Page 59

“Mom also told us our last name was Weiss,” Abby said.

Abby typed in Brian Brenner in New York; nothing came up.Then, she tried the name in all the states bordering New York.There were several Brian Brenners in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and one in Rhode Island.

“We can call these men and see if they are our father,” Abby said.

“But what if we find him, and he hangs up on us?Mom said he didn’t want to be a father,” Charlie said.

“If we don’t call, we’ll never know the truth,” Abby said.

“And we won’t be able to move on,” Morgan asked.

They looked at each other.There was nothing else to say.

CHAPTER 26

Charlie

Whenever Charlie had a problem, her favorite place to think—or not think—was the bathtub.If she couldn’t figure something out, she’d turn on the water and throw in a few capfuls of bubble bath.This morning was no exception.After a half hour of soaking, when the water had gotten cold enough to be uncomfortable, Charlie got out, wrapping a towel around herself.At least the muscles in her back felt a little less tight, although she still hadn’t decided if it was a good idea to call those men.

Could their father have been alive all this time?And if so, no matter how her mother felt about him, they should’ve been allowed to decide if they wanted to get to know him.Mom, you’ve shattered our lives in countless ways.How can I grieve you when all I feel right now is anger?

After Charlie had gotten dressed and put on her Fitbit watch, she wandered through the house.If she wasn’t going to get answers, she might as well get her steps in.She found Abby watching a cooking show in the living room.Charlie marched in place while she scrutinized contestants vying for $100,000 as they sabotaged their competitors’ soufflés by making as much noise as possible.

“It’s addictive, isn’t it?”Abby said.

“Unfortunately,” Charlie said.“Where’s Morgan?”

“In Mom’s office.I have no idea what she’s doing, but she said not to interrupt her.”

Charlie barged into Carla’s office.Every book from the bookcase had been stacked on the floor like a tower of Lincoln Logs.The closet door stood open.A broom, wrapping paper, an extra-long extension cord, a mouse trap, and a vacuum were strewn across the floor.Morgan sat in the middle of the mess with her head in her hands.

“Didn’t Abby tell you I didn’t want to be interrupted,” she said, her voice muffled by her fingers.

“Yep, but I never listen to her.It looks like you’re planning to strangle a mouse, then gift wrap it after you clean up the mess.”

Morgan raised her head.“Either help or get out.”

“I’d help if I knew what you were looking for.”

Abby marched in.“If Charlie’s coming in, so am I,” she said.

“I see you’ve both learned boundaries,” Morgan said.

“Our boundaries are lost amongst all this junk,” Abby said.

Morgan stood up, kicked some junk out of her way, and headed out the door.Charlie gestured with her head to Abby to follow her.

“Morgan, you can’t leave all this stuff here,” Charlie called after her.

“Mom left us with a mess.Why can’t I leave her with one,” Morgan said over her shoulder.

“You know she’s dead, right?”Charlie said as they all arrived in the kitchen.

“She’d better be,” Abby said.“If she’s not, she’s going to get mad that you left her office like that.”

Morgan began to chuckle, and then Charlie and Abby followed suit.The chuckling turned into guffaws, which turned into hysterics, and then uncontrollable tears of laughter ran down their cheeks.

“We’ve gone over the edge, haven’t we?”Morgan said.