“Trey wouldn’t do that. He loves you,” I said.
“He’s a good boy. But he doesn’t have any fire in his belly. Not like you an’ your sisters.”
“Not me,” I said.
“You don’t stand up for yourself. But you...” His hand shook. The ice cubes rattled in his glass. “Quick enough to... to...”
“Mr. Laurence?”
“... take up ferr ovvurr...”
“Are you okay?”
“... people,” he mumbled. His glass dropped from his hand and rolled on the carpet. The ice cubes spilled.
“Mr. Laurence!” I jumped from my chair, reaching to catch him as he slumped. “Miss Dee!”
CHAPTER 14
Amy
Okay. Thanks. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Trey slid his phone back into his pocket.
His face frightened me. “What is it?”
“Granddad. He’s at the hospital.”
“Oh God, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“Stroke, they think. Beth is with him.” His gaze cut to the empty storefront windows and back to me. “I have to go.”
“Of course. Do what you need to do.” I glanced at Alec, leaning against the side of the building. The teen was engrossed in his phone, oblivious to the grown-up drama around him. “We’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take you home first,” Trey said.
Boarding school manners. “I’m coming with you, dumbass. I’ll call an Uber for Alec.”
His set mouth relaxed in a near smile. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Beth could use the support.” Not only Beth. Trey shouldn’t have to face this alone.A stroke. How bad was it? Would his grandfather be okay?
Alec looked up from his phone. “Jo will meet us at the hospital.”
“Jo is coming?” The eagerness in Trey’s voice made me wince.
Alec nodded. “Yeah, I texted her. She’s going to drive us home.”
I felt a surge of affection for my newest nephew. “Brilliant.”
Trey hesitated, obviously trying to decide the right thing to do.
When my mother was in the hospital, Trey had done everything he could to help, covering for John at work, bumping me to first class so I could get a flight home from Paris, picking Beth and me up at the airport. He had been so kind. I’d even dared to let myself think that maybe he had reconsidered our postbreakup hookup. That maybe we could start again.
And then on Christmas Eve, he took Jo to Alleygators, leaving me home alone.
Whatever. We were his family. Without us, without his grandfather, he had no one.
“We’re wasting time,” I said. “Let’s go.”
