For Your Eyes Only

Chapter 13: Sibling Bonding

Chapter 13

"Be nice to mom for today." Gerry said quietly, holding Tristan and I back while mom and dad walked inside the house. "We're just here for the night and tomorrow during the day then we're headed back into the city to the apartment."

"Right." Tristan nodded.

"I'll certainly stay out of her way if she stays out of mine." I said quietly.

"Come on sis, we got this." Tristan sighed, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as we followed our parents inside.

"My goodness, darling you've grown so much!" Granny instantly said with a grin, pulling me into a massive hug.

"Hey Gran." I laughed, hugging her back.

"Gerry look at you, oh so handsome." Granny moved on to the next child. "Tristan, darling, when was the last time you shaved?" She scolded, patting his cheek.

Granny was the only one in the entire world whose least favorite seemed to be Tristan.

Granny gave Tristan another disapproving once-over before turning back to our mother.

Mom smiled softly, clearly uncomfortable with being back here.

"How are you doing?" Granny asked her quietly.

"I'm alright, mum." Our mother said softly, not meeting Granny's eyes.

"Hey, how about the three of us go unpack our stuff in the second bedroom." Tristan said suddenly.

"Excellent, your things have already been taken up." My dad told us.

I followed my brothers up the narrow, creaky staircase and into the room that our mother grew up in.

It was weird to think of my mom living on this run down, not working farm as a child when all I've ever known her as was the fashionista self-made millionaire who married an equally successful lawyer.

"Dibs on the window bed!" I called as soon as we got into the room.

"Suit yourself, you can sleep with all of the flies." Tristan teased.

I gasped. "Dibs on the air mattress!" I yelped, diving onto the air mattress on the ground.

Tristan and Gerry burst into laughter.

"Your loss." Tristan laughed, stepping over me to get to the window bed. "This window's been sealed for years, goof."

I glared at him, standing up from the air mattress.

"This week is about to be hell." I sighed, walking over to my suitcase.

"Not really. Mom and dad are here for business. Which means we'll have free reign of the city while they're working." Tristan said happily. "We've just gotta make it through tonight."

"Easier said than done." I sighed, opening it up to see what clothes had been packed. "Oh nice, nice. Not bad." I nodded in approval before sitting back down on the air mattress.

"Knock knock." Granny said happily, appearing in the doorway.

The three of us looked up.

"I'm heading off to bed now. Help yourselves to anything in the kitchen, darlings." She told us with a smile. "We'll go to the cemetery tomorrow morning and then spend the afternoon here before you head up to London."

Cemetery?

Tristan and I exchanged curious looks but as Gerry agreed with Granny, it suddenly dawned on me. It was the anniversary of my aunt's death.