Point Hope Read Free Page B

the way his dimples and cleft chin gave his face such character. Trey and Ricky looked a lot alike, but they carried the features differently. Ricky was the funny guy who entertained everyone. Trey had a sense of humor, too, but he was quieter in groups. He made sure everything was taken care of. She glanced at Trey, her husband for at least for a while longer, with his straight, military posture and closed face. Some might think he was emotionless. She knew he was holding onto his emotions as tightly as he could. His father—the first Jonathan Trevor Sinclair—had put a heavy load on Trey. She had worried when they finally agreed to pass the name down to their own son, so she’d insisted they call him Jake. That was an easy name, but strong.
    Jake and Candice, sitting between her and Trey, occasionally looked up to one of their parents. The kids didn’t know what to think. She was holding back her tears, too, just like Trey, hoping to ease the kids’ anxieties. 
    She looked over her kids’ heads at her husband. Trey, I need you. In her heart, all this stripped away their stupid problems, and she just wanted to hold him and feel him hold her. But life wasn’t mirroring what she felt, and the two of them interacted through thick, foggy glass.
    Her eyes passed over the large photograph displayed up front, and suddenly a purposely buried memory pushed to the front of her mind, one of Ricky’s face in the half shadows. It was late at night, at a family party at the house, when everyone had gotten together on a summer night. She’d had at least two drinks, maybe two and a half, and that was well beyond her limit. Ricky must have had one too many too. They were laughing in the kitchen by themselves one second and kissing the next. It was hot and heavy for a minute before they broke apart, laughing. They’d laughed the whole thing off, actually, and never mentioned it again.
    She glanced over at Trey. He sent a rare look her way. At least, those looks were rare these days. They barely met each other’s eyes before looking away. They had walked in together, him holding Jake’s hand, and she holding Candice’s. No one seemed to notice if they showed any stiffness toward each other.
    What if she were saying goodbye to her marriage too? Trey’s family might not be her family any more. A sob overtook her, like a hiccup. She had a tissue ready and covered her mouth, struggling to stay in control.
    The service finally finished and everyone began to talk. To hug. To reassure others that life would go on. So many faces were friends that had gone all the way through school with Rosette and the Sinclair brothers. Her best friend Angel came over, and it hit her that Ricky had been not only a brother but also a best friend to Trey.
    “Are you okay?” Angel asked. “I mean, really okay?” She spoke quietly, next to Rosette’s ear. Angel’s hair was down for once, and the change startled Rosette. Everything seemed different.
    “I’m holding up.” She met her friend’s brown eyes, thankful for the support, but also knowing she was holding back. She always had on this topic. Somehow Angel knew that, and she tilted her head, studying Rosette for a minute.
    “I’ll come over this week, okay?”
    Rosette nodded and Angel accepted that. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t talk about it here. She’d been so careful to keep her marriage problems private. Even thinking about sharing made her feel guilty, like she would be stabbing Trey in the back.
    Out of all the things to notice at the funeral, Rosette noticed how good Amanda looked, even at a time like this. It wasn’t like Amanda had tried, but she was just so beautiful, even with black eyeliner smudged around her eyes and tears wiped every which way across her face. Honey blond hair and big blue eyes. She was swollen from the pregnancy, even her face, but not even that looked bad on her.
    Amanda’s sister Summer stayed by her side—a slimmer version with the same