He did look up at me then and lifted an eyebrow.

My face got hot. “I mean, if you were going to say my name at all. Which, obviously, you’re not.”

Stop rambling, Evie!

I waited for him to laugh or do something.

Nothing.

How the heck was I supposed to do this?

“Anyway,” I said, after what felt like another really long time and when I just couldn’t stand the silence any longer, “my mom asked me to hang out with you in case you had any questions. So do you? Have any questions, I mean?”

Oren shook his head.

This was not going well. How could you have a conversation with someone who didn’t say anything? Please, please, please just say something!

Maybe telling him what to expect would help.

“Do you want me to go through what will happen at the funeral?”

This time Oren didn’t shake his head, but he did exhale loudly through his nose.

Finally! He was going to speak! I held my breath. I wondered what his first words would be. Probably my name. Or a thank-you for being so supportive.

But instead of saying anything, Oren got up from the sofa and, without even a glance back at me, strode across the room.

He opened the door to the bathroom and then closed it behind him. I heard the lock turn with a loud kerchunk.

I guessed that meant he didn’t have any questions.

Four

After several minutes I got up to listen at the bathroom door. Not so close that if Oren opened it, he’d assume I was eavesdropping, but near enough that I would be able to hear water running.

I heard nothing.

Oren wasn’t actually using the bathroom. I didn’t hear crying either, which was a good thing.

The bad thing? He was hiding from me. He probably wasn’t coming out. Maybe ever.

Well done on your first family meeting, Evie. Could it have gone any worse?

I took a few breaths, willing myself not to cry, trying not to dwell on the fact that Oren must have thought I was babbling dork who couldn’t stop talking. What was I supposed to do now?

My first instinct was to apologize through the door, but I’d already made him run away with my rambling, so more talking probably wasn’t going to help. I’d been warned not to talk his ear off—by both of my parents—and that’s exactly what I’d done.

How was I supposed to explain his being locked in the bathroom to his uncle? To my parents?

Sigh. The truth, I guess.

I suddenly wanted to run away and hide too. But I couldn’t let Oren come out of the bathroom and think he’d been abandoned.

I gently tapped on the door. “Um, hi, Oren…uh… I’m going to go check on things. You just make yourself comfortable and don’t worry about anything, okay?”

I listened for a moment in case he wanted to respond or come out.

Nope.

I hurried out of the room and down the hall toward the office. At the door I could hear that my parents had gotten down to business with Mr. Silver. My mother was talking about limousines to take the family to the cemetery.