Cadence’s parents must have heard the car out front because her father flung the door open. “Cadence!” he exclaimed, giving her a hug. She heard her mom yell for Cassidy to come downstairs before she, too, embraced their first born.
“Oh, Cadence! We are so glad you’re home,” her mother exclaimed, leading her into the living room. “How are you, honey?” she asked, motioning for her to join her on the couch. “Do you need anything, darling? Water? Soda?”
Cadence spent the rest of the day hanging out with her little sister, listening to music, and attempting to elicit whether or not Cassidy currently had a boyfriend. By the time 9:00 hit, she was exhausted. She told her sister good night and went in to her own room, excited to have the opportunity to sleep in her own bed again for a change. Though she was tired, she decided it might be a good idea to take a shower before she went to bed. The possibility of using her own soaps and shampoos made her happy. As she approached her bathroom, the pink bean bag chair on the floor next to her window caught her attention. She stared at it for a moment, contemplating whether it would be easier to keep the things that reminded her of Drew or get rid of them. She sighed, knowing this was just the first of man
“There is one more thing I wanted to mention to you,” Aaron said, avoiding eye contact with her again, and staring at the floor in front of him.“What’s that?” Cadence asked cautiously.“Well, it has to do with Eliza,” he said folding his arms across his chest.
Drew’s father had built this treehouse several years ago, intending for his younger sons to play in it. However, every time Cadence and the rest of their group came over, they almost always found themselves climbing the rope ladder and lounging around in the top of the oak that spanned most of the width of the back yard. Even today, though it was a bit chilly and beginning to mist, the treehouse was the place they went to automatically.Taylor and Sydney were leaning against the wall, snuggled up under a blanket they had brought up so long ago, it now smelled of mildew. The girls never s
Cadence and Jack walked off toward the side yard, out of earshot of most anyone who could possibly be attempting to listen. “I’m okay,” he said as he stopped near the fence. He was wearing a dark blue suit, and Cadence remembered how that color had always set his eyes off. Today, however, they didn’t seem quite as bright as what she remembered, and she wondered if he had, indeed, been crying after all.“Good, good,” she said. “I wish I would have been able to spend more time with all of you this week. I just needed some time alone, you know?”
“Hello?” Cadence said, praying that it wasn’t a telemarketer.“Just look him firmly in the eye and say, very calmly, ‘Elliott explained that to you. Don’t you remember? Remember what Elliott said?’” It was Aaron, and while she was a little shocked that he knew exactly what she had been talking about, she was relieved to have some help.Despite
Cadence had taken a nap after she returned from Drew’s house. She had visited with her family and watched some television with her sister. Now, she was sitting on her bed, dressed in comfy pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, perusing Facebook on her phone and waiting for Aaron to arrive. He had sent her a text earlier that he was still planning on coming over but that his trip to Nevada had been a bit longer than he expected, so it might be a little later than he had hoped. Hopefully, by now, he was at least in the air on his way back to ShenandoahShe knew that it was very unprofessional
“Yes, Jamie was able to get you calmed down long enough for the medication to be administered. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have been able to get it in, and then, well, I don’t know what might have happened. But it was crucial that we get that second shot in to your system, and his healing allowed that to happen.”“I can’t believe I didn’t remember Jamie stopping the pain!” she exclaimed. She made a mental note to make sure and thank Jamie the next time she saw him.
Shopping with Eliza was a little bit like watching a cat chase a laser pointer. No matter how many times she seemed to pounce on an item and declare that she “Loved it!” there was always something else within her eyesight begging for her to pounce it, too. By the time they were done, Cadence had spent more money than she could possibly imagine, needed assistance with her bags, and was developing a stress headache from her attempts to rein Eliza in all day.But it had been an amazing experience. Aaron was correct in assuming they would need a plane, and this was not just any plane;