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Chapter Thirty-Eight
Marjorie
Talon and Jade went into the city early for Jade’s checkup and the boys were at school, so I was alone in the main house. Bryce was at work, of course, only his second full day on the job. His first full day had gone well into the night. It was after midnight by the time we’d gotten home from the hotel. Though I’d been tempted to stay with him at the guesthouse, I’d come back to the main house and slept in my own bed. I didn’t want to cause any more unnecessary upheaval. My phone had died, I’d discovered, which was why I hadn’t heard Bryce’s call.
The last thing my family needed was to worry about me. We had two pregnant women, two troubled boys, and Joe and Bryce dealing with a repressed memory of Bryce’s father killing a young friend of theirs.
I was not about to add to the mix.
The image of my scar popped into my mind. At the moment, the cutting seemed ridiculous. I had everything. Fucking everything. I’d been born to great privilege, and having enough time to dwell on what was wrong in my life was simply another aspect of that privilege. Rumination leading to self-mutilation was a luxury, one I would now do without.
Again, I would not add to the mix.
Bryce mentioned when he saw me to the door last night that he was going to talk to Mel about his issues. Bryce needed her now, and I wasn’t going to waste her time with my self-serving nonsense.
No more cutting.
No more rumination.
No more self-absorption.
I was so done.
My father’s strength flowed every bit as strong through my veins as it did my brothers’, and I wouldn’t let anyone down. Out of everyone in my family—including Bryce, who I now considered family—I’d been through the least.
Time to let it go and concentrate on ending this nightmare once and for all.
My phone buzzed, knocking me out of my long-coming epiphany. Not a number I recognized. “Hello?”
“Ms. Steel?”
“Yes?”
“This is Carrie Umbrage, principal at Snow Creek School. Your brother asked that I call you.”
“How can I help you?”
“Dale is upset again. He thinks he saw the same stranger lurking around before school this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Steel are at a doctor’s appointment in the city and figured you could get here before they could.”
“Of course. I’m on my way. Is Dale all right?”
“He’s okay. The nurse says his heart rate is elevated, but that’s from fright. He’s lucid and doesn’t have any problem answering questions.”
“What about Donny?”
“Donny’s fine. He’s in class.”
“All right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Then I quickly dialed another number.
“Your mom and dad will be here as soon as they can,” I told a quiet Dale. “Your mom had a doctor’s appointment in the city.”
“I don’t want to be a bother to them.”
“You’re never a bother to any of us, sweetie. We love you.” I turned to the principal. “Have you called the police?”
“They’ve already been and gone. He answered all their questions.”
