All They Need(51)

“That’s my daddy,” she said.

He barked out a laugh. “You’ll keep.”

Mel was still smirking when she rounded the house, only to stop short when she realized Harry was talking to somebody, and that somebody was Flynn.

An absurd rush of pleasure hit her as he turned to face her.

“Hey,” she said, grinning like an idiot. “Didn’t think I’d be seeing you this weekend.”

“Like I was saying, she was right behind me,” Harry said dryly.

“Hey,” Flynn said. “Sorry to barge in. I forgot about your working bee.”

He was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes and she realized he was upset. Deeply so.

Then she remembered he’d had his meeting with his parents today. The one where they discussed his father’s future care.

She glanced at her brother. “I’m going to grab a glass of water. I’ll be out in a tick.”

She didn’t wait for Harry to respond, simply caught Flynn’s eye and gestured with her head for him to follow her into the house.

The moment they were safely inside and out of her brother’s hearing, she turned to face him.

“What happened? Did your father have a bad day?”

“Nothing. Nothing happened. I just—” He shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t even really know why I’m here. I got in the car and the next thing I knew I was turning off the freeway.” He turned away from her, almost as though he was about to leave.

Mel caught his forearm. “Flynn.”

He stilled, then some of the starch went out of his spine. His blue eyes were dark with pain as they met hers. “I don’t know if I can handle this, Mel.”

Her grip tightened on his arm. “You can. You will.”

He shook his head again.

“You’ll do it, Flynn. Moment by moment. That’s how you get through the bad stuff. One day, one moment at a time.”

He started to say something, then he stopped and lifted his free hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Fighting tears, if she had any guess.

She acted completely on instinct, closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around him. He was unresponsive for a long beat, as though she’d taken him by surprise, then his arms went around her in turn.

Her breasts were pressed to his chest and every breath she took was filled with the smell of his aftershave but there was nothing sexual about their embrace. She was offering him a little comfort, and he was accepting it. It was as small and simple as that.

After a few seconds his arms loosened and she took a step backward. Flynn didn’t quite meet her eyes and she reached out and gave him a gentle shove on the shoulder.

“Don’t,” she said. “It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. You guys have been dealt a shitty hand.”

He shrugged a shoulder, still not meeting her gaze.



She imitated him, one eyebrow cocked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Finally he looked at her. “There are plenty of people worse off. People in the same situation with money problems and other things going on. In a lot of respects we’re bloody lucky.”

“So? Is that supposed to make it easier to watch your father disappear before your very eyes?”

“No.” He said it heavily, resignedly.

She led him into the living room and waved him into the nearest armchair.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I told you, nothing. It was just a lot harder than I thought it would be. And I thought it would be pretty damned hard.”

He sat on the edge of the chair, his elbows braced on his knees. Mel sank onto the arm of the opposite chair.

“How was it harder?”

He shrugged impatiently, as though he was irritated by her questions and her pushing, but after a moment he started talking. “It was okay until we started talking about late stage. I don’t know how much you know about Alzheimer’s…”

“Not a lot. I know there are seven stages.” She’d done a few internet searches since he’d told her about his father’s condition.

“Then you know more than a lot of people. Late stage is also called stage seven. By then, the patient can’t speak, can’t walk, can’t sit up or even hold their head up unassisted. Facial expressions disappear, except for grimaces. They need help going to the bathroom, getting clean, eating—” His voice quavered and he pressed the bridge of his nose again.