Page 168

Oh, God.

I flipped it open once more.

To my little Lily.

Every garden blooms again.

Love always, Mom.

I jerked my gaze up. Mrs. Reid just stood there. Waiting. Her eyes softened. One slow nod was all that was needed.

“We need to save what we can,” she murmured. “For him.”

I swallowed hard.

This wasn’t just a clean up.

This was a rescue mission.

Now it was personal.

I bent, picked up the inside of the book, the spine still intact and held it in my hands.

Just one more broken thing…

But I could fix it.

I slid the pages back into the cover and turned around, scanning the rest of the room. A shrouded cabinet. There. I strode over, placed the book on top of the sheet and turned around.

“Books that can be salvaged we place here. Ones that can’t…” Mrs. Reid glanced at the one I claimed. “Over here. I’ll take the important ones to someone who might be able to save them.”

I nodded.

Hating every minute of this.

Then, I started, pulling them from the shelves one by one.

Some were still dry.

Others fell apart in my hands.

Squeak.

I lifted my gaze.

Crash.

Mrs. Reid yanked her hands to her chest. I spun around. Another portrait had shattered on the floor. Glass shards scattered. I stepped toward it without thinking.

“Careful,” Mrs Reid called out.

I nodded and stopped. The frame was busted. The photo face down. I bent, winced, and turned it over.

It was a little girl. Big eyes bright. Lips parted in a smile.

A red ribbon tying up thick, unruly curls.

The longer I stared the more familiar she felt.