Tracing Holland (NSB Book 2) Read Free Page A

turns dark into
a path. Labor on, oh weary one, for the end has come now that the journey’s
begun.”
    There’s silence as
they stare at me, and I almost feel shy.
    “What’s that from?”
Callie asks, her gaze searching mine.
    I swallow. “Tuesday
night.”
    I swear there’s a
glisten in her eyes as she nods. “Well, ok then,” she says quietly, clinking my
glass. “To the new journey.”
    “I love it, man,”
Casey says, touching my glass as well.
    We all take a sip.
    “That would make one
hell of a cat poster.”
    I laugh as Callie
smacks him.

 
    ∞∞∞

 
    Molly joins us about an hour later, and I get
a huge hug. She’s a sweet girl, and is one of Casey’s closest siblings. She’s
never blamed me for Elena the way most of his family did, although no one
blamed me more than my own aunt. I haven’t spoken to her since that day, since
the news broke. The day she left me a message saying no one who could do that
to an angel like Elena would be family to her.
    I guess it hurt at the
time. I mean , I was such a mess during those first few
months it’s impossible to tell which dagger slicing into your gut is the one
causing the fatal bleeding. My aunt actually told me it should have been me.
She always loved Elena. Thought I didn’t deserve her. She wasn’t the only one.
I still believe that. I’m not sure there’s enough therapy on this planet to ever
change that.
    I’m happy Casey and
Molly have the chance to connect while we’re in
Houston, but family reunions don’t work the same for me. Molly looks a little
bit like her. Ok, a lot like her, the way her eyes light up when she smiles. The texture of her hair. Her laugh. Of course it’s not her
fault she’s bringing it all back, and I try to stay polite and positive during
the visit, but the earlier heaviness returns as a concrete block.
    “Sorry I wasn’t able
to make it to your show tonight,” she says. “I bet it was amazing.”
    “It was,” Callie confirms.
“I’m Callie, by the way.”
    “I figured. So nice to
finally meet you,” Molly responds, exchanging a warm hug with her before
smacking her brother. “Thanks for introducing us, jerk.”
    Casey shrinks a bit
with a sheepish grin. “Sorry! You figured it out.”
    She rolls her eyes and
turns back to Callie. “Anyway, thank you for giving my brother a reason to
actually call us. Even though all we ever get is Callie, Callie, Callie, it’s
nice to hear his voice more than once a year.”
    “Oh, please! I actually
went home for Christmas last year!” Casey points out.
    “Uh, no. You needed a
place to crash when you came home to play that show at the Towne Centre.”
    “Whatever. I was still
home.”
    “Except you wouldn’t
even come to dinner at Mom and Dad’s.”
    Callie and I exchange
a look as they argue, and she casts me an amused grin. I try to return it, but am
having a lot of trouble with this conversation, with Molly. I can’t stop
staring at her hair. I wish she’d cut it. I wish she didn’t allow her long,
dark locks to flow down her back in gentle waves just like Elena used to do.
When she turns her back to continue yelling at Casey, I almost choke.
    “So, Luke, how have
you been?” she asks, suddenly confronting me. My heart starts racing, something
akin to panic mounting in my chest, and I have no idea what to do with it. I
don’t understand what’s happening, just that I can’t focus all of a sudden,
breathe in enough oxygen. I blink.
    “Um, good. I’m doing really
well,” I force out. She smiles at my lie and squeezes my arm.
    “That’s great. I’m
glad to hear that. We were so worried about you. You just disappeared.”
    I nod in a numb daze,
and can feel Callie’s eyes. She has to know something’s wrong. She always does.
She has to see the walls are shrinking.
    She clears her throat.
“So, Molly, tell me about working at the animal shelter. That must be so interesting!”
    Her redirection works,
and I hate how I suddenly want to hide