Devon realized all the McMillans treated this visit as the equivalent to facing a firing squad.
The doorbell rang, and Lydia moved to answer it. Everyone in the room saw the schooling of her features; she put on her professional face and opened the door. “Jude, Gloria. Please, come in.”
She wasn’t happy to see them and Devon was glad she didn’t say so.
“Dr. McMillan, how lovely to see you again.” Gloria stepped inside and Devon smelled her perfume from across the room.
“Hailey.” Jude walked to his granddaughter first and kneeled by her chair.
She looked up at him with solemn eyes. “Grandpa Jude.”
With horror, Devon realized he was on the verge of tears. He hated how they were so uptight and unreachable. He hated the way they treated their own granddaughter. Blinking profusely, he hoped the tears wouldn’t fall.
Gloria trailed dutifully to Hailey’s side and patted her on the shoulder. “Still in a wheelchair?”
She said it as if it was another of Devon’s failings. Lydia spoke up before Devon could. “Hailey has another two weeks of therapy before she’ll be out of the chair. She can walk assisted now, but we don’t want to rush anything and risk re-injuring her hip.”
“Oh, of course.” Devon knew Gloria idolized his mother. Anything she said, unless it was in Devon’s defense, was gospel.
Jude straightened to his full height, his gaze on his son-in-law. “And your friend did this to her?”
Devon felt his face from the inside. It morphed, drawing down, and grew hot. “Hewasour friend, yes.”
“He claims it was an accident,” Don intervened. “We don’t know what his mental state is, but it appears he has been harboring some awful psychosis that no one caught onto.”
“Including his wife and his physician,” Lydia added.
It was obvious to Devon they were trying to cut the blame game off at the knees. He wondered if it would work.
“Please, have a seat,” Don invited with a gesture of his hand.
The Keystones sat, looked around the room, and avoided eye contact.
“Would either of you like a drink?” Devon offered with reluctance.
“Oh, no, we can’t stay long,” Gloria replied. “Jude has a conference in town this evening.”
That answered all of Devon’s questions right there. “Sounds fascinating.”
“Yes, quite,” Jude started, and Devon tuned him out. He had no interest in hearing about the man’s next business venture.
As Jude talked, Devon let his mind drift. It seemed inevitable it should find its way to Chloe. She’d given him plenty to think about the last few times he’d seen her. He was still on the fence about therapy, but he recognized she was right about plenty. He couldn't leave town and abandon Hailey after all she’d been through, and he had to stop blaming himself. His father was right about Vince, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. They’d been as close as brothers, and Devon had never suspected a thing. If he looked back, with the clarity only hindsight could bring, he realized there had always been something a little off about his friend. He’d trailed after Devon, trying to be in his shadow since high school. Devon thought of it as the sign of their deep friendship at the time, but he wondered if there was more to it. Vince never could be wrong about anything. They would fight about the oddest things because the resolution was for Vince to admit he had made a mistake.
“So we thought we’d come by while we were already in this area.” Gloria sat back as she summed up everything Jude had just told them.
“Oh, you can’t stay for dinner, then?” Lydia said in a voice gone sickly sweet.
“No, I’m afraid not. We wanted to see little Hailey with our own two eyes to be certain she was on the mend.” Gloria shot a glare at Devon which made it clear she thought he was somehow doing something wrong. It didn't matter what, it just mattered that it was his fault.
“Too bad.”So sad. “Mom is making her famous remoulade. Shall we walk you out?” Devon asked with much glee.
“I don’t believe that’s necessary,” Jude told him.
“Goodbye, Grandpa Jude and Grandma Gloria,” Hailey said in her best imitation of the queen—or maybe it was her imitation of Gloria.
Lydia and Don rose and saw the Keystones to the door, while Devon went to Hailey’s side and kneeled.
“I’m so proud of you, bug.”
