Then my phone buzzed. Ruth.
I almost let it ring out. My younger sister only ever called when something was on fire, and I had spent 32 years putting those fires out.
« Alice, thank God you picked up, » Ruth said, her words tumbling over each other. « Can you watch Aby and Arthur for an hour? Just one hour. I have something nearby I have to handle. »
I closed the book slowly. « What kind of something? »
« Just paperwork. Boring stuff. Please. »
There was a strain in her voice I couldn’t place. Not panic exactly. Something quieter.
« Fine, » I told her. « Bring them over. »
« You’re a lifesaver. Twenty minutes. »
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