The Sister Between Them

Chapter 34

The next afternoon Dani was in the kitchen, making some sandwiches for Rocco and Gavin. The power had come back on at some point while they were out the day before. Gavin sat on the floor near the fireplace, coloring while Rocco was getting ready.

He was going to take Gavin fishing. He said he wanted some time to bond just the two of them, and she understood. She was a little worried about Rocco, though. He'd seemed off ever since they left that restaurant last night. He was quiet and distant. Not himself at all.

She couldn't even fathom what he was going through. She knew little about divorce, but she had seen Kara go through it with her parents as a child. It was awful, that much she knew.

"You didn't have to make us sandwiches." Rocco's voice broke her out of her thoughts as he entered the room.

"If you're slaying 'em. You won't want to leave the lake to come in and eat."

"What do you mean, if?" He raised an eyebrow and flashed his smirk.

"Well, you won't have the master fisherwoman with you, so..." she winked as she packed up the sandwiches she had made and handed them to him.

"Is there anything you're not good at?" he asked with a short laugh.

"Plenty." She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I left you out of this one... I just really need some time with him." He frowned a little.

"Oh gosh, it's fine, Rocco!" She assured him with a warm smile.

"Thanks." He said, his voice a little distant and that shadow coming over his face again.

"You, okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said in a clipped voice.

"You don't seem fine..." she pressed gently.

"I want to talk to Gavin about it all today. You know, prepare him for what's coming."

"Oh." She looked up at him in surprise. "Are you sure that's such a good idea right now?"

His eyes darkened slightly as they met hers, and she quickly spoke up again.

"I just mean, this trip was meant to be a little fun escape before everything gets bad. Why put a dark cloud over it?"

"Last time I checked, I was his parent. I can figure out what's best for him on my own." He snapped, and she flinched in response.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I didn't mean to overstep."

"No, Dani, I'm sorry... it's been a long..."

"Don't worry about it." She could feel a lump in her throat and didn't want to cry in front of him. She swallowed hard. "I'm going to go for a walk. My legs are stiff from yesterday. I'll see you two when you get back." She said in a rushed tone; she avoided looking at him as she hurried out of the cabin.

She headed down a path she'd seen yesterday while standing outside. Once she was safely away from the cabin, she let the tears fall down her cheeks. She didn't usually let harsh words bother her, between everything she'd been through and the fact that she'd spent the last several years waiting on people. She'd grown thick skin.

She could brush stuff off with ease. Not this time, though, not when the harsh words were coming from him. What he thought about her mattered, probably a lot more than it should. That was something she'd continue to shelve as best she could, at least for now. What he needed from her right now was a friend; anything beyond that was too far into the future to begin thinking about.