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I am writing to you now because I am once again concerned about Cedric. He has fallen into a downward spiral in the last year and he won’t let anyone in. He spoke so highly of you during and after his program. I am hoping that you would be willing to take him on as a patient.
I would like to speak with you further on this matter in person if you are available.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you,
Grant Preston
“What are you looking at?”Derrick asked as he peered over her shoulder.
“He sent me the letter my dad sent him.”
“Who did?”
”Mellon. He just emailed it to me,” Taylor said rereading the letter.
“Is it helpful?” Derrick asked her.
Taylor looked at the script on her phone again and smiled up to Derrick sadly. “Not to figuring out Cedric,” she said and looked back at her phone, “but it does help me to remember I came from some pretty fabulous people.”
Derrick kissed the side of Taylor’s hair and pulled her to him. They stayed that way the rest of the way home.
Nineteen
It wasmovie night in the Fletcher Mansion.
Taylor had totally forgotten about their weekly date after the drive to Pismo, and Marty was pissed.
It was something Taylor, Derrick, and Marty had started when they all began living together again and Taylor actually loved it. Derrick claimed to only look forward to it when he picked the movie but she had for sure seen him glued to the screen for her pick ofThe Fault in Our Starsduring their last movie night.
But Taylor was totally not feeling it tonight, so she tried to tell Marty they could move it to another night that week. It didn’t go well.
“You want to move movie night,” Marty asked, horrified. “How can you want to move movie night?” she questioned.
“It’s just been a long day, Marty. I had a meeting pretty far away and—”
“It’s our tradition, every week this is movie night,” she reminded them. “You can’t just break a tradition.”
“Jeez Louise, Marty, she just wants to do it another night. She isn’t canceling Christmas,” Derrick said, his irritation clear. “Besides we have only been doing it a few weeks. I would hardly call it a tradition.”
“That’s how traditions start, Derrick,” Marty informed him in a condescending tone, “and so what, just because it's only been a few weeks we should just treat it like it doesn’t matter? Huh?”
“Marty—”
Marty held a hand up in her brother’s face. “No, Derrick, don’t say anything else. We are having movie night, damn it. I clear this night every week especially so we can be together. As a family,” she said, now looking at Taylor. “And you two are not canceling on me, because you don’t cancel on family.”
And didn’t that just hit Taylor right in the feels.
“You’re right,” Taylor said, and then looked at Derrick. “She’s right—it’s our thing. We will change and meet you in the living room.”
“Tay,” Derrick started.
“Go change,” Marty said through her teeth at her brother. “The pizza will be here in ten minutes,” she said and turned off to the living room, already in her pajamas with her blanket in her arms.
* * *
It wasMarty’s week to pick the movie and she had pickedSpaceballsbecause a.) she wanted to infuriate her brother b.) it was one of her favorite movies and c.) because she felt the ridiculousness of the movie might help ease the tension that had been surrounding all of them.
As the credits began, the Fletcher siblings bickered about the movie choice while they ate pizza as if they had never seen food. One of Taylor’s favorite things to do was to watch Marty and Derrick interact. She had always wanted a sibling, wanted inside jokes and someone who would take the worst insults you could hurl and then hug you the next minute. This was as close as she got to it, and she loved every second of it.