Grave Secret Read Online Free PDF Page B

took my hand. And we waited.
    “Your . . .” Iona almost said “sister,” but recalled the word in time. “But . . . you two?” She looked from me to Tolliver. “That’s just not right,” she said hesitantly. “You two . . .”
    “Are not related,” I said, smiling brightly at my aunt.
    The girls were looking from one adult to another, confused.
    “You’re my sister,” Mariella said suddenly.
    “Yep,” I said, smiling at her.
    “Tolliver is my brother,” she said clearly.
    “Also true. But we’re not related to each other. You understand that, right? I had a different mom and dad from Tolliver.”
    “So,” said Gracie, “you gonna get married?” She looked pleased. Confused, but pleased.
    Tolliver looked across the table at me. His smile gentled. “I hope so,” he said.
    “Oh, boy! Can I be in the wedding?” Mariella said. “My friend Brianna was in her sister’s wedding. Can I wear a long dress? Can I get my hair done? Brianna’s mom let her wear lipstick. Can I wear lipstick, Mom?”
    “Mariella, we may not have a big wedding,” I said, since I could guarantee that wasn’t going to happen. “We may just go to a justice of the peace. So it might not be in a church, and I wouldn’t wear a long white dress.”
    “But whatever we do, you can be there, and you can wear whatever you want,” Tolliver said.
    “Oh, for goodness’ sake!” Iona said, sounding thoroughly disgusted. “You two got no business getting married! And if you do, which God forbid, Mariella and Gracie sure wouldn’t be there!”
    “Why not?” Tolliver asked, in that dangerous voice. “They’re our family.”
    “It just ain’t right,” Hank said, his face serious, giving us the correct and final verdict on our relationship. “You two was raised too close for comfort.”
    “We’re not related by blood,” I said, “and we’ll get married when we want to.” Then I realized I’d been sucked into the argument much further than I’d counted on. Tolliver was grinning at me. I closed my eyes.
    Apparently Tolliver had just proposed and I had just accepted.
    “Well,” said Iona, her lips pursed in the old Iona way, “we got us some news, too.”
    “Oh, what is it?” I was willing to be interested. I was willing to dispel the angry atmosphere that had made my sisters so unhappy. I made myself smile at my aunt to show a decent anticipation.
    “Hank and I are gonna have a baby,” Iona said. “The girls will have a little brother or sister.”
    After a long moment of intense struggle not to blurt out, “After all these years?” I managed to say, “Oh, what great news! Girls, aren’t you excited?”
    Tolliver’s hand found mine under the table and gripped it hard. We’d never considered that Iona and Hank might have a baby of their own, and, speaking for myself, I’d never been curious about why they didn’t have any. In fact, I’d just regarded the two as inconvenient irritants who got in our way when we wanted to see our sisters. However, they were mighty convenient when it came to doing the day-to-day care for those two little girls, who were no walk in the park to deal with.
    In a flash of clarity, I realized all this, and I knew we couldn’t possibly interfere with Iona and Hank’s relationship with the girls now. I looked into Mariella’s face and saw the uncertainty there. Neither she nor Gracie needed any other problems to handle at the moment. The girls were trying to feel happy about the baby, but they’d been thrown for a serious loop.
    I could sympathize.

Two

    AT the Texas Roadhouse the next night, we’d already put our name on the list for a table when Mark arrived. Mark looks like he’s Tolliver’s brother, all right; they have the same cheekbones, the same chin, the same brown eyes. But Mark is shorter, thicker, and (an observation I have kept to myself) not nearly as smart as Tolliver.
    I had so many great memories of Mark, though, that I knew I’d always be fond of him. Mark