A Sister's Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray Read Free Book Online

didn’t make her feel better, but he was right. Suddenly, she knew that she couldn’t leave him without trying to bridge their gap. “Hey, Simon, um, what are you doing now? Would you like to grab something to eat?” She attempted to smile, though her lips were quivering. “My treat.”
    He looked away from her. Sighed. Then nodded. “ Jah . But you’re not paying for my meal.”
    â€œDoes that mean you’re paying for mine?” she teased before she realized that once again her mouth had gotten the best of her.
    â€œNee.” He started walking. “But I might next time,” he said around a half-smile.
    Tears filled her eyes as she swallowed hard in a futile attemptto remove the lump from her throat. Maybe he didn’t hate her. Maybe somehow, some way, they could finally have a relationship like other brothers and sisters had.
    Maybe it was time.
    It seemed that Simon was exactly right. God was good. Tess had learned that truth years ago when Jill, a cop in a baseball cap, had picked her up and taken her home.
    And she was now reminded of it when she looked at her brother. Who had somehow survived without any help from his older sister.
    Tess didn’t know if she could ever make amends, but she figured it was time to try.

Chapter 5
    R ebecca and Darla were wonderful- gut women. The best. But Amelia wished they’d leave her alone.
    Simon hadn’t kept his promise after all. Thirty minutes after Lukas had practically dragged Simon out of the room, her brother returned by himself. Looking awkward and more than a little distant, he’d bid her a rather hasty goodbye. When she’d asked where Simon was, Lukas had told her a story about Simon needing to take care of some emergency at work.
    A couple of hours after that, her sister and sister-in-law had returned to her bedside. Rebecca said she and Darla had thought it would be fun to enjoy some girl-time together.
    But Amelia was definitely not having fun.
    Her hand hurt, her leg was sore, and she was uncomfortable sitting in an unfamiliar room in a sterile hospital. The doctors and nurses were kind enough, but their care couldn’t make up for the fact that she was far from home.
    She also really, really wished that they would turn off the television. Rebecca had turned it on when Amelia hadn’t been much of a conversationalist. She loved the remote control and flippedit incessantly. Then, to Amelia’s dismay, she’d stopped on some kind of home shopping network.
    And there it stayed.
    Darla, in particular, was gazing at the screen in rapt attention. At the moment, the television hosts were showing gold and silver rings and talking about how everyone needed not one but two or three of them.
    â€œI like the one with the purple birthstone the best,” Darla declared as she playfully held out one slim hand like one of the models. “What do you think, Amelia?”
    Another time, Amelia might have played along. Now all she wanted to do was sit quietly and try to figure out what was going on with Simon. “I have no need for any rings. Neither do you.”
    â€œOh, I know that.” Eyes shining, Darla held up her hand again. “Now stop being so serious and play along. What color is your birthstone?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œLook at the screen,” Rebecca said helpfully. “It has the chart right there. I’ve got sapphires. That’s the blue stone.”
    Amelia shrugged. “I’ve got an August birthday.”
    â€œThat’s peridot,” Rebecca announced.
    In spite of herself, Amelia studied the chart on the screen. “What is peridot?”
    â€œI don’t know, but it’s green.” Darla glanced at Amelia, then tilted her head. “I think it might look good on you. Not as good as sapphire, though. A girl with your blue eyes needs a blue ring.”
    Oh, brother.
    â€œMaybe she could lie,” Rebecca said. “We