I scoffed. “Now you’re making me sound like the hero everyone else thinks I am.”
Dr. Carmichael rose from her chair, her eyes serious, her countenance strong and firm. She stood directly in front of me, looking down, her green gaze penetrating mine.
“It’s time you realize something. You are a hero. You saved six people that day who couldn’t save themselves. And even more, you saved a scared ten-year-old little boy. You saved his life, Talon. When the uphill battle seems unwinnable, when you’re ready to throw in the towel, remember that. Remember your strength. You are worth something. And you deserve happiness.”
* * *
Jade had texted me that she went to Grand Junction to visit her mother, who had awoken. After I was done with therapy, I drove out to the orchards and checked in with Axel. Everything looked good, so I went back to the house, prepared for one of Felicia’s awesome Friday-night dinners.
But again, Marj was in the kitchen.
“I thought you had cooking class tonight,” I said.
“I decided not to go. I’m just not in the right frame of mind for it.”
My poor baby sister. Maybe I had given her too big of a cross to bear by telling her my story. She wasn’t dealing with it very well.
“I’m making coq au vin,” she said. “It will be ready in about half an hour.”
I tunneled my fingers through my hair. “Look, Marj. I’m really…sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Talon, you have nothing to be sorry about. I hate that you went through all of that.”
“I know you do. But I hate seeing you like this. Sometimes I wish we hadn’t told you.”
She wiped a speck of spilled gravy from the counter. “Please, don’t feel that way. It’s just…”
I understood. She couldn’t put it into words. It was that dreaded mixture of pity for me and horror at the entire situation. I’d faced it before from my brothers. I hated it, but I couldn’t bring myself to blame my little sister for feeling that way.
“You cook when you’re upset.”
“It keeps my mind busy, you know? But even so…”
But even so, it still hovered over her. I got it. She had no idea how much I got it.
Time to change the subject. “So Jade’s in Grand Junction with her mom tonight.”
“Yeah,” Marj said. “She texted me. I guess it’s good that Brooke woke up.”
“Did she tell you that the mayor made her acting city attorney?”
Marj nodded. “Yeah, who can figure that out? How could Larry Wade just up and disappear?”
“He’s not the only one who disappeared.”
“Who else disappeared?”
“Her ex, Colin. Evidently he hasn’t been seen since the Friday night when he insisted on taking Jade to dinner.”
Marj dripped her jaw open. “I wonder why Jade hasn’t mentioned it to me?”
“I have no idea. Steve Dugan was talking to Jade about it. The jerk asked her out, too.”
That got a smile out of my sister. “I bet that didn’t go over well with you.”
Sometimes I was surprised how well Marj actually knew me. “Nope. So I told her we could make our relationship public.”
Marj smiled, and it almost looked like her real smile. “Really? That’s wonderful.”