude.
Just guarded.
Arthur looked at Annie and me.
“You haven’t told them.”
“No.”
“Told us what?” I asked.
Grace reached for my hand.
“Caleb, this isn’t something you need to worry about today.”
That answer never worked on me.
“It’s about us.”
“It’s about the past.”
“Then why did he know our address?”
Grace went still.
She looked at Arthur.
“You told them?”
“I told them nothing.”
“He knew it before we did,” I said. “He sent Dr. Mercer to our apartment.”
Grace leaned back against the pillow.
For a moment she looked exhausted in a different way.
Not sick.
Cornered by something she had hoped never to explain.
Finally, she said, “Years ago, Dad worked for one of Mr. Whitmore’s companies.”
Arthur lowered his head slightly.
“He managed a regional freight division.”
May you like
That surprised me.
I remembered almost nothing about Dad’s work.
