Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(22)

Nora’s thoughts drifted to her parents. Only a year ago, Mom and Dad had visited once a week. They enjoyed seeing the kids and liked to stay up-to-date with what they were doing. But other than Nora and David’s recent double-date night, Mom and Dad hardly ever made the hour and a half drive from their home anymore. Dad’s dementia, although still considered early stage, made traveling difficult, since he fatigued easily and was often overwhelmed by everyday activities.

Her parents lived in Whispering Pines, a small town, in a two-story house they had inherited from Nora’s grandparents. The house needed some work, but even as a fixer-upper, it was picturesque, set on a bluff overlooking a shimmering lake that extended more than a mile and a half. When Nora was a little girl, Dad used to take her to the house to see her grandparents. She and Dad would enjoy long rides on the pontoon, where they would fish from the deck while eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Nora recalled Dad talking about retiring at the lake house someday, but Mom used to argue she would never live there because it was too remote, too big, and too much work. When Nora was seventeen, a tragic accident changed everything—an event their family never talked about. The accident, followed by an economic downturn, forced her parents to sell everything they owned and move into her grandparents’ house. Her parents had lived in Whispering Pines ever since.

“Grandpa isn’t doing too well, is he?”

Nora thought about how her parents had always tried to protect her from every bad thing that happened in their lives. She didn’t want to do that to her kids. “He has dementia. I was going to tell you and your sister soon. It’s in the early stages.” Since Trevor’s near drowning, he’d worried about every little thing: afraid a skin rash might be some sort of rare disease, anxious about Tank’s whereabouts, and always making sure all the doors in the house were locked before he went to bed.

“He forgot my name last time I saw him.”

“What?” That surprised Nora, since her dad always called the kids by their correct names. The thought he might not recognize family members pointed at the possibility that his dementia was much more severe than she’d thought.

“Grandpa forgot who I was,” Trevor said.

“Are you sure?” Nora kept her gaze on the road as Trevor told her what had happened.

“The last time he was at the house, we were outside with Tank, and he told me not to worry about the accident. He said the doctors and nurses were doing everything they could. When I asked him what he was talking about, he said, ‘I’m sorry, Lucas, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore.’”

A cold chill washed over her. Hearing the name Lucas felt like a punch to the gut. It had been so long since anyone had said his name. Nora had still been in high school when her mom pulled Nora aside and told her it was best if they never mentioned Lucas again, since it only upset Dad.

“He was freaking me out,” Trevor went on. “I asked him who Lucas was, and he looked me in the eyes without blinking, and it made me feel as if he was looking right through me. Before I could run into the house to find Grandma, he snapped out of it and started asking me questions about school and stuff. I couldn’t believe it. When I asked him what my name was, he laughed and told me it wasn’t nice to make fun of my old grandpa.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know.” There was a long hesitation before he said, “You’ve been busy with your new job. I hardly ever see you anymore.”

Nora was stunned. And yet, she knew he was right. Her new job, and Jane in particular, had been keeping her busy. Not only at work but after work, too. Bringing in business and providing leadership was proving to be difficult when it seemed she was either in a meeting, having lunch with Jane, managing employees who worked directly under her, or staying late to chip away at her growing workload. Jane would still be pushing spa days on her, too, if Nora hadn’t put her foot down. She made sure Jane knew she appreciated the sentiment, but a day at the spa took away precious time with her family.

“I’m sorry,” Nora said. “I have been busy, but that’s no excuse. I want you to be able to talk to me . . . about anything.”

“It’s okay, Mom. It’s not that big of a deal. I’m fine.”

She wasn’t sure she believed him. All these days later, he’d brought it up, which meant he’d been thinking about it. “We have some time before we get to Whispering Pines. Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on in the life of Trevor Michael Harmon? How is school these days? Do you like your teachers? Are you still crushing on Tina?”

“No!” he said, as if she’d asked him to dip his hand in hot oil.

“What? I thought you liked Tina? Last year, she was all you and your friends talked about.”

“Maybe my friends did, but not me. Girls are silly. All they care about are clothes and makeup and pop stars.”

She laughed. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about Trevor bringing home girls anytime soon.

The next forty-five minutes passed quickly, making Nora realize how much she’d missed their mother-and-son talks. Despite Hailey’s constant worry about her brother being what she called a “geek,” Trevor was mature for his age, interested in current events, and easy to converse with. After talking about climate change, Trevor transitioned smoothly to his favorite topic—coding. “What’s the appeal?” she asked.