The Memory Child by Steena Holmes Read Free Book Online Page A

time.
    “What are you doing here? Where’s Marcus?” I was so happy to see her. I felt like a lightbulb had been turned on inside of me and I could hardly contain my excitement. “I thought you would still be in the Congo or some other godforsake n place.”
    Charlie worked for Doctors Without Borders as a pediatric nurse along with her fiancé, Dr. Marc us Hilroy.
    “I took some vacation time to spend with my big sis.” Charlie planted a kiss on my cheek before she glanced at Grace.
    Finally! I couldn’t wait to intro duce them.
    “Charlie, meet your niece, Grace.” I held Grace out and waited for Charlie to take her. It was very rare for me to let anyone other than Nina hold Grace, but this was d ifferent.
    Charlie hesitated before she gathered Grace in her arms. For a moment it looked like she didn’t know what to do with a baby. She jostled Grace around a bit before she got her settled in the crook of her arm.
    “Isn’t she beautiful? She reminds me of one of those Precious Moments figurines Mags used to make us dust every Saturday morning before we were allowed to go out to play.”
    Our Aunt Maggie raised us after our mother’s death. She was amazing, and I wished she could have met Grace. She would have loved her. Unfortunately, Mags had passed away from breast cancer three year s earlier.
    A crooked smile formed on Charl ie’s face.
    “Remember how mad she got when we broke a few pieces?” Mirth danced in her eyes at t he memory.
    I laughed. I’d forgotten all about that. Aunt Mags rarely disciplined us, but that day we’d been caught fooling around with her figurines when we were supposed to be dusting the shelves. Charlie had dropped one, but I covered up for it and said it was my fault. She knew we’d been lying and she sent us to our room with only toast and milk fo r supper.
    “She was more upset with us for lying than for her doll being broken.” I gazed at Grace in Charlie’s arms. “She looks just like one of those dolls.” I reached for Grace, wanting her back in my arms.
    “That she does.” Charlie rubbed the back of her neck while she look ed around.
    I eyed the bags by the front door. “How long can y ou stay?”
    “As long as you need me.”
    I didn’t know how to respond to that. Charlie rarely stayed in one place long when she was in between missions with Doctors Without Borders. She loved to see the world and experience new things. In her late twenties and newly engaged, she rarely traveled anywhere without Marcus now, and they preferred to keep their downtime as light and carefree as they could, which never surprised me. Charlie was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark world. She always had been. I worked hard to make sure she was never touched by the heartache in our lives.
    I led the way down the hallway and trusted she’d foll ow along.
    “Coffee?” I called over my shoulder.
    “Dear Lord, yes, please! I came straight from the airport and haven’t had a good cup of coffee since my layover at Heathrow.”
    I set Grace down in the playpen I’d set up earlier when Nina had first left and grabbed the carafe of coffee I’d mad e earlier.
    “So what’s with the sudden visit? I thought you wouldn’t be back till Christmas this time?” I poured two cups before she answered, filled them both with cream, and set them on the table. I then grabbed two scones from a container and placed them by a small container with butter and jam.
    “They let you near a stove?” Charlie eyed t he scones.
    “What? Ha ha, very funny.” I loved to cook, but Brian was the baker in the family. No matter how many times I tried, the only things I could bake came out of a box and all I had to do was mix and pour.
    “Store bought?” Charlie sighed as she cut her scone and started to slather jam on it.
    “No, my nanny’s quite th e baker.”
    Charlie’s hand stilled. “A na…nanny?” She stumbled over the word.
    She must be tired. I explained how Nina came to stay with us and tried