Read Online Untethered by Julie Lawson Timmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Julie Lawson Timmer
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Sarah Crew came back, to keep from reaching through the doorway and strangling the woman.
She considered calling the police, so they could greet Sarah and leave Char out of it. Stevie would be with his mother, though, and Char didnât want to put him through that. Who knew what else he had already witnessedâor suffered himself? She thought about having Colleen take all three girls to her house and ushering Lindy back to her hotel via cab, so Char could be at the house alone when Sarah returned.
Again, though, she came back to Stevie. He would be worried when he didnât see his sister. And what could she do, ask him to stay in Bradleyâs study with the door closed while Char interrogated his mother? There was no good plan, she decided, other than acting like nothing was wrong now, greeting Sarah nicely when she reappeared, and having the girls entertain Stevie while Char took Sarah aside and let her know she had been discovered. Or her husband had been. Char took a deep breath and started down the stairs.
In the family room, Lindy and Colleen were chatting nicely, so Char allowed herself a few more minutes to regain her composure. Stealing into the kitchen, she poured a glass of water and sipped it, while silently she rehearsed the questions she would ask Sarah Crew.
How could you do this, or allow your husband to
do this, to a child? Is Stevie a victim, too,
or is it only your daughter? How long has this
been going on?
Hasnât the little girl already been through enough trauma for one lifetime?
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
M onths earlier, in late October, Sarah told Char about an all-day Saturday assessment the Crews had with Stevieâs specialists in Ann Arbor. They had been waiting for months to getin, and because of a cancellation, it was finally their turn. They would drive down early that morning, spend a long day in a number of different waiting rooms, and drive back late that night. Sarah was thinking up ways to keep her daughter occupied for what would be a long, boring day.
By then, almost ten weeks into the tutoring program, Allie and Morgan had pledged their undying devotion to each other, and Char and Bradley had been completely taken in by the raspy-voiced ten-year-old whom Allie couldnât stop talking about. Char and Sarah had become friendly, and Sarah had made it clear how worried she and her husband were about the development of the lovely little boy who always greeted Char with his version of a bone-splitting high five.
When Char told Sarah that if it would help, the Hawthorns could keep Morgan for the weekend, Sarah seemed to almost melt with relief. With no parents nearby and no room in their budget for sitters, they had been dragging their daughter along to more of Stevieâs appointments than they should have. Despite how much Morgan adored her brother, she was losing her patience with it all.
Sarah was the one who did the drop-off at Char and Bradleyâs house on Friday night. Inside the front door, she tried to gather her daughter in a good-bye hug, but Morgan jumped out of reach, kicked off her shoes, and went tearing upstairs with Allie. Char offered to go up and fetch the girls for a do-over, but Sarah waved her off. Morgan wouldnât hug her mother if someone paid her, Sarah told Char. And anyway, she had to get going, and there was something she needed to let Char and Bradley know before she left. Could they step outside with her, so their conversation wouldnât be overheard?
She wasnât sure if Morgan had already revealed this to Allie, shetold them, but this seemed like a good time to let them know that Morgan and Stevie werenât actually biological siblings. Stevie was the Crewsâ biological son, but they had adopted Morgan a year and a half earlier, when she was a little over eight.
âI wouldnât normally say more than that,â Sarah said, âbut I noticed that Morgan packed her Lifebook, and Iâm
She considered calling the police, so they could greet Sarah and leave Char out of it. Stevie would be with his mother, though, and Char didnât want to put him through that. Who knew what else he had already witnessedâor suffered himself? She thought about having Colleen take all three girls to her house and ushering Lindy back to her hotel via cab, so Char could be at the house alone when Sarah returned.
Again, though, she came back to Stevie. He would be worried when he didnât see his sister. And what could she do, ask him to stay in Bradleyâs study with the door closed while Char interrogated his mother? There was no good plan, she decided, other than acting like nothing was wrong now, greeting Sarah nicely when she reappeared, and having the girls entertain Stevie while Char took Sarah aside and let her know she had been discovered. Or her husband had been. Char took a deep breath and started down the stairs.
In the family room, Lindy and Colleen were chatting nicely, so Char allowed herself a few more minutes to regain her composure. Stealing into the kitchen, she poured a glass of water and sipped it, while silently she rehearsed the questions she would ask Sarah Crew.
How could you do this, or allow your husband to
do this, to a child? Is Stevie a victim, too,
or is it only your daughter? How long has this
been going on?
Hasnât the little girl already been through enough trauma for one lifetime?
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
M onths earlier, in late October, Sarah told Char about an all-day Saturday assessment the Crews had with Stevieâs specialists in Ann Arbor. They had been waiting for months to getin, and because of a cancellation, it was finally their turn. They would drive down early that morning, spend a long day in a number of different waiting rooms, and drive back late that night. Sarah was thinking up ways to keep her daughter occupied for what would be a long, boring day.
By then, almost ten weeks into the tutoring program, Allie and Morgan had pledged their undying devotion to each other, and Char and Bradley had been completely taken in by the raspy-voiced ten-year-old whom Allie couldnât stop talking about. Char and Sarah had become friendly, and Sarah had made it clear how worried she and her husband were about the development of the lovely little boy who always greeted Char with his version of a bone-splitting high five.
When Char told Sarah that if it would help, the Hawthorns could keep Morgan for the weekend, Sarah seemed to almost melt with relief. With no parents nearby and no room in their budget for sitters, they had been dragging their daughter along to more of Stevieâs appointments than they should have. Despite how much Morgan adored her brother, she was losing her patience with it all.
Sarah was the one who did the drop-off at Char and Bradleyâs house on Friday night. Inside the front door, she tried to gather her daughter in a good-bye hug, but Morgan jumped out of reach, kicked off her shoes, and went tearing upstairs with Allie. Char offered to go up and fetch the girls for a do-over, but Sarah waved her off. Morgan wouldnât hug her mother if someone paid her, Sarah told Char. And anyway, she had to get going, and there was something she needed to let Char and Bradley know before she left. Could they step outside with her, so their conversation wouldnât be overheard?
She wasnât sure if Morgan had already revealed this to Allie, shetold them, but this seemed like a good time to let them know that Morgan and Stevie werenât actually biological siblings. Stevie was the Crewsâ biological son, but they had adopted Morgan a year and a half earlier, when she was a little over eight.
âI wouldnât normally say more than that,â Sarah said, âbut I noticed that Morgan packed her Lifebook, and Iâm
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