Page 44 of Bear with Me
"I missed you, too." We'd texted formalities, but nothing more. "I watchedDie Hardon a laptop screen."
She laughed. "My friend and I hate-watched hours of Christmas movies. That vacation one isn't half bad, but the rest were so cheesy. Mom would have loved them."
I heard the tears in her voice, and something in my chest loosened. I'd felt responsible for my sister's health and well-being since the accident. For the first time, I knew she would be all right. We both would be.
"Come stay with me over Spring Break," I said. "We can go to the aquarium, or the science museum."
She laughed through her tears. "Promise you won't make me put my hand on the static electricity generator again."
"I won't, I promise."
"Okay, but I have to work over Spring Break. How about Memorial Day?" She sniffled.
Before I could answer, she whispered, "I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"I thought avoiding you would make it easier to forget about them, but I was wrong. No more holidays apart, okay?"
My laughter sounded broken, but my heart was full. "Okay. Starting with Memorial Day."
CHAPTER 19
OLLIE
I spent three weeks organizing,building storage shelves, and making room for Blake's things in my closet, cupboards, drawers, and garage. Though sooner than either of us had expected, combining our lives felt right. My bear was especially pleased. Along with,"Mine,"and"Claim," "Family"had become his new favorite word.
The last weekend in January was bitter cold. I borrowed the box truck we used for our tools and equipment from my boss on Saturday morning, and then I drove across town to Blake's apartment. The roads were slick with frost, but it was early enough that no one saw me skid across two lanes of traffic.
I secured the few items Blake wanted to put in storage in the back of the truck, and then he directed me to the huge complex where he'd rented a space.
Once he had the orange door open, I glanced around the cramped cube. This was all that remained of his parents' lives. A few boxes of vinyl records, a coffee table propped upside down on a vintage velvet couch depicting harvest scenes, and a line of white kitchen and laundry appliances against the back wall. There was just enough room to tuck the glass-topped desk between the couch and the wall. The recliner, we flipped upsidedown over the back of the couch, resting the seat on the desk. It was the strangest puzzle game I'd ever played, and the only way everything would fit.
"These are for Cassie when she graduates," he said. "If she doesn't want them, she can sell them."
I knew Cassie was his sister, and that they'd had a falling out after their parents' deaths, but that was all. "What's she like?"
He grinned. "If you took the smartest person you know times the most sarcastic and added a dash of goth, you'd get Cassie."
"Are all your family members mathematic equations?"
He laughed. "No, but she is. She deserved better than what we got. How am I supposed to make it up to her when I don't have a job? We just started getting along, and I'm worried I'll let her down again."
"Don't worry about finances," I told him for the millionth time since the day I'd asked him to move in with me. "I can spot you."
"She's only a sophomore," he said. "What if she needs more than four years to graduate?"
"You've already covered the first four," I reminded him. "That means you have two years before you need to worry about it, and only if she needs longer."
He muttered something more about time and money. I steadied him with my hands on his shoulders, and he met my gaze.
"Tell me about her." I slid my arm across his shoulders and guided him back to the door. He glanced around the room once, and then he and I lowered the door back into place. The padlock snapped into place with finality, and he slid back under my arm.
"She's fierce, and smart. So smart. Funny. Kind. She's the best little sister anyone could ask for, but I fucked everything up."
I tugged him closer to my side. "Everything?"
He knocked the side of his head against mine. "You know what I mean."
