Letting Go (Triple Eight Ranch) - By Mary Beth Lee Page 0,63
only years later. And then there were the photos of Cass and John. The wedding, where they looked so much in love. Of their fifth anniversary, young and hopeful. Tenth in Hawaii surrounded by water so blue it hurt to look at. Fifteenth. John’s laugh lines just starting to show. Goodness, she loved those lines.
But she didn’t much love her lines. The worry ones on her forehead. The ones she’d just found on her neck, hands, and wrists. The ones caused by years of guilt.
Blah. She shook her head. She was not going to stand in this hallway filling her mind with more regrets.
She walked on down the hall and found Justine holding Dani in the rocking chair and Delia looking like she’d just won a double showcase on Price is Right. Some cartoon she’d never seen played on the television no one was watching.
“See, Justine. I told you Auntie Cass was in the hallway,” Delia chanted.
Good ol’ Justine rolled her eyes just like her momma. “Goody. For. You. We’ll just have to call you Encyclopedia Brown.”
Delia launched herself into Cass’s arms while Killer set out attacking Cass’s big toe.
“Good morning, Auntie,” Delia said. “Your robe is pretty and you smell good. Why’d you stay in the hallway so long? There’s nothin’ there but a bunch a’ silly pictures. They ain’t going nowhere.”
How right she was. Cass hugged her tight and smiled at the truth in innocence. Delia was an angel.
“Good morning to you, too.”
She looked across to Justine. “You having fun with the baby?”
Justine stared at her for a few seconds as if she weren’t quite sure how to answer and was measuring her words one by one to make sure they fit.
“Momma made breakfast and is down at the 7-Eleven interviewing for a job. I let you sleep in ‘cause she said to. But if there was a problem, I would’ve woken you up.”
Oh, there it was. Justine thought she’d have a problem with Anna leaving the baby for a little bit.
“Of course you would’ve. I wasn’t worried about that at all.” She wondered why Anna hadn’t told her about the job interview. “Your momma tells me you’re on the straight-A honor roll.”
Justine shrugged. “School’s easy. And it’s out in two weeks anyway.”
“I’m going to school next year, Auntie.” Delia beamed as she tugged on Cass’s robe to get her attention.
“Pre-K.” Justine pointed out with obvious derision.
“Only cause my birthday’s late. Momma said.”
Okay. This was going to disintegrate into a sister fight, and she had enough of that with Anna.
“Speaking of Momma’s, has Gran been up this morning?” Cass asked.
Both girls frowned. “Gran doesn’t get up ‘til later. Come eat.” Delia jumped up and tugged her hand.
Cass pretended to be dragged into the kitchen by the little girl. “We’re going to have to enter you in the World Wrestling Federation, Delia.”
That got a smile out of Justine.
“I’m super strong cause I drink my milk,” Delia made a muscle, “but Justine’s stronger. Momma calls her a hero all the time.”
Cass looked at the young girl sitting in the rocking chair playing Peek-A-Boo with her baby sister. Yep. She just bet Anna called Justine a hero. Looked like the little girl did an awful lot of the babysitting.
Cass turned back to the kitchen where Delia was unlocking the secret to the fruit smell. “Momma made you some rhubarb syrup, Auntie. She said it’s your favorite.” She pointed to the small pan on the back burner of the stove. “And there’s Eggo’s in the freezer. Momma usually makes homemade, but she had to go get another job today. Plus the Angel Network people give us Eggo’s. And then me and Justine can play ‘hey, who stole my Eggo’.” Her niece lowered her voice to bass as she said the words and then doubled over with laughter.
“And I always lose to Justine. Except one time, the toaster broke and Justine had to dig the Eggo out with a fork and it landed on the floor and Killer ate it and had to stay outside ‘cause he kept fartin’. That’s the day before Gran went to bed and wouldn’t get up. Momma said it was because the toaster broke the floodgates of hell, whatever those are. But we bought a new one at a garage sale, and she still didn’t get up ‘til you came home. I guess those floodgates are fixed now and that’s a good thing ‘cause Momma sure needs a job. I love you, Auntie.”
Cass tried to hide the rollercoaster