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“Oh That’s cool” I shrugged “I’ve never really been a huge fan of it”

“What’s not to love?” He tipped his head, chuckling “Charlotte adored it When she was a little girl, she’d tear down the stairs every Christ like her feet were on fire She’d always fall asleep by noon and nap until dinner because she’d been up all night Christmas Eve This is her favorite holiday”

“Was,” Jacqueline said softly

Philip blinked The happy smile slipped froainst his desk, toying with his glass “Yes Was”

I couldn’t tell if he’d honestly forgotten otten carried away in his enthusias verb tense Either way, pity swelled inmy heart ache

“Let’s… leave your grandfather alone for a bit” Jacqueline put an ar et settled in? Philip, dinner will be at five”

I peeked over ulp, his face a mask of sadness

Shit He’s hurting Why haven’t I noticed that before?

The way they usually talked about my mom, especially in reference to the few years before she’d left Roseland, had made me honestly question whether they’d loved her at all But the look on his face, the way he’d beamed when he desc

ribed her as a little girl, made it sound like this had once been a happy home

It was nice to think ood childhood, but it also left randparents had loved her so much, what on earth had she done to otten that bad? Had she really stepped that far out of line?

What the hell happened?

My thoughts whirled as Jacqueline led s were already waiting “Greta will fetch you for dinner in a few hours”

“Okay Thanks”

She closed the door softly behind her, but I didn’t sit down My whole body had felt wired ever since Friday night, alternately exhausted and buzzing with energy So once her footsteps faded into the distance, I stepped back out into the hallway Jacqueline had given me a tour when I’d arrived back in September, but it hadn’t covered the whole house—and I’d been so overwhel that I hardly remembered it anyway