Free The Wrong Sister by Leanne Davis Page B

things, like almost suggesting their mother was dying.
    “Then what?” Ally demanded, one eyebrow rising like a disapproving mother as she rested her hands on her hips.
    “It’s just, ah, you see, they had a fight. And things are…” What? Things are terrible. Horrible. Devastating. Things have happened that might emotionally cripple them forever… but again, not his place to say. So again, he didn’t know what to do. Should he keep lying to them? Lying was only a means of protecting them. But still, it was lying.
    “Bad. Things are bad and we need to talk.” As one, they all whipped around at Tracy’s voice, except Julia, who spooned yogurt all over her mouth from the highchair.
    “Mom?” Kylie’s voice sounded hesitant and scared, and he understood why. Tracy looked like she intended to sit everyone down before announcing she was dying of some horrible disease. She was almost deathly white. Her eyes were rimmed and puffy like Vickie’s after a three-day binge. She still wore the sweats and shirt from a few days ago. Her hair was ratty and chunky around her shoulders. Half of it was stuck in a rubber band, and the rest was matted all over her head.
    But Tracy finally smiled softly and held her hand out. “Come here, baby girl.”
    Kylie jumped up and fell into her mother’s embrace. Tracy held her other arm out toward Ally. “You too.”
    Ally was at her other side just as quickly. Both girls grabbed onto her like the lifeline she symbolized to them. Donny felt tears filling his eyes for the first time. It wasn’t money. Or Micah. Or Tracy. Or even Vickie, but rather the confused grief of little girls. He glanced at Julia. What would her mother’s neglect do to her? What kind of grief would she cause Julia? What kind of comfort could Vickie ever be?
    “Are you dying?” Kylie’s voice was muffled against her arm.
    Tracy’s gaze met Donny’s and they shared a small, private, sad smile. Perhaps only that question from Kylie could have made Tracy smile, today of all days. “No. I’m not. I’m not sick either. I’ve been upset. Come on, girls, you won’t be going to school today. We need to talk.”
    She turned and led them to the living room. Donny cleaned up Julia and followed them. Reluctantly. He wasn’t sure if he should have been there. He glanced at Tracy in hesitation. She nodded to a chair with her head, indicating that he should sit.
    She sat between the girls, like a natural mother. Donny never noticed it until he had his own daughter. Then suddenly, Tracy became a lot more interesting to him. He always liked her, as there was nothing not to like. Two years behind him in school, they became friendly during middle and high school. He always kept track of Gretchen because his brother had a thing for her. But Tracy? He couldn’t say he ever had any opinion about her. She was nice. And polite. She was always a smiling, sweet, red-haired, fun acquaintance. It never went so deep as friendship, and he never felt a spark like he might want to date her. They got along just fine ever since he first showed up at a family dinner as Vickie’s date. He liked Micah immediately, and they struck up a quick rapport. He often sought out Micah’s company while the women went off together. Micah was funny and intelligent, eclipsing Tracy in everything. Donny remembered thinking that Micah was better suited to someone more articulate, successful, and impressive than Tracy. A woman who was more like Gretchen.
    After Julia was born, however, Donny met a whole new Tracy, totally unknown to him before. She was brilliant, knowledgeable, confident and wonderful. Observing Tracy as a mother and caregiver was like watching an engineer devise an elaborate fix for a technical problem. She swiftly snatched his newborn daughter from his wife, who held her in a clumsy, almost scared embrace, and quickly swaddled the baby. Then, she adeptly tucked Julia into her arms while talking and making funny faces at her.
    Donny