Page 85 of The Fractured

Jane popped her head around the corner at the end of the hallway with a proud grin. “Salve, Dean.”

I half smiled. “Come stanno andando le lezioni?”

The younger Whitmore paused in thought and cringed with apprehension. “Bene?I think? Or is itBuono? No, Buono is the greeting—”

“Jane. I think we’ve heard enough Italian for one night,” Kate said, hiding her disdain with a smile as she kept an arm around Lily.

Jane rolled her eyes and walked away.

“So,” Kate started, leading us all down the hallway as she kept that arm around Lily. “I suppose I am making up the guest room forhim?”

“Mom.” Lily stepped out from under Kate’s arm as we moved into the back of the home, where the large, warm kitchen and dining room overlooked the yard. “He can stay in my room.”

Mark cleared his throat. “We have rules here, Lily.”

I pushed my hands into my pockets. “Actually, I won’t be stayin’.”

Lily’s attention snapped to me with a small frown and a question on her lips, but she didn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Jane, sitting at the kitchen counter on her phone, huffed in disappointment.

Kate looked ready to pop a bottle of champagne. “Oh. What a shame… Anyway, Lily—”

“I need to get my bag upstairs,” Lily stated. She turned to me, forcing a smile and an unspoken request;Can we talk?

“Yep,” I said tightly.

She headed for the stairs, and I followed.

The last time I visited her old bedroom was at her family’s BBQ so many months ago, but I hadn’t paid attention to the photos on the wall. I was too busy wondering about my feelings towards Lily to notice them. This time, however, as we neared her room, a small picture on a wall table caught my eye.

Lily looked about twelve or thirteen in it. She wore round glasses and held the neck of a violin as she smiled for the camera.

Lily hadn’t noticed my pause by the photo as she went into her room at the end of the hall.

I kept moving, bringing her bag with me as I entered the room, and she stopped in the middle of it.

I placed the bag on the bed. “You gonna be okay?”

“Not really.” She smiled, but it wavered. “At least I’ll save money on public transport while I carpool to work with Mom…”

The situation wasn’t ideal, but knowing she was safe here put my mind at ease.

Until I remembered what day it was.

“Holy shit. It’s Monday.”

“Yes?”

“How was your appointment with the psych?” I raised my eyebrows expectantly as my hands left her face.

“Maybe I should share my calendar with you and Kira— It’s next Monday.”

“My bad—”

Lily took my hand and spoke quietly. “Please stay.”

“They know my car, Lily.”

“Okay, but…would they really search the suburbs?” She half smiled, trying to convince me things weren’t so serious. Her eyes flicked across my face with a sort of desperation before her feigned happiness dropped. “I’m serious, Dean. You can’t leave me here—”