But Hallie had seen and heard them. Shelly couldn’t carry a tune, her acting was flat, and she was stiff in her dancing lessons. She couldn’t even master the runway walk in her modeling classes. It was Hallie’s opinion that the harder Ruby pushed, the worse Shelly did at every lesson—and furthermore, Hallie thought Shelly failed on purpose.
One time, when Hallie was driving her stepsister home from a session, she said, “If you don’t want to take all these lessons, then you should tell your mother so.”
“I guess you would do great at them, wouldn’t you?” Shelly said nastily. “Are you hiding some fabulous singing voice?”
Hallie’d just sighed. It was no use trying to talk to Shelly about anything.
On that horrible day when she’d been told that the money that had been put aside for her college tuition was gone, Hallie had gone into shock. Her dad left right away. Ruby was holding Shelly as though to shield her, her eyes daring Hallie to say something negative.
But Hallie knew that going into a rage wouldn’t put the money back in the bank. She went outside and without even thinking about what she was doing, she went across the street to the Westbrook house.
Only Braden was home. By that time he was in law school and had a girlfriend. He answered the door to Hallie but barely glanced at her.
“I’ve got something on the stove,” he said.
She followed him to the kitchen and sat down on a stool at the counter. She was too stunned to be able to speak.
Braden slid an omelet onto a plate. “I came home unexpectedly, but Mom still left for the weekend,” he said. “Looks like the honeymoon stage is over. I’m having to fend for myself. The worst thing is that I only know how to cook omelets so I’ve been eating them twice a day.” He put the plate in front of Hallie. “There. Eat it.”
“I can’t. It’s…” She was afraid to speak for fear she’d start crying. “If your mom isn’t here, I’d better go.”
“No,” he said firmly. “You and I have to eat because we need our strength for what’s coming.”
She looked at him.
“I know I’m not Mom, but you’re going to tell me every word of whatever Shelly and Ruby did to you this time.”
Hallie stared in horror. “I can’t…” she whispered.
“Can’t talk to a friend? I don’t believe that. Are you old enough to drink coffee?”
“I’m eighteen.”
“Are you?” Braden said. He had his back to her as he made a second omelet. The toaster popped up. “Could you get that? And put a lot of butter on mine. I need the energy for when I tell you what my girlfriend did to me.”
Hallie got off the stool and went to the toaster. “What did she do?”
“Nope. You first, but I bet I can top whatever you have to tell.”
“My dad let Ruby and Shelly take the college fund my grandparents set up for me. I don’t know how I’m going to pay for school.”
Braden halted with a plate in his hand and stared at her. “Hallie, that’s serious. Is all of it gone?”
“Every penny.”
“Did your dad leave?”
“So fast that he’s probably in Texas by now.”
Braden shook his head. “That’s some family you have. Come on, let’s take this into the study. We have to figure out how to get a brain like yours into school.”
She followed him down the hall and they spent hours figuring out what Hallie was going to do. Braden made calls and looked online.
In the end, Hallie didn’t get to attend the school she’d dreamed of, but she did go to college. And she did so well there that she qualified for a partial scholarship for the second year. But the summer after her first year, her father and Ruby were killed in a car accident and Hallie had to put her education on hold to take care of Shelly.
The sound of Jamie on the stairs brought her back to the present. In spite of his crutches and the brace, he made little noise. He went into his bedroom and she heard the shower running. There was a bit of quiet, then she heard him go downstairs.
A few minutes later he was again on the stairs, but his gait was hesitant. Her first thought was that he’d reinjured his knee, and her impulse was to run to him.