The Silent Boy: A Sloane Monroe Spinoff Series (Sloane & Maddie, Peril Awaits Book 1) by Cheryl Bradshaw & Janet Fix

Author:Cheryl Bradshaw & Janet Fix [Bradshaw , Cheryl & Fix, Janet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pixie Publishing
Published: 2021-07-29T18:30:00+00:00

25

I whipped up a late lunch for the three of us while Maddie spent some time on the phone, notifying family and discussing arrangements for Ginny’s funeral.

Yet another friend of Louie’s stopped by to see if he could play. Tommy was a lanky redhead, around ten years old, and had good manners. Please and may I and all that. I wanted Louie to have some normalcy in his life again—but because of everything going on, I had to shoo Tommy away and told him to come back another day. I hated doing it, but now wasn’t the time. I tried not to notice the disappointment in Louie’s eyes and vowed to make it up to him somehow.

We ate our sandwiches and pasta salad in silence, all of us exhausted in our own ways. The phone rang just as I started to clear away the dishes. Maddie looked at the caller ID. “It’s Tara.”

She took the call.

After a few “yups” and “uh-huhs” and then a “sure,” she disconnected.

“Well?” I asked. “How’s Nick?”

“He’s all right. Recovering. Tara hasn’t left his side since the accident. She went home this morning to shower and grab a couple of things. She asked if she could stop by and see Louie before she heads back to the hospital.”

“I’m guessing she doesn’t know about Ginny?”

Maddie shook her head. “After what she’s been through, I thought it would be best to break the news when she stops by. Besides, I’m all talked out.”

“It’s understandable,” I said. “We’ll keep the visit brief.”

I turned to Louie, realizing it wasn’t the best idea to break the news about his mother in front of him. Although he knew, I wanted to spare him from hearing it again.

“Hey, Louie, does Tommy live nearby?” I asked.

He nodded.

I realized I could have been more specific and tried again. “Is his house close enough that we can walk to it?”

He nodded.

“Okay, then. I know you wanted to play with him. Maybe it would be all right for him to come over for a bit. He’ll have to come here though. You all right to play with him in the back yard?”

He nodded with a little more enthusiasm.

“Let’s walk to Tommy’s house together and see if he’s still available,” I said. “Then we’ll come back here. Sound good?”

He gave me a thumbs-up and we walked together, holding hands, until we arrived at Tommy’s house, which was a mere two houses down. Tommy was in the front yard, and he ran to us when he saw us coming.

“Hey, Tommy,” I said. “Can you play now?”

Tommy nodded and said, “Yeah, I think so.”

“Let’s make sure it’s okay with your mom or dad first, and then we’ll take you back to the house with us,” I said.

“Awesome. Be right back!”

And he was, his mother in tow, an affable woman with short spiky hair and bright-blue eyes.

“Hello, I’m Maria,” she said.

“I’m Sloane, friend of Louie’s aunt Maddie.”

“So Maddie’s here, huh? I haven’t seen her in ages.”

I assumed she hadn’t heard about Ginny either, and I wasn’t going to offer up the information in front of her son.

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