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Chapter 54
IT WAS ONLYfour for dinner. It should have been five.
But the fifth was six feet under.
Jamison sat next to Zoe.
Decker sat next to Amber.
They were in the kitchen at the small oval table in the center of the room.
“How was school, Zoe?” asked Jamison.
“Okay,” said Zoe,as she pushed food around on her plate without actually ingesting any of it.
Amber had lost weight, and she had been thin to begin with. Her features were strained, her eyes painfully red and her manner as though she had been drugged.
“Mommy, can I go to my room? My tummy hurts.”
Amber said absently, “Sure, sweetie. I’ll be up to check on you in a bit.”
Zoe got up from the table and hurriedly left. They could hear her shoes clattering up the stairs.
“She’s not eating,” said Amber miserably.
“Neither are you, sis,” said Jamison. “You’ve got to keep your strength up.”
Amber waved this off. “I’m fine. Just not hungry right now.”
Jamison glanced at Decker and then laid her fork down.
“What do you planto do?”
Amber looked up from her plate. “What do you mean?”
“I mean will you stay here or move?”
Amber looked at her sister incredulously. “I haven’t gotten that far. For God’s sake, it hasn’t even been a week since Frank died, Alex.”
“I know. But I don’t think there’s anything keeping you here. You could move closer to family. They can help out.”
“I’ve thought about that,” Amber conceded. “And even with the life insurance, I’ll have to go back to work. I’m the breadwinner now.”
“Youaregoing to bring legal action against Maxus, right?” said Jamison.
“Damn straight I am. But to uproot Zoe again, so soon? I’m just worried how that will affect her.”
“A fresh start somewhere else might be best for her andyou,” replied Jamison.
“How can I be sure of that?”
“Have you talked to Zoe about this?” interjected Decker.
They both looked at him.
“Decker, she’s only six,” said Jamison.
“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have an opinion.”
