Delaney's Shadow Read Free Page B

than enough.”
    “Maybe later.”
    “You should eat more, honey. You’re too thin.”
    “Haven’t you heard?” She transferred the last muffin to the basket and covered them with another napkin. “There’s no such thing as being too rich or too thin.”
    “If that were the case, you’d be turning cartwheels out in the yard instead of baking muffins and looking as if you haven’t slept in a week.”
    “Grandma, I always look like this before my coffee kicks in.”
    “The weariness I see has nothing to do with caffeine addiction.” She motioned toward the stools that were tucked beside the work island in the center of the kitchen. “Sit.”
    “The muffins will get cold.”
    “I can heat them up.”
    Delaney glanced at the swinging door that led to the dining room. The low murmur of voices came through the wood panels. “But your guests—”
    “They’ve got yogurt and a fruit platter. That should hold them for a while. Please, Delaney. I’m worried about you.”
    “I’m fine. Really.” She crossed the floor and perched on the nearest stool. “Please, don’t worry.”
    Helen took the stool beside her and reached for her hand. There was a breath of hesitation as her fingers closed over the patches of new skin. She recovered quickly, turning the motion into an affectionate pat instead of a squeeze. “Leave the cleanup for when Phoebe comes in.”
    “I made the mess. I can manage.”
    “It’s what I pay her for. The girl’s already lazy enough. No point spoiling her.”
    Delaney did another eye-roll. From what she’d seen, her grandmother treated the college student she’d hired for the summer more like another granddaughter than an employee. “You’re not fooling anyone with that tough talk, you know.”
    “Rats. How did you sleep?”
    “Fine. That new bed is really comfortable.”
    “I heard you down here at dawn.”
    “I’ve become an early riser,” she said, trying for a casual shrug. “Sorry if I disturbed you.”
    “Was it a nightmare?”
    “No, just a dream this time.”
    “That’s good.”
    “Mm-hmm. I’m making progress. Not ready for the loony bin yet.”
    Helen withdrew her hand. “There’s nothing crazy about needing a rest. Give yourself time to heal, Deedee, both inside and out. Grief doesn’t work on a timetable.”
    The sound of her childhood name brought tears to her eyes. She’d had more than six months to mourn, but there was something about coming home that lowered the defenses. A kind word, a loving gesture, and years of adulthood collapsed. “Stanford had always been afraid of growing old. He used to joke about how he would prefer to go out in a blaze of glory. God, it still seems unreal.”
    “Of course it does. It takes years to accept the fact that someone we love is gone. The sorrow does fade eventually, and you’ll remember the joy instead.”
    Helen spoke from experience. She had outlived not only her husband but her daughter as well. Delaney wished she had a fraction of her strength. “I’m sorry, Grandma. You’ve gone through so much more than I have. I shouldn’t be leaning on you.”
    “That’s the wrong way to look at it. What I’ve gone through has made me a good listener, so don’t give it a second thought.”
    “If only I could remember.”
    “Oh, honey, what difference would it make? Accidents simply happen sometimes.”
    Yes, the official ruling was that the car had left the road and struck the utility pole by accident. For lack of solid evidence to the contrary, that was what the police had concluded when they had closed the investigation last week.
    Unfortunately, the ruling hadn’t satisfied everyone. Only ordinary people died in accidents. Stanford Graye, the billionaire director of Grayecorp, hadn’t been ordinary. Neither was the Jaguar XK that he’d died in, so there had to be more to the story. The rumors had been impossible to ignore. They’d run the gamut from a murder conspiracy to a foiled contract killing to a