Unforgettable by Meryl Sawyer Page B

Greg Braxton, and just the thought of him leaving brought the sting of tears to her eyes. Of course, she wanted him to stay, but she had no right to ask.
    She reached down and petted the dog’s sleek head. “No. It’s important that Dodger be certified. After all, we know he’s the best, don’t we? I’ll be fine… honest.”
    “You sure?” he asked, and she managed a confident nod. “My brother’s not going to arrest you until he does a little more checking. I’ll bet he finds out you didn’t steal that car.”
    She opened her mouth to assure him that she wasn’t a thief. Suddenly, she recalled the weird-looking woman in the mirror. Who knew what she might have done?
     
     
    I t was after midnight by the time Cody left work and was driving along the moonlit road toward his home in the up-country. He didn’t live close to the station, preferring the cooler hills at the base of Haleakala. The dormant volcano was Maui’s crowning glory, and along its slopes was fertile ranch land. If it hadn’t been for the ocean glimmering in the distance, the up-country could be mistaken for Tennessee.
    But it wasn’t the lush green grass or the whitewashed fences that attracted Cody to the up-country. He’d moved here, stretching his finances to the limit to keep his family away from the tourist area. Here his boys could ride their horses when they weren’t playing soccer, and Sarah could have a garden. If they lived closer to the beach, they would be stuck in some tiny condo surrounded by tourists who threw their money around like confetti, and his children wouldn’t have a sense of value.
    He pulled into the driveway of the dilapidated home that he and Sarah were still restoring and parked the Bronco. The breeze, always cooler here than on the coast, was moist against his face and filled with the fragrant scent of plumeria, as he strode up the walk. The house was dark except for the light in their bedroom. Sarah was waiting up for him the way she always did. He entered through the back door, taking care not to make noise and wake the baby.
    He tiptoed into the twins’ room. Phew! The place smelled of gym socks and looked as if there had been a preemptive strike on a sporting goods store. Although they were just eleven, his sons lived for sports. He and Greg hadn’t been much different, he thought, stepping over the bat that lay in the middle of the floor.
    “Sleep tight.” He kissed each boy on the cheek, saddened that they were at the age where they no longer wanted him to kiss them. Let them know you love them, he told himself. It’s the most important gift you can give a child.
    Dodging the clutter, he left the room, thinking of his own childhood. The only person who had loved him had been his brother. After their parents had been killed, Cody and Greg had been sent to Hawaii to live with Aunt Sis. It would never have occurred to the old bag to kiss them. She was too busy yelling at them, finding fault with everything they did.
    Greg had received the brunt of Aunt Sis’s anger, shielding Cody whenever he could. Sometimes Greg had even lied and taken the blame for something Cody had done. Through it all, though, Greg had loved his brother in a way that he’d never been able to love anyone else, even his wife, Jessica.
    Greg simply refused to open himself to others. Sure, he was good with animals. He was the most skilled volunteer in the S and R unit, and he had a stellar reputation for his work with whales at the Marine Research Institute. Yet when it came to people—especially women—Greg gave only so much. With Jessica, it wasn’t enough.
    You can’t change the past, Cody reminded himself, feeling the too familiar depression returning. He missed his brother so much that at times he actually felt physical pain. At least they were talking now, but he doubted Greg would ever forgive him.
    He ventured into his daughter’s room, taking extra care not to make any noise. If Molly woke up, they would pay hell