Weber stood too. “Nice meeting you, Mr. Linden. I hope you’ll give it some thought.” He held out a hand, but her father refused to shake. He looked old and fragile in his ancient green sweater and walking boot, and Cassie felt a rising misery that she’d upset him. She’d thought a big offer would impress himbut inviting Weber over had been all wrong. She should have introduced the idea first, let her dad come to it slowly. Now his back was up, and it would be that much harder.
The truth was, they needed to sell the house. And Weber Properties was prepared to buy it as is. No sprucing it up or renovating bathrooms. They wouldn’t get another offer like this. Yes, it made her sad to think of it being torn down. It would be nicer to imagine a family moving in and taking care of the place. But you had to be practical. And her dad would be resistant no matter who was buying.
Weber shook her hand as she showed him out. “I’ll be in touch,” he said.
When she came back inside, her dad was in the kitchen fixing himself a cup of coffee. His hands were shaking.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pouring herself a cup. She would twitch all day after more caffeine, but the morning had already been a disaster. She added a little milk and sat down across from her father, who wouldn’t look at her.
“I really am sorry,” she said again. “I should have told you he was coming.”
“I’m not selling.”
“It’s too much to keep up. You don’t need all this space. You go from the kitchen to the family room.”
“Don’t tell me what I need. First you brought that lady in here, that busybody, trying to tell me what to do all day. At least she’s gone,” he said with satisfaction.
“Because youpinchedher.” Cassie felt a spike of worry. Someone from the agency had called yesterday, but she hadn’t yet called back. “What happens when I’m gone and you slip and fall and nobody finds you for days. You can’t live alone here anymore.”
A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face, but only for a moment.
“It’s not just me,” she continued. “Shelly agrees it’s not safe for you to be alone. It’d be one thing if you accepted help, but you don’t want anyone.”
He glared at her over his coffee. “I’ve lived in this house longer than you or your sister have been alive.”
“Daddy.” She touched his hand gently. The skin was soft and spotted, and his fingernails needed trimming. “I love you. You know that, right?”
He looked away but not before she saw the tears in his eyes.
“All I want is what’s best for you,” she said. He didn’t answer, but she could tell he was listening.
She sighed and let go of his hand. “I know this is hard, and I’m not saying you have to decide right now. Just think about it. We might not get another offer like this.”
“I hope not,” he said and hobbled back to the TV.
Chapter Fourteen
Cassie knocked lightly on Andrew’s door. He’d been home two weeks, and she still hadn’t found time to have The Conversation with him. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. There’d been plenty of chances but whenever she went to tell him, her stomach seized up with a fluttery panic. She kept promising herself she would do it the next day, but the next day always came and went and now her appointment with the genetic counselor was three weeks away. Even though it terrified her, Andrew needed to know what might be lurking in his family history.
She knocked again, more firmly this time.
“Whaat?” he said sleepily.
She stuck her head in. The room smelled like sweat and dirty clothes. She pulled up the shade and threw open a window.
“Aaahhh!” He buried his head in the pillow. “What are you doing? I was asleep.”
“Time to get up. It’s ten o’clock.”
He opened one eye. “It’s still early.”
She wrestled open the other window too. Shelly had always complained that this one stuck. “You’ve been sleeping too much. It’s not healthy.”
He dragged himself up to sitting. “That’s because I’m tired.” He was wearing the same t-shirt he’d had on for the past twodays. She needed to grab that for the wash. “Why’d you wake me?” he said.
“Here, have some orange juice.” She handed him the glass she’d carried upstairs and watched him drink it. Andrew had always been a cheerful riser, jumping right out of bed in the morning. Had his backpack ready for school the next day, set his own alarm when he was old enough. Phil was usually long gone, but Cassie didn’t mind. It gave her a few extra minutes alone with her son.
She set the empty glass on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed, her stomach in free fall. Maybe first thing in the morning wasn’t the right time to spring this on him. He was barely awake. And she needed to tell him about the apartment before Phil mentioned it. She couldn’t possibly lay it on him all at once.
