Things Lost In The Fire Read Online Free

sniff.
    “And the car charger too?”
    “Yep.” Sadie gave up on helping her grandfather and faced her grandmother, offering a reassuring smile. “You know me. I’m the organized one in the family.”
    Jo Beth McRae laughed, her vibrant blue tunic shifting to reveal her wooden beaded bracelets as she patted Sadie on the arm. The sun lit up her wild waves of salt and pepper hair, which she wore long and free of bonds. “That you are. Now, Walt, don’t hurt yourself.”
    Walter McRae grunted as he finally shoved the suitcase into the trunk, shooting his wife a smug look. His dark eyebrows lifted with his smile. “Yes, dear.”
    He was a tall, well built man with a deep voice and an even deeper heart. Though his coffee brown hair had gone gray over the years, he retained a sense of youthfulness and humor that could charm even the toughest cynic.
    He’d married his Jo Beth when they’d both been eighteen, two country kids shuffling through the dust of nineteen fifties Oklahoma. They chased their dreams to a little town called Burbank, California, where they started a family and dug in roots. It wasn’t until the city closed in on them and the chance to retire from his job as a fireman came that they escaped to the sheltered forests of Lake Tahoe. By then, their son Ben had wandered into the sights of Valerie Ryan while living in Boston with Tommy Barnes, and history was made.
    Sadie knew she was the product of that troubled, tormented history. Valerie had been, in the opinions of many, the best and worst thing that ever happened to Ben McRae. But without her, Albatross would have never soared to the same heights it did with her. Her goddess-like voice and Ben’s husky, soulful tone were a match made in music heaven.
    Jo Beth let out a soft sigh, glancing around to make sure they’d gotten everything. “Well, it looks like you’re ready to go.”
    Sadie nodded. “I won’t be gone that long. Maybe a month or so.”
    “If I know your mother, she’ll live another ten years just to keep you in L.A. out of spite,” Walt said, earning a snicker from his wife. Neither of them had ever made a secret of their distaste for their son’s ex-wife.
    Sadie shrugged, feeling that ache in her heart again. “Odds are she won’t have the option. And I’m all she has left. She needs me.”
    “We know, honey.” Her grandmother pulled her in for a tight hug, patting her on the back. “You always were such a gentle soul. We’re so proud of you.”
    Sadie met her grandmother’s cornflower blue eyes as she broke the hug. “I’ll miss you guys.”
    Her grandfather rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. “It takes a lot of courage to do what you’re doing.”
    She faced him. “Does it? It just feels like something I should do.”
    “Just don’t let her or anyone else in that hellhole of a city get you down. If at any time you want to come home, you know we’ll be here waiting for you.”
    She nodded, unsure what to say in response. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his tall frame, breathing in the scent of Old Spice and pine needles. “I’ll call you when I get there.”
    “I’m grateful you’ll be staying at Ben’s old place,” Jo Beth put in as Sadie gave her another hug. “I wouldn’t want you at Valerie’s. Too much bad energy in that old house.”
    “I’ll be happier having my own space, anyway,” Sadie replied, reaching for her keys in her colorful patchwork purse. “Though it did take some convincing to get Dad to say yes.”
    “Not like he’s using the place,” Walt said with a knowing grin. “He avoids going to L.A. like he’ll catch the plague.”
    “I don’t blame him.” Sadie sighed, feeling anxious. “Is it bad that all I can think about is someone recognizing me?”
    “You’ll be fine.” Jo Beth offered her a warm smile, the laughter lines around her eyes deepening. “Now go on before the traffic gets nasty.”
    “Right. I’ll call you guys later. I love you.” Sadie