“Hey,” I said as I came into the kitchen. I moved around her to the fridge to grab a drink. “Ben, I need to talk to you.” Dread filled me. I’d been avoiding her since the funeral. I didn’t know what to say to her. I had no idea what was expected of me. I felt like I was suffocating. Being in that house was not good for Jon or me. It was especially not good for Beth. She deserved better than that. I sat across from her at the table, resigned to hear her out. She smiled warmly and shrugged. “Ben, you need to go. You need to transfer to New York and not worry about Jon or me.” “I can’t go now. Jon is too young.” “Ben, I plan on selling the house. Jon and I don’t need all these rooms.” She waved at the piles of mail on the table and added, “With the sale of my house, it will help me pay off all these bills. It will also help you get settled in New York.”
