Page 93 of Above All Else
“Or that time she tapped the four-wheeler into the tree, smeared wild gooseberries all over her forehead, and said she crashed the four-wheeler.” A wide smile formed on my lips, her memory alive between us.
His head sagged as he smiled and then nodded. “She was always doing something stupid for attention.”
“Right?”
I spun her photo around, staring back at her, the sadness depreciating. “I miss her.” My teeth bit into my lip. “I didn’trealize how much so because we eventually go on with our lives, but seeing her like this, all happy and vibrant, just did something to me.”
He rounded the counter and took me in his arms. “If there’s one thing this whole experience has taught me, it’s that holding on to grief, rage, and the desire for vengeance only deepens the pain, and itneverbrings healing.“ He kissed my forehead. “Besides, Amber wouldn’t have wanted us to feel like this.”
I laughed and swiped my tears. “Are you kidding? She’s in heaven jockeying with God for attention.”
Laughter rumbled in his chest. “Okay. You’re not wrong. She’d love everyone talking about her.”
Sucking in a sharp breath through my nose, I wiped away my tears. Dark circular splotches stained his scrubs—my tears soaking into the fabric. “Oh, crap.” I washed my hand down his front as if it would make them go away.
“It’ll dry. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t had bodily fluids on my clothing before.”
I grimaced. “Charming, Carter. I prefer to think you sit in an office all day, not handling dead bodies… on purpose.”
Carter picked up the photo and walked to the kitchen entry, where a photo of his parents hung on the wall. He tucked the edges of the photograph into the frame and put his hands on his hips. “There. After everything that’s happened, I think it’s time we moved on. Don’t you?” He walked back to the counter and took a swig of his water.
I nodded. “I thought I had.”
“The sadness will always remain, but we can’t dwell on it anymore.” He sighed. “We’ll only lose more if we do. Just like I almost lost you.”
I pressed my lips into a smile, the horrors of that night on constant replay when I slept. “You better get going, or you’ll be late.”
“We still need dinner.”
I glanced at the clock and hung my head. “Oh, right.”
The whole reason I came home.
“I realize this was a hard conversation, but you don’t have to kick me out the door.” A lopsided smirk spread across his face, his eyes lightening.
Snorting, I tossed the salt shaker at him. “Shut up.”
He caught it at his chest and glanced up, his smile morphing into a sinister grin.
“Oh, no.” I slid off my chair with a hidden smirk. “Not tonight.”
“Now you’ve done it, dollface.” He growled and lunged for me.
Turning, I sprinted across the house, a grin brimming on my lips, my squeals turning my throat raw.
Chapter 24
Carter
June moved with careful precision as she set the last fork on the table, her hands trembling.
“There’s nothing to worry about. They’ll love you now, just like they did then.”
Tight lines formed around her eyes, and her lips pressed thin as she adjusted the napkins for the tenth time. “It’s not that.” She shrugged. “At least, it wasn’t until you reminded me. Now I have something else to worry about.”
I hung my head and ran my finger along the edge of the table, the conversation from the living roomhumming. “What is it then?”
She leaned in. “My dad.”