Her mother sighed knowingly. “Or even when he’s in the middle of things. Restless. Like he’s spotted greener grass.”
“Exactly.” That was Robbie in a nutshell.
“Well,” her mother continued, “you tell him to call his mother, all right? Even a quick text. Just so I know he’s alive.”
“I’ll pass along the message,” Maude promised.
“You’re a good sister,” her mother said warmly.
Maude smiled a little sadly. “Trying to be.”
When she hung up, her shoulders sagged in relief. She hadn’t revealed anything. She hadn’t lied, either. But the conversation left her with one unmistakable truth—Robbie hadn’t told their parents a thing.
Which meant whatever he was dealing with, he was trustingherto help him through it.
The responsibility weighed heavily on her.
Maude kept the phone in her hand as she sank onto her couch. The call had gone fine. Her parents were cheerful, oblivious, living their sunny Keys life without a hint that their son was unraveling.
Maude chewed gently on the inside of her cheek. Should she tell them?
They adored Robbie. He was the baby of the family. And they worried about him because they knew what he was like. Telling them that Robbie was coming to stay with her for a while wouldn’t surprise them, but it would upset them. They’d be worrying all over again.
And there had to be a reason Robbie hadn’t told them anything about this “between-things” mood he’d hinted at or about coming to stay with her.
She sighed. It wasn’t her place to break his silence.
She pulled her knees up on the couch and hugged them to her chest. The loft stairs at the edge of her peripheral vision sat like a reminder of the entire logistical and emotional tangle that was about to arrive.
“If I tell them,” she murmured, “they’ll panic. Dad’ll want to drive up here. Mom’ll start asking Robbie questions. And Robbie will be furious.”
Her parents were great. They loved unconditionally and with zero boundaries when something was wrong. But Robbie hated being fussed over. He’d spent his whole life trying to prove he didn’t need rescuing. Even though he did. Often.
Maude sighed, rubbing her forehead.
On the other hand… Wasn’t it better if their parents knew? If they were prepared for what was happening? Whatever that might be. Shouldn’t they be ready to support him instead of blindsided by whatever was coming next?
She groaned softly and looked at Pixel, like he was having this mental conversation with her. “I do not have the emotional bandwidth to be the family mediator.”
Still, the question lingered, pressing down on her. Should she tell them he was coming? Or wait?
Maude shook her head and stood, walking to the sliders to stare out at the Gulf. No matter how she turned it over in her mind, she kept returning to the same truth:
Robbie had come toher.Not their parents. Not to his friends. To his sister. He obviously trusted her to help him figure things out.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll wait. Just until I know what’s really going on. And then…” She exhaled slowly. “Then I’ll decide if Mom and Dad need to know.”
She had to get to work and get that loft cleaned, then maybe get some more groceries. She wouldn’t have much time tomorrow to do it, as it was her first day volunteering at the hospital and if that mattress really did arrive overnight, she wanted to get it set up before she left.
She looked around her little home. At the cozy sanctuary that was about to become a whole lot cozier.
“All right, Robbie,” she murmured. “Let’s get through this together.”
Though she suspected it might be the kind of together that came with headaches, late-night talks, and more than a little heartache.
But wasn’t that what big sisters were for?
Chapter Thirty-One
