by Rue Volley
The dress stretched across her shoulders, showing off her collar bones. Her skin looked so healthy and renewed. Even more so today.
I wondered if Peter’s death had finally set her spirit free and now she could flourish as she was meant too. Truly released from his version of love.
“What do you think?” she asked, very quietly while she touched the veil that helped mask her face.
“Dramatic, but stunning.”
She removed the hat and stared at it. “I just—I don’t think that I should walk in there and have my face exposed, do you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is this about Victoria?”
She bit her lip. “Mom, you haven’t been with Peter in years, you thought that he was dead.”
“I know, but Victoria was never happy with our arrangement.”
I leaned in and touched her arm. “So she knew about this?”
She nodded. “Peter told me that she did.”
“I just—you guys were wild.”
“What?” she asked.
“Open relationships? Hideaways? It’s like some old romance novel.”
She laughed. “Well, I guess it was. I mean, what we had was—oh Abi, he wasn’t always a monster. I know that it would have seemed that way when I told you about him last year, but he was gentle with me, his love for me wasn’t abusive, at all. I’m sorry that I gave you that impression. I guess I just wanted to protect you from Jack, out of fear. I didn’t want you to walk the same path that I did with Peter. I wanted more for you. For you to find yourself and build your life without a Landon in it. Funny how he found you, regardless of how hard I tried to shield you from it.”
I touched the back of my dress. “Can you zip me up, please?” I asked, not wanting to talk about Jack and how he could be like Peter someday. It frightened me. Losing Jack to his own mind would be worse than burying him. I knew that I would remain faithful to him, loving him until the end. Like some immortal being watching their mortal lover waste away.
I couldn’t imagine.
My mom zipped me up, and I turned to look in the mirror. The dress was perfect. Not that I worried about how I looked, I just wanted to walk in there with my head held high at my mom’s side.
She stepped up next to me, and I looked at her in the mirror. She placed her arm around me.
“We look good, huh?”
I nodded to her, and she wiped a tear from her eye. I put my arm around her, and we didn’t have to say another word.
I understood her completely now. As much as I understood myself.
I let the phone ring five times before I started to hang up, Jack’s voice stopped me.
He spoke with compassion. “Hello, baby.”
“Hi, how are you?”
I could hear his shoes as he walked across the wood floor. A door opened and then closed.
“Good, how are you?”
I parted my lips. “I would be better if you were here.”
“I would be if I could. This has just been—it’s a mess, for lack of a better word.”
My eyebrow rose. I pushed my bare foot into the soft grass. I swung very slowly in the swing that had hung from the tree in our backyard from as far back as I could remember. I spent many nights here, after my dad passed away. I talked to him and watched the night sky. Waiting for a reply that never came.
“Well, I hate to add to the mess but my mom wants to come to the funeral.”
The awkward silence bothered me. I stopped swinging and closed my eyes. I didn’t mean to add any stress, but I also couldn’t deny her if she wanted to go.
“Well, as you know, people thought that he died years ago, but, the lawyers were aware and so now we are in the midst of deciphering his will.”
I nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry, but she bought a dress today, she’s upset.”
He sighed. “I was going to call you this evening, but I will just tell you now. Your mother is listed in the will. I wanted to warn you before the letter comes to her house. It should arrive any day. I don’t know any of the details in it, it’s part of his instructions. She is the only one allowed to read it. It’s sealed.”
“What? Peter put her in his will?”
“Yes, and, needless to say, my mother is not happy about it.”
“I’m just—okay, well, should I tell her before it comes?”
Jack hesitated. “I would, it may come as a shock, you can’t be sure. I’m just glad that I told her that my father didn’t die in the plane crash as they reported.”
“I’m sorry Jack. I had no idea how intertwined our families were until my mom told me about your dad and the baby.”
“The what?” he asked and I bit my lip. I wanted to lie, but it had already been said.
“I—my mom and your father had a child, Jack. A boy, I had a half-brother who died before I was born.”
I could hear his shoes on the wood floor, and the creaking from what I assumed was a chair. His long sigh filled the silence between us until he decided to speak.
“I didn’t know about this, Abi. I’m sorry.”
I swallowed hard and stood up, leaving the swing swaying back and forth behind me.
“Why apologize to me?”
“My father’s reign of terror on people spread out like a disease and tried to devour everything in its path. The fact that he had a child with your mother disgusts me, not because it was her, but because it was just one more thing that he left behind. He was a horrible creature and I’m scared.”
I stopped and gripped the phone tightly to my ear. “Why? Why are you scared, Jack?”
“Just tell me that I will never be like him, Abigail. Please, even if you have to lie, just tell me.”
“Oh, baby, you aren’t like him at all. You show me love, and I feel it, you are not a monster, Jack. You aren’t, please believe me.”
“This child, it was a boy?”
I had nodded before I spoke. “Yes, a boy. He was born years before I was, and the only thing that I know is that they weren’t even thinking about having children when she got pregnant with me.”
“I’m so grateful that she did, baby,” he said quietly.
“Jack.”
I could hear another voice in the room. “I have to go, can I call you back tomorrow? If I forget, please call me by the evening. This business has stopped the world around me.”
“Yes, of course, but Jack, when is the funeral?”
He took a breath and let it out slowly. “It’s already occurred. My father was cremated and had his ashes spread out on the land at the mansion. It happened the day after he died. I’m sorry. If I had known that your mom wanted to attend then I would have tried to delay it, but my mother had it done right away. Like she wanted to get it over with.”
“I’ll tell my mom. She’ll be upset, I’m sure, but it’s not your fault.”
“I have to go. Tomorrow then?”
“Yes, I love you, Jack.”
“And I love you.”
The phone went dead. I lowered it from my ear as I watched my mom walk across the kitchen in the house behind the large window.
“Victoria, you bitch,” I whispered to myself as I walked toward the back of the house.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHARLOTTE’S WEB
__________________________
I reluctantly told my mom about the funeral, but she was unusually calm when I told her what his request for burial had been. Perhaps his ashes being scattered across the land that he spent time with her on meant more than going to his funeral would have. I was grateful that Peter had at least gifted that to my mom.
It was his last show of affection toward her, except for the mentioning in his will. The letter had not arrived yet, and I had not told her. It all seemed like it may be too much at once, so I just kept an eye on the mail, to serve as a protective barrier between her and the news. The dust needed to settle, just a little bit.
She stretched on her Yoga mat in the back yard, reaching toward the sky whil
e I sipped on my coffee. It tasted so good. It wasn’t something to merely perk me up now. I had settled back into my love affair with coffee itself.
I missed it almost as much as I missed the streets of New York City.
I decided that a visit would have to come soon. I knew that this new venture with Sam would be time-consuming, as it should be, but I would seek out advertising sponsors in New York to buffer the cost.
That would allow me to go back there, even on business, and enjoy it.
I took another drink and held the mug tightly between my hands, my long sleeve shirt was pulled up to my fingertips. Summer was officially coming to an end, and we would be moving into fall. I love fall. I love Halloween, the changing of the leaves, and the crisp air. Trick or treating, candy—the whole shebang.
Then I thought about Jack and how his unexpected news of his father’s passing had stopped me from telling him about what Sam and I were going to do together.
I wanted to tell him. It just wasn’t the right time. I also knew that I didn’t want Jack’s help at all with this. I needed to do this on my own, with Sam. I wasn’t even sure how Jack would feel about it, but I had to guess that he would accept it, just as I had accepted many things about him.
Besides, he loves me.
I grinned and took one last sip.
I lowered my cup as the mailman came around the side of the house, and I ran down and stopped in front of him. He looked past me and at my mom.
“I can take that.” I reached out and snatched the letters from his hand. He stared at me and then glanced at my mom again.
“She’s doing her Yoga.”
“Hi, Charlotte.” He waved and my mom waved back at him. I remembered that she had, you know, with him. I crossed my arms on my chest.
“Okay, well, I have mail to deliver.”
“Yep,” I said as he walked away, and I held the letters in my hand. I leafed through them and then landed on the one that I knew would come.
It was addressed to Charlotte Watson from the lawyers of Black, Silverstein, and Kline. It had to be the business with the will.
I started to walk toward the house, and then I looked at the letter again, and the flash of memory popped into my mind. The jet that we flew on had her name on the side of it. It never even registered with me at the time. My mind had been consumed with thoughts of Jack and his family.
I tapped the letter on my hand. Maybe that’s why my mom didn’t cry when I told her that Peter had his ashes spread out over the land that he bought for her. It was almost as if she took him there herself and released him from the jet with her name etched into the side of it.
I entered the house just as the phone was ringing. I walked to it, holding the letter and answered. My eyes narrowed when I heard the voice on the other end.
“Abigail?”
“Yes?”
“It’s Rose.”
I took a small breath and turned around, holding the phone to my ear. I set the mail down on the counter next to me and leaned, raising one arm and placing it across my stomach.
“I’m sorry, how did you get this number?”
She paused and then spoke to me, she sounded so sweet, compared to her demeanor in the mansion. The hit she had delivered to Jerod’s jaw was impressive.
“It wasn’t that hard, it’s listed in the phonebook. Abi, would it be okay if we could meet? I would like to talk to you.”
“I’m sorry. About what?”
She took a slow breath. “I just think that we should talk, get to know each other. I know that Jack cares about you a great deal.”
“He loves me,” I said without hesitation.
“Okay, yes, he loves you.”
I rubbed my neck. “I’m sorry, this is just strange. I don’t mean to sound rude. You just took me by surprise.”
“No, I understand and by all means, say no if you don’t want to sit down and talk with me.”
I bit my lip and watched as my mom entered the house. She wiped her neck with a white towel and grinned at me. She was adjusting to Peter’s death very well, better than I expected her to.
“Honey, I’m going to the store, would you like anything?” she asked.
I held the phone on my shoulder. “Sure—umm, pie.”
She laughed and pointed at me. “We don’t buy pie. We make pie.”
“Do we?”
She narrowed her eyes. “That sounds like a challenge, Abi. I’m going to buy some ingredients and end the pie famine today.”
“Really?”
She laughed. “Oh yes, I think it’s time.”
I was shocked, I didn’t think that it would work. I had mentioned pie many times over the years, but this was the new Mom and not the old one.
She grabbed her bag and left the kitchen. I put the phone back to my ear.
“Sorry, that was my mom.”
She said nothing for a moment. “You sound happy.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I am.” I narrowed my eyes as it seemed odd coming from her.
“Okay well, I will just go, I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“No, wait, Rose.” I rubbed my neck and stared at the mail on the counter. I don’t know if it was my emotions coming into play as I thought about telling my mom about the will, or how soft -spoken Rose sounded, and sincere.
“Okay, we can meet.”
“Really?”
I nodded and held the phone tightly to my ear. My finger hummed, the small scar reminding me that Jack, and everything that he had come into contact in his life was now attached to me. That included Rose, his sister, as he had referred to her as.
I knew that they weren’t related by blood, but blood doesn’t always create a family bond. Loyalty does, above all else. Just like Sam and Avery were family to me.
“Of course, when?”
“This weekend, would that be okay?”
I tapped my fingers on the counter next to the mail. “Yeah, that would be fine. Where?”
“Oh, I can come to you if that’s okay.”
I swallowed hard and looked around the house. “Here?”
She laughed. “Well, not your house, silly. I mean your town. Unless you would rather come to New York. This was my idea. I didn’t want to inconvenience you.”
I sighed. I had so much to do with Sam, and we were supposed to start planning everything that had to do with the business, including nailing down the property that he wanted.
“Here is fine, I guess. We have a few small restaurants in town and one coffee shop.”
“Oh, the coffee shop would be great.”
I picked up the mail and stared at my mom’s name on the envelope.
“And Abigail, could you not tell Jack about this, please? I don’t want him to think that I’m trying to interfere in his life. I’m really not, and with his dad dying—well, it’s been stressful here.”
“I—okay. That’s fine, but I’m going to tell him afterward, is that okay? I don’t want to keep secrets from him. That’s not what we do.”
She sighed. “Of course not, as I said, I don’t want to cause any problems at all, but I think that we should meet and talk to each other. I know Jack really well, and I believe that you love him. I can help you understand his mood swings because I have them myself, and I have seen what they do to him. I believe that I could be a great asset to you.”
“Jack told me about you, Rose. About the mansion.”
The silence between us didn’t last long. “Now see, Abigail? I like you, thank you for being honest with me and I promise to be truthful with you. You can ask me anything about him or me, or the family that day. I won’t hold anything back from you.”
I nodded. It was a blessing in disguise. Even if Rose had her manic moments, she seemed sincere. She acted as if she cared about Jack and our future. I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t shocked or a bit nervous about meeting her, but stranger things have happened, including meeting Jack to begin with.
Nothing about him was ordinary, and I liked it
that way. I understood that my attraction to him was just as steeped in the mystery as it was in the passion that we shared.
Rose could be a great ally to me. Someone who had known him before me, seen everything, experienced it all. I also kind of wanted an opportunity to find out why she married him, and what happened that night that they ended up in the ravine.
I knew the story, but not from her. I wanted to hear her side of things.
It would be the final piece to the puzzle, as far as I was concerned.
“Jack is an amazing man, Abigail, and he loves you. I have no doubts about it.”
I grinned. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“Well, how about Sunday then? Would noon be okay with you?”
I nodded and then spoke. “Yes, I assume you know how to get here?”
She laughed. “Not to sound freakish, but yes, I do. Should I pick you up at the house or meet you in town?”
“You can pick me up here that will be fine.”
“Great. Oh, Abi, I am looking forward to sitting down and talking to you about everything. I really am. I have so much to tell you.”
“I am too, Rose.”
“See you Sunday.”
“Okay, bye.”
The phone went dead, and I hung it up. I lifted the envelope and fought the urge to open it up. I knew that I would have to give it to her, I just wasn’t sure when.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
VEE HOLLOW
___________________________
Avery hugged me so hard that it was difficult to breathe. She had healed as much as she was going to while visiting us here. She needed to get back to New York City and her job. I wished that I could convince her to stay here and work at the paper. I didn’t know what I would have her do, but I’m sure that we could figure something out.
I knew that I was being selfish. She loved the city. She loved her job, and I could collect people in jars like fireflies until their lights faded.
People have to walk their own paths, and if you end up on the same road, then it was meant to be. Circumstance and history had brought Sam and I back together. Everything that we had ever done led to this moment.