Read Online Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone - Free Book Online Page A

They must feel so guilty.” He’s tips his head back, downing his juice, and brings his glass to the sink. He won’t look at me, but he doesn’t have to. I can feel it. The space around us is already filling up with all the things he wants so badly to say right now.
    Until recently, I bolted from any room that contained both Dad and news. I’d learned my lesson. If some horrible tragedy took place and I stayed silent, he’d shoot me this contemptuous look and say something like, “Doesn’t this even bother you?” On the flip side, if I made a comment that expressed even the slightest bit of remorse for the situation, he’d whip out a pen and paper and start plotting out all the ways I could go back and stop the plane crash/bus crash/shooting/stabbing/explosion/carjacking/terrorist attack/etc. Either way, my response to him would be the same. I don’t change things. It’s not my place to change things, just because I can. And yes, of course it bothers me. All the time. I’m not heartless.
    Losing my sister in a previous decade came with its share of complications, but as it turns out, there were also a few silver linings. Meeting Anna was one. No longer having these excruciating conversations with my dad was another.
    Brooke nearly spills my coffee when she throws her arms around my neck. “You’re home!” After a quick hug, she bounces over to Dad and gives him a peck on the cheek. She stops suddenly, and her gaze darts back and forth between the two of us. “Uh-oh,” she says, wiggling her fingers in the air. “There’s tension…” Brooke slips into her usual role, using humor to restore peace to our somewhat dysfunctional family. She slaps Dad’s arm with the back of her hand. “So, what’d he do this time?” She looks over at me and gives me a wink.
    “Nothing,” Dad says. “Nothing at all.”
    The double meaning isn’t lost on me.
    He cleans his glasses again, this time with a dishcloth, looking out the window the entire time. “It’s going to be a gorgeous day.” His voice is higher that usual and that enthusiastic tone sounds forced. “Let’s get that boat on the bay, shall we?” He checks his watch. “I want to leave in a half hour. Can you two be ready?”
    Brooke and I nod.
    “Good. I’d better go see if your mom needs help.”
    As soon as he’s out of earshot, I turn to Brooke. “Family day,” I say flatly. “Super.”
    She raises an eyebrow at me. “Come on. They’re not that bad, you know?”
    “Easy for you to say. You’re not a huge source of disappointment to one and a constant worry to the other.”
    “And neither are you, but whatever…” She lifts herself onto the kitchen counter and points to the half-empty coffee mug I’m holding. “Hurry up, we only have a few minutes. Top off your coffee, pour me a cup, and tell me everything .”
    So I do. In hushed tones I speed through the details, telling her all about Maggie and the reason there’s a photo of the three of us at the zoo. Brooke’s eyes grow wide, and she asks for more details about the stuff I try to breeze past, like Emma and Justin’s breakup and how the Greenes let me crash on their couch the first night. She sips her coffee, hanging on every word, and after I’ve given her a play-by-play of practically the entire trip, I shake my head and tell her how Anna decided—once again, and for reasons I honestly can’t fathom—that she’d rather put up with the oddities of this bizarre relationship than tell me to stay where I belong. I tell Brooke how hard it was to leave, and with every word, I’m more relieved to have one person here who understands. The thought makes me remember Anna’s request for a confidante of her own. I wish I hadn’t left town without giving her one.
    Mom and Dad walk back into the kitchen carrying bags over their shoulders and jackets in their arms. Dad heads straight for the garage, but Mom takes a detour to give me a peck on the cheek and tell me she’s happy