“What can I do?” I ask. “Want me to come down there? I could take one of the cars that’s still here.”
“No, don’t. I mean, it would be good to have you with me, but there’s no point. Blake and my dad are going to stay for a while to handle the paperwork, but the rest of us are heading home in a few minutes.”
“Okay. How’s your dad holding up?”
“He’s still in a state of shock. I guess we all are.”
“God, I, I—”
“I know,” he says, his voice cracking. “It’s so hard to grasp.”
“What about Henry? You want to tell him yourself, right?”
“Yeah, I will as soon as I’m there.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a little while. And call me if there’s anything I can do between now and when you get home.”
“Yup.”
He hangs up, and as I stuff the phone into my pocket, I notice that my hand is trembling.
My poor husband. He may be in a state of shock now, but when reality sinks in, it will be shattering for him.
And for me, too. Claire’s been such a key presence and positive force in our lives. We’ve spent so many hours in her company, not only here but back home in Manhattan, too.
I’m jostled from my thoughts by the sight of Keira moving toward me, holding her own phone in her hand, with a heightened watchfulness in her eyes. Maybe she’s got the right approach to life. If you’re always on alert, then you’re better prepared for moments like this.
“Was that Gabe?” she asks.
“Yeah. You heard, too?”
She nods grimly.
“I can’t believe it,” I say. “I feel like I’m going to wake up in a little while and none of it will be true.... How did Marcus sound?”
“He’s devastated, but he knows he has to stay strong for his dad.”
“I’m sure Gabe is feeling that way, too.”
“Are we supposed todoanything, call anyone?”
“Not for the time being, I’d say—What happened to Hannah, anyway?”
“I have no clue. I’m sure Nick will call her.”
There’s a trace of dismissiveness in her tone, suggesting she hasn’t abandoned her concerns about Hannah and Marcus.
“I should tell Bonnie. She’s putting together a cold buffet.”
“It’s hard to imagine anyone having an appetite tonight.”
“True, but they’ll still need to eat. By the way, Henry doesn’t know yet. Gabe wants to be the one to tell him.”
“Understood.”
I make a move to return to the kitchen but catch myself. “How about you, Keira? Are you okay?”
Though I sense she’s feeling a mix of shock and grief, I couldn’t guess the ratio. From what I’ve gathered, she wasn’t particularly close to Claire, but they seemed to like and respect each other.
