Then your escape is most assured
Restoring the link between walls is the key
To opening the door with electricity
This was the final clue. She just knew it. But a quick glance at the timer on the wall showed that they had only three minutes remaining.
Sasha frowned, considering the riddle. She turned from side to side, looking for anything that could be described as a broken connection. “What do you think?” she asked.
Gabe shook his head, looking as puzzled as she felt. “I don’t remember seeing anything related to electricity in here. What about broken stuff laying around, maybe? Ugh, I don’t know!”
They beat their heads against the proverbial brick wall for over a minute but to no avail. They simply hadn’t passed anything electrical in the room, and they were running out of time…
The thought appeared out of nowhere. “The metal plates!” Sasha exclaimed, jabbing her finger toward the one on the nearer side of the wall. “I saw them when we walked in. They would conduct electricity. Why have them there if they don’t do anything?”
Gabe nodded. “I think you’re onto something. And Ian said not to worry about anything being dangerous. We have to bridge the gap between them somehow.” His eyes lit up as he rushed to the corner where a pair of curtains lay, crumpled on the floor, each with a long, metal rod threaded through the grommets. “Look!”
Her pulse hammered wildly as he pulled the rods free and moved to the center of the room.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded and watched as he lifted one in the air to his left and the other to his right. The rods were quite long, they were a solid two feet short of touching the metal plates on either side.
Her heart sank. Gabe had longer arms than her, so there was no way she could do it. How were they supposed to-?
“We have to link hands!” Gabe exclaimed, his eyes on the red numbers of the clock ticking down.
She rushed forward, and took one of the rods as Gabe grabbed her free wrist. She held her breath and lifted the rod to the metal plate.
“Annnd, now!” Gabe exclaimed.
Her breath was suspended in her chest as they both touched rod to plate. The lights in the room began to blink wildly, the music grew louder and then, suddenly, all went silent and pitch black.
Click.
A hidden door swung open to reveal a lit, unadorned hallway and the clock on the wall stopped.
“Eighteen seconds left!” she said, turning to face Gabe. “We did it!”
Gabe tugged the rod from her hand and dropped them both on the floor, pulling her into a hug. “You were so great!”
She nodded, unable to keep the grin from her face. “You were, too,” she mumbled into his shoulder, not even caring that she bit her lip in the process.
He was holding her. Not because he thought he should, or because she’d hugged him first.
But because he wanted to.
He pulled away and shot her a wide smile. “Ian really outdid himself, huh?”
“So much fun,” she agreed, leaning close to him as they exited the room, hand in hand.
Ian stepped into the hallway from a side door and broke into a round of applause. “I was nervous you wouldn’t figure it out in time,” he said, chuckling, “but great job, you two. Want to take some pictures to commemorate it?”
Sasha and Gabe nodded as one, then followed as he led them down the hallway.
“I am blown away,” Sasha said, still exhilarated. The room had tested their ingenuity, quick-thinking skills, and teamwork. It had been the perfect outing for their therapy homework assignment.
She made a mental note to thank Maryanne for giving her the push she needed to reach out to a therapist. It was so hard to fix things when smack in the middle of the mess…just having an outside viewpoint offering advice had been such a help.
Ian turned around, beaming as he gestured for them to follow him into a room next to the lobby.
“Thanks. I still have to do a bit more testing, but I had a lot of fun creating it. I’ll have to try it with three or four people at some point and make sure it’s not too easy with more than two, but it’s a good sign that you were pushed so close to the end of the time limit.”
A professional quality camera sat on a tripod, across from a box filled with signs and props.
Gabe snagged a sign that said, “Evil genius at work” while Sasha chose a Sherlock Holmes cap and a magnifying glass. Ian stepped behind the camera and snapped a few photos as she and Gabe hammed it up and struck various poses.
A couple hours later, she found herself still smiling in the dark as she and Gabe lay side by side in bed. It had been the best night she could remember in a very long time. They’d picked up a pizza on the way home and had eaten it while they watched a funny movie on TV. There was no awkwardness or tense silence for the first time in months.
Best of all?
It had felt like the first step on the road to forgiveness. She could only hope Gabe felt the same.
Now, though, as she lay in the dark, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, nerves gripped her. He was so close, she could feel the heat of his body, just a breath away.
She swallowed hard and reached out a hand, inching closer until her soft fingertips touched his rough ones. When he laced his fingers with hers, she wanted to weep.
He only stayed there for a few seconds before squeezing and letting go.
“I’m sorry, but I’m just not quite there yet, Sash,” he whispered. A moment later, he rolled away.
Her heart sank, but she shoved down the disappointment. At least they’d made progress. It wasn’t everything she wanted, but it was a start.
As she closed her eyes, she laid a hand on her belly and said a silent prayer that he’d be wherever there was by the time the baby came.
God knows they’d need him.
19
Cee-cee
"Did you know?" Cee-cee asked softly. "Did he tell you?"
The words hung between them for a long moment, and a big part of her wished she could take the question back. What difference did it make, in the scheme of things?
Eva cupped the steaming, ceramic mug before she shook her head. "He didn't."
Cee-cee let out a low sigh.
There had been a lot of sighing going on since she'd walked into the diner a half an hour before. She knew she'd have to face this at some point, but after a particularly rough night of tossing and turning, it had become clear that this needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.
Nikki wasn't a bad person. In fact, by all accounts, she was a nice one. Hard working, smart, easy to get along with.
A lot like Anna.
And maybe that was why Cee-cee couldn't just let her suffer, waiting for a call that might never come.
It had been five days and five nights since they'd told Anna the truth. Five days and five nights that poor Nikki had to wonder if today would be the day that her long lost sister would reach out. That first night, Cee-cee's only concern had been for Anna. But in the passing days, she'd spent more and more time thinking about Nikki, and she'd come to the undeniable conclusion that it was wrong to let her suffer.
That morning, she'd gotten out of bed an hour early and finished her baking for the day before the sun had risen. And then, she'd made the short, chilly trek to Mo's. The door was still locked—they didn't open until seven—but a dim light burned inside. Eva was bustling around, setting tables and filling condiments for the early morning shift, just as Cee-cee knew she would be.
The older woman had unlocked the door with a welcoming smile that had swiftly slid from her lips as she studied Cee-cee's face.
Once they'd sat, each with a cup of coffee strong enough to strip paint, Cee-cee had told her the whole story.
Eva had remained quiet and contemplative through it all, wincing once when Cee-cee recounted Anna's reaction. Now, the two women studied each other in silence.
"Nikki is a really good kid,"
Eva said finally, pausing to take a pull from her mug. "Do you know, she started packing up the leftover food at the end of the night? Sometimes, she brings it to the firehouse and leaves it for the volunteer firemen. Sometimes, she uses the meat and such to make sandwiches, and then she drives all the way over to Fairview to hand them out to the homeless people in the park. Like...why the hell didn't I think of that?" Eva asked with a snort.
Cee-cee swallowed hard and nodded. "That's a lovely gesture." And one Cee-cee appreciated, as she herself had taken to sending leftover baked goods to the senior center and local boys and girls clubs.
"And Anna just flat out refuses to talk to her?"
Cee-cee shrugged and squeezed her mug more tightly, letting her cold hands absorb the warmth. "I have no idea what she's going to do. She hasn't spoken to me since. I just know what she said and how she reacted that night. I know this is Anna's decision to make and I don't want to crush Nikki's hopes, but at the same time, I feel awful leaving her in limbo."
"For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing," Eva said. "Tell her where things stand so she can decide what she wants to do going forward." She studied Cee-cee with shrewd eyes.
"And what about you, girlie? How are you dealing with all this?"
It was a question Mick had taken to asking her nightly, before bed, and she answered Eva the same way she answered her fiancé. "It's not about me."
"It's not about me, either," Eva agreed with a grim smile. "But I still feel like garbage about it. I hate seeing you all in pain. Just make sure that, while you're busy taking care of everyone else, you still make time to take care of Cee-cee, all right?"
Eva could always be counted on to spit the truth.
"I will," Cee-cee promised. She'd come a long way from the woman she'd been when she and Nate were still married. Part of that metamorphosis had entailed doing exactly as Eva said. Making sure she made her wants and needs a priority. It was a work in progress, but on those days that she forgot?
She had Mick to do it for her.
"That's part of why I've come. I want to give Anna all the time she needs, but I'm the one Nikki trusted to tell Anna. And I feel so bad leaving her hanging in the wind that I can hardly sleep. So I'm going to tell her what little I can so she at least knows where things stand."
The bell over the door jingled and Nikki stepped into the diner. She was bundled in a black puffer jacket and knit hat that made her pale face stand out in stark contrast.
"Hey," she said softly, flicking a glance between Eva and Cee-cee. "So she told you, then?" Nikki concluded, looking almost relieved.
"She did," Eva said, sliding out of the booth as Nikki stripped off her coat and approached them.
"Are you mad I didn't tell you?"
"Of course not," Eva replied with a wave of her hand. "I was a stranger. Why would you tell me something like that? And once you realized I knew the Sullivans, I think it makes perfect sense why you kept it to yourself even after we became friends. It shows good character, if you ask me."
Cee-cee had to agree. Nikki didn't come here to cause trouble for Anna or start the town gossiping. She'd come to meet her sister. Cee-cee had confided in Eva because she was family but she certainly wasn't spreading the news around.
This story belonged to Anna and Nikki.
"I'll leave you two alone for a bit. I've got to go start the pancake batter."
Eva slipped away and Nikki gingerly took her seat.
"Well?"
There was no point in beating around the bush.
"She isn't ready to talk or meet with you, I'm afraid. She's struggling right now. It's a lot to take in, and while I don't want to disappoint you, I want to be honest because you deserve that." Cee-cee looked into those oh-so-familiar hazel eyes and steeled herself. "I don't know if she'll ever be ready, Nikki."
The younger woman drew back and looked away as she folded her hands on the table between them.
"It's...it's all right. I've prepared myself for that possibility. All that time I spent waiting and planning, I kept asking myself, how would I feel? And the truth is, I didn't know. Part of me thought I'd be thrilled because my siblings and I aren't all that close. But another part knew that accepting it would change everything I'd ever known about my life. It's a lot."
The clatter of pans behind the swinging kitchen doors broke the long silence that ensued.
"So what now?" Cee-cee asked finally. "Are you going to stay in Bluebird Bay for a while?"
Nikki nodded slowly. "I have a lease on my bungalow for another month. I'm going to wait it out and see if anything changes. If not, I'll head back to Cherry Blossom Point. My friends and family are there, and it's home base for my daughter when she comes home between semesters. I had always planned to go back once I met--" She broke off and shrugged. "Once I did what I came to do."
A month.
Would Anna come around before then? Would she come around ever? Only time would tell, but Cee-cee felt more settled now that she'd given Nikki some idea of where her sister's head was at. It was up to Anna and her new sister to navigate these choppy waters and steer toward one another...or pass like two ships in the night.
"I've got to go open the shop, but thank you for taking the time to talk to me," Cee-cee said, sliding out of the booth and standing.
"It's me who should be thanking you. I know it was weird skulking around town stalking you all, and you treated me as gracefully as anyone could possibly expect. Anna is really lucky to have you," she finished with a shaky smile.
"I'm lucky to have Anna, too. It's my fondest wish that you get to know her and experience that."
Her eyes stung and she cleared her throat. Dang it, she had to get out of here before she started to cry.
"Anyway, I'm sure we'll see each other around town," she said before turning and heading for the door.
She resisted the urge to invite the woman to call anytime, or stop by the shop for coffee. Anna would surely view it as a betrayal. She was grateful that Nikki had Eva to talk to, at least, and vowed to check in with the older woman and see how Nikki was holding up every so often.
For now, she'd done all she could do. She had to stand back and let the chips fall where they may. As the oldest sibling, it was a monumental task. She wanted to dive in and fix it all.
But this was beyond even her skill to fix.
She just had to hope that Anna would come to see that this woman already cared for her, sight unseen, and that there might be room in her heart for another sister.
Someday.
20
Sasha
The sunshine streaming through the windows belied the cold breezes coming off the ocean and whipping the reeds in the sand. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought it was a gorgeous summer’s day, except the few stragglers walking on the beach were bundled up in jackets and scarves. She was grateful to be inside the warmth of Maryanne’s cottage, where she could enjoy the breathtaking view but still stay cozy.
She surveyed the progress of her current project, the living room. The sunshine outside lit up the newly painted china-blue walls, making them come alive. The blue of the walls was a natural continuation of the ocean just down the beach from Maryanne’s home. The painters had finished only the day before, and the scent of fresh paint still lingered, but Sasha didn’t mind. To her, that was the scent of progress.
Yellow accents scattered around the room brought warmth and interest to the prevailing blueness of the space, and Sasha was glad Maryanne had loved the idea of touches of yellow as much as she did. Her favorite piece was a yellow blown-glass vase she’d found in an antique shop near the pier. It was one-of-a-kind and special, which was the kind of touch Sasha always tried to achieve in her designs.
Now then…some finishing touches and this room will be finished.
The accent tables flanking the elegant yet comfortable white sofa needed to have lamps set up, and she still needed to arrange the books and accessories on the built-in bookshelf
. Maryanne had a box willed with an assortment of sentimental objects she’d wanted to incorporate into the space, including a picture of her and her mother in a seashell frame.
Seeing the photo had brought a twinge of sadness and a hint of envy. In it, Maryanne was a teenager, and she and her beautiful mother had been caught in a candid pose as they walked arm-in-arm down the pier. They were laughing, dresses swishing, matching platinum hair-dos blowing in the breeze.
It was a gorgeous shot, and a perfectly captured memory…man, what Sasha wouldn’t have given to have had memories with her own mother.
Talking about it with Gabe and Leslie had brought it all back to the surface. Instead of pushing the thoughts aside, she let herself work through them this time. The sadness. The disappointment. The loneliness. And then, she pressed her memory back further, and thought of better times. Her mother running through the sprinkler on a hot summer day, with a squealing Sasha in her arms. Her daddy dancing around the room, twirling her until her tummy hurt from laughing.
Those were the memories she needed to hold close.
Sucking in a steadying breath, she made a mental note to go through the dusty boxes in the cottage’s attic and dig out some family pictures of her own that had been too painful to look at for so long.
Looking back in order to move forward.
That decided, she turned her attention to the other items in the box, mentally picturing which items would pair well with the accessories she had picked out. The small piece of driftwood Sasha had found, weathered and bleached from the sun, would bring an eclectic and sculptural element to the room, and would work seamlessly with the bowl of sea glass Maryanne had collected throughout the years. Quickly perusing the rest of the items she and Maryanne had selected as accessories, Sasha was satisfied that they wouldn’t clash.
Humming quietly to herself, she set to work on the bookshelf, and quickly got lost in the flow of finding the perfect visual balance in the placements on the shelf. This kind of work always relaxed her; even the sounds of Mick working in the study nearby faded away.
Finding Forgiveness: A Bluebird Bay Novel Page 13