Summer Shadows (35 page)

That, Ron decided, was what Aunt Julia did best: she made things come to life again. She took an ugly old house and turned it into a bright, happy home. She took care of a lost Amelia, and made her feel secure and comfortable. She brought Jack out of his shell, and gave Dana the security she needed to heal. And even though Robert was a strong, capable policeman, ready to handle anything, Ron suspected that he, too, needed a family. He needed Julia.

Ron thought about his parents and that awful night in February. His family had been shattered by his parents’ death, broken until they could barely hold on to each other, frightened by a dark, empty future. He, himself, had been so hurt that he couldn’t feel anything, and poor Dana and Jack bore the brunt of his unhappiness. Aunt Julia had been there the whole time, taking care of them, comforting them, giving them time and safety to heal, until now they were a new unit, whole and strong. He’d never stop missing his parents, of course, and things weren’t the same as they were before, but they were good, very good. Ron, Dana, and Jack had a home again, thanks to Aunt Julia.

Ron loved her for it.

He looked up at the stars and thought about the Lang house again. It was an ugly shambles of a place, with a dark history, and would require even more work than this place had. But thanks to his experience working on this little house, Ron could see that once the work was finished, the Lang house would be a grand place to live in. He imagined it with new windows, clean siding, and a new porch, and his heart expanded with the idea.

They could do it. Between him, Julia, Robert, and the others, with a little faith and a little work, they could bring that old house back to life, just as they had done with this house. Just as they had done with themselves. Together, as a family. Life from death, whole and strong and new.

Ron gazed up at the sky and concentrated. “Wish I may, wish I might…”

It was practically in the bag.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Killarney Traynor is a New England-born writer, actor, and history buff living in New Hampshire.
Summer Shadows
is her debut novel.

Find Killarney on the web at killarneytraynor.com.