Free The Color of a Promise (The Color of Heaven Series Book 11) by Julianne MacLean Page B

years would I want to jeopardize what she and Aaron had, or cause tension in their family. I loved Katelyn and the kids too much.
    As for Aaron, beneath the civility, he and I still didn’t like each other a whole lot—because not all memories could be swept under the carpet—but neither of us wanted our age-old issues to infect the rest of the family, the kids especially.
    I had no children of my own and I wanted to be a good uncle to them, and of course, I wanted Katelyn to be happy. I believe that was Aaron’s priority as well—which I respected, because we both loved her—so we found a way to lay the past to rest. At least on the surface.
    My phone rang just then. I picked it up and saw that it was Katelyn. “Hello?”
    “Hey stranger,” she said. “When did you get in?”
    I closed my eyes for a second and wallowed in that familiar sense of calm, because for some reason, just the sound of Katelyn’s voice made everything feel right with the world.
    “A few hours ago. It was a last-minute decision. I thought I might go out with Dad and do some sailing, but that was before I realized it was going to be raining all weekend.”
    “Yes, they’re calling for some bad weather,” she said. “But it’s not supposed to start until tomorrow afternoon. You could always get out there early.”
    “Maybe.” Though I didn’t feel terribly inspired.
    “How’s everything at work?” she asked.
    Like me, Katelyn was a reporter and was currently lead anchor for the evening news at one of the local Portland stations. She was a celebrity in town, and it didn’t hurt that she was married to the richest man in Maine—the man who built the boat that won the most recent race for the America’s Cup.
    “It’s been a slow month for news,” I replied, “which isn’t a bad thing, I suppose.”
    “I hear you,” she said. “No major disasters or embarrassing political scandals. We should be thankful.”
    “But where’s the fun in that?” I said, and she laughed.
    “Would you like to come for dinner tomorrow night?” she asked. “The kids would love to see you. Invite Margie and Stan, too.”
    “They just went to bed,” I replied, “but I’ll mention it in the morning.”
    “Great,” she said. “Well, I should get going. It’s late. I’ll tell Aaron you’re in town, and we’ll see you around five tomorrow?”
    “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
    I ended the call, set my phone down on the arm of the wooden chair, and sat for a while on the front deck, alone, listening to the waves and staring out at the dark water.
    Eventually, I noticed that the world had become abnormally quiet. The crickets stopped chirping, and there wasn’t a breath of wind in the air. It felt almost eerie, and I sat forward, listening intently, my eyes focused and alert.
    Nothing.
    The pain in my leg returned, so I massaged the muscle with the heel of my hand, then rose from the chair to go back inside.
    If only I had known, then, what was to come—that there would be no joyful family dinner with Katelyn and Aaron the next day. I would not see the children and build houses out of LEGO with them on their family room floor, nor would we eat ice cream with sprinkles on their veranda overlooking the city.
    Within hours, there would only be chaos.

Chapter Seventeen

    Shortly after I went inside the house, I turned on the television and sat down on the sofa in the front room. I lowered the volume so as not to wake my parents, and scrolled mindlessly through the guide, searching for a good film.
    I remember precisely what time it was at that point, because I had checked the clock on my phone, which indicated 10:17 p.m.
    About ten seconds later, a terrible noise erupted somewhere, far off in the distance. I stood up instantly, moved to the window, pulled the curtains aside, and looked out.
    It sounded like thunder, but I knew it was nothing of the kind.
    My stomach dropped—a typical response for me, because I’d suffered some