“I came to help.”
“You didn’t have to drive all this way, Diane.”
“Of course I did. She was my sister. These are her things too.”
Adam glanced at me from the hallway, his jaw tight. He never warmed to her, not even as a child.
“Aunt Diane,” he said flatly. “Didn’t expect you.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve been part of this family for twenty years. Where else would I be?”
I stepped aside and let her in, because I always did. Because saying no to Diane was a battle I lost decades ago.
“I’ve been part of this family for 20 years.”
“I’ll start in the basement,” Adam announced, grabbing a flashlight. “Less ghosts down there.”
“Adam,” I warned softly.
“Sorry, Dad. I just meant… you know what I meant.”
Ethan touched my shoulder as Adam disappeared down the basement stairs.
“He’s not wrong, you know. This place has been holding its breath for twenty years.”
“So have I,” I whispered.
