"Spindler, Erica - In Silence" - читать интересную книгу автора (Spindler Erica)

Matt moved around his mother and came to stand behind her chair. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Avery," he said softly. "It's not."

She reached up and curled her fingers around his, grateful for the support. "Matt said Dad had been acting strangely. That he had withdrawn from everyone and everything. But still I...how could he have done what he did?"

"When I heard how he did it," Cherry said quietly, "I wasn't surprised. I think you can love someone so much you do something... unbelievable because of it. Something tragic."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the group. Avery tried to speak but found she couldn't for the knot of tears in her throat.

Buddy, bless him, took over. He turned to Lilah. "Dinner ready, sugar-sweet?"

"It is." Lilah all but jumped at the opportunity to turn their attention to the mundane. "And getting cold."

"Let's get to it, then," Buddy directed.

They made their way to the dining room and sat. Buddy said the blessing, then the procession of bowls and platters began, passed-as they always had been at the Stevenses' supper table from right to left.

Avery went through the motions. She ate, commented on the food, joined in story swapping. But her heart wasn't in it. Nor was anyone else's, that was obvious to her. As was how hard they were trying to make it like it used to be. How hard they were wanting to comfort with normalcy.

But how could anything be normal ever again? In years gone by, her parents had sat with her at this table. She, Matt and Hunter would have been clustered together, whispering or joking.

She missed Hunter, Avery realized. She felt the lack of his presence keenly.

Hunter had been the most intellectual of the group. Not the most intelligent, because both he and Matt had sailed through school, neither having to crack a book to maintain an A average, both scoring near-perfect marks on their SATs.

But Hunter had possessed a sharp, sarcastic wit. He'd been in-capable of the silliness the rest of them had sometimes wallowed in. He had often been the voice of wry reason in whatever storm was brewing.

She hadn't been surprised to hear he had become a successful lawyer. Between his keen mind and razor-sharp tongue, he'd no doubt consistently decimated the opposition.

She brought him up as Lilah served the pie. "Matt tells me that Hunter's moved back to Cypress Springs. I'd hoped he would be here tonight."

Silence fell around the table. Avery shifted her gaze from one face to the next. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

Buddy cleared his throat. "Of course not, baby girl. It's just that Hunter's had some troubles lately. Lost his partnership in the New Orleans law firm. Was nearly disbarred, from what I hear. Moved back here about ten months ago."

"I don't know why he bothered," Matt added. "For all the time he spends with his family."

Cherry frowned. "I wish he hadn't come home. He only did it to hurt us."

"Now, Cherry," Buddy murmured, "you don't know that."

"The hell I don't. If he was any kind of brother, any kind of son, he would be here for us. Instead, he—"

Lilah launched to her feet. Avery saw she was near tears. "I'll get the coffee."

"I'll help." Cherry tossed her napkin on the table and got to her feet, expression disgusted. She looked at Avery. "Tell you the truth, all Hunter's ever done is break our hearts."