Devon rubbed her gritty eyes and grimaced. “Sorry. I’m tired. I’m not used to the heat anymore. That run got me today piled on top of everything here.”
“Uh-huh. Is it that… or Oz’s conspicuous absence from the house today?”
Devon heard the insinuation layering Dara’s tone and chose to ignore it. “What do you think we should do about the funeral? I’m open for suggestions,” she said, trying to stay on topic.
“I’ll let you off the hook for now, but we’re returning to that subject soon. As to suggestions, as much as I hate it, maybe Mom could skip it? Once she’s back to normal, we could take her and do a small gathering with just us? I’m sure one of the Babes could stay with her while we attend.”
“She would never forgive herself for missing it, though,” Devon said.
“Maybe. But that sentiment was before finding out Dad was a lying cheater.”
Sometimes the truth sucked. Like now. “How long can we keep her from watching television? Or reading the news? I’m blown away by the fact she hasn’t seen or heard something already. Thank God she isn’t as addicted to her phone as some people. And not only that, eventually we have to go back to work. What happens then?”
Her new job began in a matter of days, and she was well aware that the timing couldn’t have been worse. Her father would no sooner be buried than she’d have to get on a plane.
“Logan and Zoey wanted to give Mama time to process things on her own,” Dara said, “but time’s up. Maybe Zoey should find Mama a counselor?”
“That still won’t help us in regard to the funeral.” Or work. And even though Devon felt guilty for thinking about such things, they were still important aspects that had to be considered.
A sound drew their attention, and Devon shifted on the couch, turning to see her mother standing in the doorway, looking wild-eyed and panicked. “Mama? Are you all right?”
Her mother’s knees buckled, and she went down, catching herself with her hands. Devon and Dara rushed to Rayna Jo’s sides, and Devon brushed the hair back from her mother’s face. “Mama? Mama, what’s wrong?”
Her mother shifted sideways to sit on the floor, and tears streamed down her pale face.
“Talk to us,” Devon urged.
“Richard… Richard is gone?”
Devon and Dara exchanged a look before Devon nodded. “Yes, Mama, he is.”
It took some doing to get her mother up and settled on the couch. While Dara held Rayna Jo, Devon retrieved a damp washcloth. She wanted to pour her mother and herself a stiff drink, but seeing as how she wasn’t sure about the alcohol mixing with the medication her mother took for anxiety, Devon promised herself the drink would come later.
“Here,” she said, pressing a glass of water into her mother’s hands. “Take a sip.”
Rayna Jo choked down a swallow of water but then shoved the glass away. “How could he do this to me? After everything… how could he do this?”
Dara and Devon snuggled up on either side of their mother and made the appropriate soothing sounds of comfort. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to die, Mama,” Devon said.
“It’s humiliating. That girl… He promised me.”
Promised her what?
“Mama, what do you mean? Did you know about… her?” Dara asked.
Her mother let loose a sobbing wail.
“Of course I knew. I knew about all of them.”
Devon sucked in a sharp breath and leaned away from her mother, staring at her in shock. “Mama, what do you mean, all of them? You mean he… what he was doing was normal?”
Devon watched as her mother wiped her fingers over her eyes before she nodded, head down.
“I confronted him when he first… when I found out. You were both so young. I loved him so much. He said none of them mattered. That he did it out of loneliness when he traveled. He s-said he’d stop but… he didn’t.”
“You stayed with him, though,” Dara said.
Fresh tears overflowed and trickled down Rayna Jo’s cheeks.