Finding Forever

by Gael, Christine

  It was amazing to think about how quickly the two of them had fallen into a routine, especially with how frequently she was now staying at his place. Gardening, making dinner, walking the beach, going to the movies. If Anna didn’t know any better, she might even think she could get used to this domesticity.

  Suddenly, she laughed.

  “What is it?” Beckett asked.

  “Just thinking about that face Teddy made yesterday,” Anna replied. “Remember? When we were babysitting and he wanted to try a bite of my pickle? That sort of…” She screwed her face up, her eyes going as big as dinner plates, making Beckett burst out laughing. She couldn’t hold the face for long and joined in, the tomatoes momentarily forgotten as they gave in to fits of giggles.

  It was amazing how easy it was to be with Beckett. When she was with them, Anna felt a bit like a teenager again – that same sense of fun and wonder that took the edge of cynicism off the way she normally saw the world. And as far as the life they were building together… It wasn’t just the activities, like gardening and looking after Teddy; it was the way they interacted, the little touches and shared glances, like they were somehow on the same wavelength without needing to say a word.

  It felt… Like home.

  Usually, Anna would have freaked out long before this point in a relationship, getting spooked like she always did when things started to get too domestic. The thing was, it wasn’t like she’d lost her wanderlust. If anything, it had just continued to get stronger since she’d beaten her cancer. The urge to travel, to grab life by the horns, was still there. Except, for the first time, she could now imagine doing it with a partner.

  With Beckett.

  The idea was forming in her mind before she even realized it, and as she glanced over at her boyfriend, she was struck by the need to go somewhere with him, to finally merge these two equally-important facets of her life. Maybe somewhere tropical, she mused, watching as Beckett continued to examine the tomato plant, his brow furrowed in concentration with the sun gleaming in his hair. Somewhere with palm trees. And mai tais… Somewhere we can relax by the beach and bask in the sun and forget about the fact that we’re adults for a while. She wondered if he had ever been to Hawaii. The cost of the trip wouldn’t be a problem, as long as she worked while they were over there – as if getting underwater shots of sea turtles and dolphins was work.

  It would have to be more than a week if they went, especially since the flight was more than ten hours from here. She would have to find a bathing suit, something flattering. Anna felt a brief flicker of anxiety at the thought of wearing an actual bathing suit in public for the first time since her mastectomy, especially in front of someone she loved as much as Beckett… But then again, Beckett was crazy about her – he had been before, and he was now.

  Scars and all.

  The vacation idea continued to percolate as the two of them got to their feet, Beckett tucking the tomato basket under his arm.

  “What about lasagna?” he asked as they made their way back inside.

  “With the tomatoes, you mean?” Anna asked. “You know I can never say no to Italian food.”

  “We could also throw in some of those zucchinis we picked the other day,” he continued, holding the back door open for her. “Hell, if we add enough produce, we could even make an argument that it’s healthy.”

  “Sounds great,” Anna agreed, but even the prospect of lasagna wasn’t enough to sway her from the fantasy of sunning herself on a glistening beach with Beckett at her side. “So listen,” she began as they walked into the kitchen, “would you be able to take a couple weeks off from work?”

  Beckett seemed surprised by the sudden change in topic, and turned to her as he set the basket on the counter. “When?” he asked. “And why? Is everything okay?”

  The concern on his face stopped her cold, and Anna suddenly found herself tripping over her own words, even in spite of her eagerness. “I – I mean, yeah. Look, it’s just that…”

  Damn.

  Beckett had gone pale. He took a few steps closer to her, brushing some hair out of her face with his hand and looking at her with an affection that almost made her heart melt. “Are you sick again?” he asked quietly. “Anna, you know you can tell me, right?”

  “Yes, of course,” she said. “But no, Beckett, I’m fine! I’m sorry I scared you.”

  The relief on his face was palpable. “So what is it, then?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking maybe we could go away together,” Anna replied. “I mean, like a vacation. Me and you.”

  “Oh.” His face lit up. “Oh!” He beamed, the tension going out of his shoulders. “You had me worried for a second there, babe. But that sounds great!”

  “Really?”

  “Definitely,” Beckett replied. “I can close up shop for a couple weeks. I’ll just need a little time to plan ahead and take care of some business at the garage, but that’s all small stuff. The point is, I’d love to take a vacation with you.” He took her hands in his, giving them a squeeze. “I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting you to invite me on one of your trips.”

  “Really?” She raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  Beckett rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just that travel has always seemed kind of… sacred to you, I guess. I mean, your sisters don’t even go with you, so for you to invite me feels…” He shrugged. “It feels like a big step.”

  “I guess it is, in a way,” Anna admitted. “But considering everything that’s happened over the past year, I think we deserve this. I mean, my treatment is done, I’m cancer free, Pop has someone to take care of him full-time, Gabe and Sasha are married, Cee-cee is doing great. Even Steph is doing better now that Paul has truly been laid to rest and she has Ethan.” She hesitated after this last statement, thinking back to the way Steph had acted when they had gone to lunch together the other day.

  Clearing her throat and shaking her head, she continued.

  “I can start looking at flights. I’ll keep you posted when I find something that looks like it will work. I ought to check on Stephanie and make sure to find coverage for Pop on the days I’m supposed to be with him. And it would probably be a good idea to stick around until after this Max and Ian situation is taken care of.”

  She winced as she recalled the scathing text she’d had to field from her niece that morning. Who was she kidding? If she’d pressed Max for her blessing to actually get in contact with Ian directly, she’d have said no. Better to ask forgiveness than permission. And even though Max claimed to still be annoyed at her, she knew she was softening a little when she’d replied to her parting ‘love you’ text with a heart, albeit after a lonnnng pause.

  Baby steps.

  At the end of the day, she’d done what she’d had to do to get the job done. And look? According to Cee-cee, Max had plans with the man himself this very evening. Surely, once he got to know her brilliant, wonderful niece, he’d change his mind.

  “Yeah, as soon as these little family things are cleared up, let’s get out of this cramped-ass town for a while.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Beckett replied, grinning, and he pulled Anna close to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “I can’t believe we’re going to do this. I’ve never taken two weeks off in a row in my life. The more I think about it, though, the more it feels like--”

  “Heaven,” Anna finished for him.

  “Exactly.” He paused for another moment, rubbing her arms as he looked affectionately into her eyes. “Well,” he said, straightening up, “I’d better head out.”

  “Got a job?” Anna asked, putting her hands on her hips.

  Beckett nodded. “It’s just a quick pick-up in the tow truck, but it’s a little ways away – about twenty minutes. Will you be good here? Do you need me to pick anything up while I’m out?”

  Anna waved him off. “That’s okay. I might actually go over to Stephanie’s and see how she is. I told you about what happened the other day, right?”
<
br />   “When she got sick at lunch?” He frowned. “Say hello to her for me. She’s been through a hell of a lot in the past few months.”

  “Yeah,” Anna agreed. “She sure has.”

  A few minutes after Beckett had departed, Anna left to go see her sister, but not before stopping at the new coffee place she knew Stephanie liked to pick her up a hazelnut cappuccino.

  She hadn’t called ahead, and couldn’t be sure Steph would even be home when she arrived, but the back door was open, and there was a light on upstairs.

  “Steph?” Anna called, pushing the door shut behind her with a foot and beginning to carry the coffees up the stairs. “Sis?”

  “Up here,” came Steph’s muffled voice. It sounded like she was in her bedroom, and when Anna reached the end of the hallway and poked her head inside, she couldn’t help but raise her eyes at what she saw.

  Stephanie was still in bed, buried under a pile of sheets and blankets. Her head was just barely poking out of the top of her fluffy comforter, her blonde hair a mess as she slowly rolled onto her side and stared at Anna. She glanced at the clock on the wall: it was going up on noon. Stephanie groaned, shifting slightly under the covers and struggling into a sitting position, and Anna saw that she was still in her pajamas in spite of the late hour. This raised alarm bells almost immediately; Steph was usually an early riser – she had been even before Pop had moved in with her. Spending all morning in bed was out of character.

  “Hey,” Anna said, trying to keep her tone light in spite of the worry that now pricked at her. “I brought you a coffee from that place you like.”

  “The espresso bar on Hyacinth?” That seemed to make Steph perk up a little.

  “Yeah. You like the hazelnut cappuccinos, right?”

  Her sister nodded. “That was sweet of you, Anna. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Anna brought the coffee cup over to the bedside table and set it down, not wanting it to spill on the bed and hoping that the distance might motivate Stephanie to get up. “What’s going on, Steph?” she asked quietly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to her sister.

  Stephanie sighed, not making eye contact with Anna as she raked her hair out of her eyes. “Nothing,” she replied. “I’m fine.”

  Anna’s brow furrowed, and she frowned. “Is that why you stayed in bed until almost noon?”

  Steph’s face went a little red, but she didn’t reply, staring down at her lap wordlessly as if that would make the questions stop. Anna sighed, her expression softening a little, and she stiffly pulled her shoes off, setting them down at the foot of the bed. Then she clambered slowly into bed next to her sister, pulling up the comforter gingerly, as if one wrong move would set Stephanie off. But she didn’t react as Anna sidled up next to her, putting her head on the pillow and peering through the dim bedroom lighting at her sister.

  “You going to spill or do I have to torture it out of you,” she murmured.

  “Nothing,” Stephanie repeated, still not making eye contact with her. “My leg is just sore. From the gunshot wound. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep at night and I need to catch up during the day.”

  “Really?” Anna frowned. It had been four months since Stephanie had been shot; it seemed like by now the wound shouldn’t be giving her any more trouble. For the first time, she found herself wondering if Stephanie might be depressed again. Her general attitude seemed to have taken a turn lately, and while she had been cordial enough to Anna and Cee-cee, it was clear that something wasn’t right. Pressing her would only push her deeper into her shell.

  Instead, Anna changed tactics.

  “So how are things with Ethan?” she asked.

  At that, Stephanie smiled, her complexion going a little less pale. “Good,” she replied, and Anna got the sense that she was telling the truth. “He’s been coming over a lot, lately. We’ve been working our way through some TV shows… It’s nice.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Anna told her earnestly.

  Steph nodded. “He’s a good guy. I’m…” She cleared her throat. “I’m lucky to have him.”

  They continued to make polite conversation, mostly light subjects like Ethan and the newlyweds and how things were going at Cee-cee’s bakery. They talked about Steph’s daughter, Sarah, and Steph’s younger son, Jeff. Eventually, Anna got up, stretching and pulling her shoes back on.

  She’d come to see how Stephanie was, and she had her answer, even though she didn’t like it. Now, she needed some time to figure out what to do about it.

  “I’m going to head home. Are you going to get up anytime soon?” she asked, hesitating by the light switch on her way out the door.

  Stephanie shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m still not feeling too great. You can leave it off for now.”

  “All right,” Anna said. “Whatever you say. I’ll see you later, Sis.”

  “See you later,” Stephanie replied. “Thanks again for the coffee.”

  Anna crept out of her room and retreated down the hallway, unable to fight the worry she felt creeping up in her after what she’d seen.

  On her way out of the house, she paused outside of Pop’s in-law setup, where she could hear the sound of muffled laughter. Peering in, she could see Pop and Eva in hysterics in front of the television, and gave a quick knock at the door frame. They quieted almost immediately, turning to look at her, and Eva cleared her throat. Anna wished she could’ve backed out of the room unnoticed, already regretting having ruined one of the rare moments when the two of them weren’t griping at each other.

  “Hey, Anna,” Eva said. “How’s it going?”

  “Not bad,” Anna replied. “I was just stopping by to bring Steph a coffee.” She opened her mouth, on the verge of asking whether they knew what was up with her sister, but then glanced at Pop and thought better of it. He didn’t need the extra worry. Instead, she said, “I’ll see you guys around, yeah?”

  “See you later, kiddo,” Pop said, and she darted in to give him a quick kiss on the head before retreating. As she was on her way out the door, though, she couldn’t stave off the anxiety that was rearing its ugly head.

  She needed to get in touch with Cee-cee because something was very wrong with Stephanie.

  12

  Max

  Just relax, Max told herself as she made her way down Front Street, gripping her purse strap more tightly than was necessary.

  You’re just going to hear him out. That’s all you promised to do. If you get weird vibes, this truce is over.

  But even her own reassurances weren’t enough to make her feel any less jittery. She was a ball of mixed up emotions, and she couldn’t escape the feeling that she was only walking into something even more confusing.

  Swallowing hard, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she came to a stop outside the address Ian had sent her. The building was nondescript from the outside, and the windows were covered with black garbage bags.

  “If this isn’t the opening to a horror movie, I don’t know what is.”

  Willing herself to stay cool, she stood in the growing shadow of the building, her hands in her jeans pockets as she looked around. Before paranoid truly grabbed hold, the door swung open and Ian Thackery emerged. It was almost unfair how good he was able to look, even when he was dressed in jeans and an untucked shirt. His dark hair was tousled, and he smiled dazzlingly when he saw her.

  “Hi, Max,” he said, holding the door open for her. “I’m glad you came.”

  “Of course,” Max replied as if she hadn’t contemplated taking off just three seconds earlier on account of him possibly being a serial killer in handsome, rich guy clothing. “It’d be kind of crummy of me to stand you up.”

  Stand you up? she thought with a wince. What is this, a date?

  If Ian took note of her slipup, he didn’t show it. He just stood aside so Max could walk into the entryway of the building. The walls were a psychedelic mural of green and purple, with various doors running along either side of
the hallway. They all had handwritten signs taped to them.

  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mafia Escape, and The Pharaoh’s Tomb.

  “Escape rooms, huh?” Max asked, turning to him with a half-smile.

  “You’ve heard of them, then?” he replied, his face growing even more animated.

  Where had the cool, calm and collected Mr. Thackery, who thought nothing of stealing away her livelihood, gone?

  Her mouth went dry as she stared into his eyes and she found herself half-wishing that Ian Thackery would re-emerge. Because this one?

  Seemed somehow even more dangerous.

  “Yeah, um, I’ve never done one before but I’ve read about them.”

  No need to mention she’d only done so after she’d done some light internet stalking.

  “So these are your rooms?”

  “Sort of,” Ian admitted. “I have one full prototype complete, but the others just have some of the furniture and puzzles in them. They won’t be entirely fitted out until we’re in the new space. No point in painting the rooms and all that just to have to move them when--”

  He broke off and shot her an apologetic smile.

  “Right,” she replied, nodding stiffly.

  “But I do want to show you the one that is complete,” he added, gesturing towards the far end of the hallway. “I need to get some guest players in to run through the whole room before I finalize it, but it’s far enough along to give you the general idea, I think.”

  Max followed as he led her down the hall, determined to keep an open mind for as long as she could manage it. “When did you decide this was something you wanted to get into?”

  “I first got into them when I was in college, actually. My first was this spy-themed one down in Washington D.C. It was totally immersive – they gave you each your own mission and your own secret identity, and you had to do all kinds of interactive stuff. I’m talking crawling through air ducts, climbing over laser grids, cracking codes… It was just one of those memories that really leaves an impression on you, you know? Makes you feel like a kid again.”