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“No rush, Mama,” Devon told her. “Dara’s bringing tea.”
“And it’s just us,” Mary Elizabeth said. “You can dress after your tea or go back to bed, whatever you feel like.”
Rayna Jo nodded in agreement and asked what the temperature would be for the day. “It’s so bright and sunny. I think Addy and I should play hooky. Let our assistant manager handle things. It’s too beautiful to spend the day inside. Maybe we could lounge on the beach for a bit? What do you say, girls?”
A sound drew Devon’s attention to the door, and she turned to find Dara carrying a tea tray, followed by Cheryl and Aunt Adaline.
“I brought cups for everyone,” Dara said, her smile looking forced. “How are we doing?”
A little later, Devon was in the kitchen washing the teacups when a soft knock sounded on the back door.
She dried her hands and peeked out the curtain to see Logan and his brother, Michael, as well as Oz. “Do they run in packs?” she muttered softly.
Devon opened the door and stepped back so that all three broad-shouldered men could enter. Like her and Dara, Logan and Michael were identical twins, though Michael’s hair appeared to be a darker shade of brown than his brother’s due to how short Logan wore his and the gray starting to show. Both had deep blue eyes.
“Is she doing any better?” Logan asked.
Devon shook her head, still not meeting Oz’s gaze though she could feel the intensity of his stare. “It’s like she doesn’t remember anything. Dad’s just away on business like always and… um, she thinks Oz and I are still together.”
Logan frowned darkly at the news, and she knew her cousin wouldn’t rest until he got help for her mom. And since she couldn’t bring herself to look at Oz, she shrugged. “The Babes are with her now. Dara’s on the phone with the funeral home trying to get started on the arrangements since Mom’s not…” Her words trailed to a halt and she couldn’t continue because she wasn’t sure how. In less than twenty-four hours, things had changed so much.
Her mother had always been emotional. Of all the Babes, her mom and Mary Elizabeth seemed more like sisters due to the fact both were softer-hearted and their feelings easily hurt. They cried at commercials, when happy or sad, but this?
“Too bad Zoey’s out of town,” Logan said.
“I know,” she whispered.
“I’ll go check on her,” Logan said, heading toward the staircase. “In the meantime, you might want to check out the newspaper.”
Her stomach clenched into a hard knot. “Newspaper?”
Expression grim, Michael held out the paper in question, and Devon reluctantly took it. Front page was a huge article about the accident, and one of the photos from the hospital last night.
Taken when Oz had held her.
“Mom’s upstairs, too?” Michael asked.
Devon nodded, distracted and horrified, barely hearing Michael excuse himself.
That left her alone with Oz and the photo she hoped Ted wouldn’t see because of the questions it would bring up.
“How are you holding up?”
A laugh burst out of her chest, the sound high-pitched as she crumpled the paper up and shoved it into the recycling bin.
“That’s a good-sized group of reporters out front.”
“More and more keep coming. I think they’re wanting us to make a statement but… I’m not sure what to say. It’s another thing on the to-do list that got pushed down when Mama woke up and… wasn’t herself.”
“She just needs time. It’s a shock, all of it,” Oz said. “Maybe you should have Adam prepare something though.”
Adam was Mary Elizabeth’s husband and an attorney. As far as ideas went, that wasn’t a bad one. “I’ll contact him.”
“Dev?”
Oz’s hand touched her shoulder and she shrugged it away. “I, um, should go upstairs. Be there to hear what Logan has to say.”
“It’ll take him a bit to assess her,” Oz said. “You’ll know as soon as he knows.”
