Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(78)

While they all commiserated last night, eating whatever they could find in the refrigerator, Nora had talked about searching the internet to see if there were any pizza places open on Christmas Day. That’s when Gillian offered to cook. In fact, she insisted. The real surprise was when she showed up at noon with her mom, Rosemary.

Rosemary looked nothing like the scared woman Nora had seen at the café. She smiled and said, “I have a surprise.” When she walked inside, Tank followed. A big red bow hung around his neck.

Despite Tank’s swollen eye and the stitches across his forehead, he bounced into the room, his back end moving frantically back and forth and his tail wagging as he sniffed one person and then another until he got to Trevor, who was on his knees, arms extended. Trevor buried his face in Tank’s fur. After a moment, he looked across the room at Rosemary. “Thank you,” Trevor told her. “You’re my hero.”

“No,” she said. “Any one of you would have done the same. The doctor said he suffered a concussion and would need to rest, but he expects a full recovery. I’m just happy I was able to help.”

Trevor came to his feet, his eyes watering as he hugged her.

Gillian, her mom, and Hailey went straight to the kitchen to make a charcuterie board with an assortment of meats, cheeses, crackers, fruit, nuts, olives, and dipping sauces. Lasagna and garlic bread that Gillian and her mom had already made was kept warm in the oven and would be served later.

Nora found herself standing off to the side watching everyone, bruised and battered, smiling, happy. The music blended in with all the voices, everyone talking at once. The house was a mess, and chaos abounded. But she found herself viewing it all through Jane’s eyes: Nora had a beautiful family, and she was a very lucky woman.

Despite everything that had happened, it pained her to imagine how difficult it must have been for Jane as a young girl trying to navigate grief after her family’s sudden death.

If only Nora had known Jane existed.

If only she could have helped her.

If only.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to Liz Pearsons for being my longest-standing editor! If we count Wrath, this is our TENTH book together! And we have only met in person once! I can’t wait to meet up again. I am super lucky to have Charlotte Herscher on my side to work her magic—a true wizard when it comes to providing a thorough and in-depth review every time. And Amy Tannenbaum is not only incredible to work with but also invaluable. To every reader who has taken a chance on one of my books . . . thank you, thank you, thank you!