Page 50 of Easton Island: Old-Fashioned Christmas
“My twin brother died when we were very young.” Morgan could see the wheels spinning as Jeff put the pieces together. “That’s rough.”
“For all involved.” Morgan called Chester, who had scampered off to explore. “If Tristan is my nephew, he’s one more link, another piece of the Easton family dynasty’s fascinating history.”
Jeff thought about it. “One more link to an intriguing family, no doubt.”
Chapter 21
Tristan hopped into the passenger seat and slammed the door. “Can Chester sit on my lap?”
“Sure. We’re not going very far or very fast.” Morgan waited for him to buckle up before backing out of her parking spot. “I’ve been meaning to ask, did you and your uncle come right here from the airport?”
“Yeah. We got an Uber. The driver was gonna drop us off at our hotel until Mrs. Easton…uh…Ainsworth, invited us to stay. I’m glad she did.”
“It was a lot more fun than staying at a hotel, huh?”
“Yep. The plane ride was cool. I’ve never been on a plane before.”
“You live in Nevada.”
“Near Las Vegas, but we don’t go into town much. My mom worked there until she died.”
“I’m so sorry about her death,” Morgan said.
“Uncle Jeff tries to take care of me, but he’s gone a lot. His neighbor has been watching me, but not for much longer.”
“Because you’re old enough to stay by yourself?”
“Not at night. It’s just me and my uncle. My grandparents are gone. I feel bad because Uncle Jeff is stuck with me.”
Morgan’s heart pinched. “I’m sure he doesn’t feel like he’s stuck with you.”
“He doesn’t have time to take care of a kid. My mom’s boyfriend let me call him Dad. He was okay, but now that she’s gone, he doesn’t come around.”
“Did you do stuff, you know, like go hiking or camping, or other family activities?” Morgan asked.
“Mom worked a lot. We would go shopping, and sometimes she took me to the arcade. I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. It’s only at night that I can’t be alone.”
“When…is your uncle going back to work?”
“In a couple of days. He’s traveling to Japan.”
“It sounds exciting.”
“He’s a consultant, whatever that means.”
They reached Looking Glass Cottage, and Morgan pulled in the driveway, relieved to discover Naomi’s car was long gone. “We’re going to check on my house for a minute.”
“This is a nice place.” Tristan unbuckled and looked over his shoulder. “You can see the lake.”
“And I have my own beach. Chester and I like to take walks when the weather is nice.” Morgan slid out of the driver’s seat and waited for Tristan, who was carrying Chester, to catch up. They waded through the deep snow, trekking to the front steps where she unlocked the door.
The power was back on, and the cozy cottage was once again nice and toasty. “My house weathered the storm.” Morgan jangled her keys. “We’ll head over to Locke Pointe now.”
“Is Chester coming with us?”
“Nah. He can hang out at home.” Morgan watched as the pup trotted over to his doggie bed and climbed in. “He’s all tuckered out from the holiday festivities.”
“I wish I had a dog.”
