The Winter Berry House

by Caroline Flynn

  ‘I wish that were true.’

  His pessimism raised her hackles, but she fought to push down the annoyance rearing up inside her. ‘Zach—’

  ‘Kait, I’m trying to tell you something,’ he interjected. ‘I don’t know what he’s been telling you—’

  ‘Zach!’ She hissed out his name, desperate to keep her voice down but just as adamant about getting through to him. ‘Come on, I’m begging you to stop questioning his motives. Every time you do, you question me, too. You realize that, right? What is so wrong about Branch deciding to stay here in Port Landon to try and get his life back? Our life back?’

  Chagrined, Zach pulled his hand away from hers and slipped it inside his half-zipped jacket. ‘That’s what I’m trying to tell you,’ he replied, tossing a stack of papers in front of her, held together with a silver paperclip. ‘He’s not staying.’

  ‘Excuse me?’ She felt as though her stomach had plummeted. ‘Of course he is.’

  ‘Then where’s he living?’ He turned the papers around in her direction so she could see the typed font for herself. ‘I’ve met with him twice already. This is the purchase agreement he had me put together. His grandparents’ house is being sold to me in order to ensure a quick sale. I’ll resell it for a profit.’

  Kait gawked at the contract in front of her, not bothering to flip through the pages. The top page showed Branch’s full name in bold letters, along with the address and lot number of the house on Crescent Street.

  ‘This isn’t happening,’ she whispered.

  ‘I’m sorry, Kait,’ Zach replied, ‘But it is.’

  There was no way to pretend that the truth wasn’t there in front of her this time, spelled out in black and white letters.

  Branch had lied to her again.

  A hollow ache crept into her bones as the realization washed over her. More lies from him. More gullibility from her.

  He was selling his grandparents’ home, the one he had sworn only the day before was going to be his, so they could be together. Kait swallowed down her tears. She hoped the profit was worth it. Because while he might have gained money from his decision, he had ultimately lost her heart.

  Chapter 18

  Branch

  If the arrival of the hectic Christmas season could be depicted in an image, then the state of Grandma Addie’s kitchen was a good place for an accurate representation. It wasn’t just the abundance of décor that surrounded him or the Christmas tree in the bay window, but the wrapping-paper tubes leaning against the staircase, the mix of boxes, jars, and cans of food littering the countertops, the freezer full to capacity with donations from Jason’s mother and her friends, and the array of small, colorful, handmade toys he purchased on a whim from a charity who had set up a vendor table inside the doorway of the grocery store. He had no doubt that some folks would bring their children to the house on Christmas Eve. At least there would be something for them to enjoy beyond the food.

  Branch hadn’t really taken in how much the house’s main floor had changed since he began to clean and sort and organize almost three weeks ago. Not until he’d had to clutter up his progress with all the things needed to pull off the holiday dinner. Gone were the cobwebs that had strung from the corners of each room and window ledge. The thick coating of dust that had given everything a hazy quality had disappeared, revealing the intricate moldings of the doorway trim and the surprisingly shiny gleam of the natural hardwood floors despite the scuffs and nicks that no amount of elbow grease would ever take away. They give it character, his grandmother would have said.

  Grandpa Duke and Grandma Addie’s house was huge, old, and showing signs of wear, but the attention he had shown it had served the place well. It looked good, and Branch felt good for it.

  He could only imagine what it was capable of looking like once he put a few months of effort into it, or years, instead of mere weeks. A swell of pride rose in him, knowing he was more than capable of restoring this house to its former glory.

  He hoped his grandparents would have been just as proud.

  The more Branch thought about it, the more confident he was that he was making the right decision. He might have had himself convinced that his hometown as a collective whole, had turned against him, but it took Kait saying it bluntly for Branch to consider that it was more likely he was the one who had turned against himself.

  It tormented you, made you think everything and everyone was against you, even when that wasn’t true.

  She was right. It was hard to see anyone else in a comforting or optimistic light when all he could see through his own eyes was his own terrible, unforgivable mistake.

  The accident could have been so, so much worse; he knew that. Thankfully, though, it hadn’t been. Zach didn’t like him, and Branch didn’t begrudge him that, but the man had healed and recuperated. He was also extremely successful if his newspaper ads and number of real estate signs were any indication. Zach Canton had done well for himself, and Branch was glad for it.

  He didn’t need him to forgive him for what happened that night, Branch just needed to forgive himself.

  More of Kait’s spoken words were sinking into his brain as well.

  I wasn’t fair to you, but you weren’t fair to me, either.

  What did she mean by that? Because he left? Because he had gone to the party without her in the first place? The accident itself involved only him and Zach, so he didn’t see how he had been unfair unless she was referring to his departure following it. It was an odd choice of words.

  But once again, she was right. They couldn’t change the past, only move forward from it and learn from their mistakes. Branch’s plans included doing exactly that.

  He did the best he could to straighten things up and make the house as tidy as possible under the circumstances. The main floor was where the Christmas Eve festivities would take place, and there was nothing more he could do in those rooms right now. He was as ready as he would ever be.

  The spare bedroom down the hall hadn’t been touched yet, however. He intended to close the door to all the rooms save for the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom, as well as turn on the heat in the attached garage, now empty and devoid of anything that made it look like a storage area, and set up extra tables and chairs in there for the Port Landoners to stretch out and be comfortable during their dinner. It looked like the spare bedroom was where he was spending his evening. He could sort through the dresser and closet tonight and be completely done with the organization of every room on this floor. It would feel good.

  At least, he thought it would. Branch needed to remind himself that everything didn’t need to be done by the end of the month anymore, let alone today.

  He wasn’t leaving. Well, he was, because he had to go back to work in January, but he wasn’t leaving for good. Two weeks of work, then he would be back. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it would all work out.

  He had no more reasons to run from this place, and every reason to stay.

  Branch rummaged through the conglomerate of cans, jars, and boxes on the counter to find the bag of remaining cinnamon bears, snatching it up and taking it with him as he trudged toward the hallway.

  Most of the lights were off in the house, only the one over the kitchen sink and a lamp in the living room casting a soft yellow glow to illuminate his path. Nine o’clock at night and he already had the house shut down for the evening. If this was a sign of what his impending thirtieth birthday brought with it, Branch wasn’t sure how he felt about his prospects for a social life.

  The dimness and surrounding quiet made the knock on the front door sound louder than it truly was, as though each bang reverberated off the walls and shook the foundation beneath his feet.

  Maybe he was getting dramatic in his old age, too.

  Branch opened the door, and suddenly the only foundation that was shook was the one on which his contentment was built, and the only drama he felt deep in his bones was in the stare that was fixed on him, unblink
ing and searing with the uncontrollable blaze of an inferno.

  ‘Kaitie?’ He hadn’t been expecting her to stop by, knowing she had to work and then had to watch the boys for a few hours for Janna. ‘What are—’

  ‘How many times have you seen Zach?’ Each word was ammunition, blasting from her mouth in a quick, sharp sequence.

  ‘Zach?’ Put on the spot, he struggled to catch up. ‘At the grocery story, I guess, and—’

  ‘Here?’ she finished for him. ‘How many times did you see him here, Branch?’

  Confusion reigned. All he could comprehend was Kait’s blatant fury and that something was happening. Something he didn’t understand. ‘Twice, I think. Kait, what’s—’

  ‘You think?’ A scoff escaped her lips. ‘Don’t you know?’

  ‘Fine, okay, he was here twice.’ It hadn’t occurred to him that perhaps he should have told her about Zach’s unexpected appearances, but it hadn’t seemed important. Until now. Now, it was obviously very important. He just couldn’t figure out why. ‘What’s this about?’

  ‘I want a yes or a no, Branch. Did you meet with Zach twice without telling me?’ She didn’t blink, didn’t move.

  Didn’t he just answer that? He opened his mouth to argue, but feared he might only make things worse. ‘Yes,’ he said simply, despite having about a hundred buts he wanted to add to the end of the sentence.

  Her throat moved, but Kait stayed where she was, a pillar of unnerving seriousness. ‘Did you and him talk about selling this house?’ She held up a warning finger. ‘Yes or no.’

  ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Technically. But I wasn’t—’ Keeping it from you. Thinking about going through with it. More explanations he didn’t give her, because she wasn’t capable of hearing him clearly, too infuriated by a situation he couldn’t piece together.

  ‘Don’t talk to me about what you weren’t,’ Kait snapped. ‘I know what you weren’t. You weren’t going to tell me everything. You weren’t going to follow through on all your promises. And you weren’t the man I thought you were.’ She shook her head. ‘You still aren’t.’

  She might as well have punched him in the stomach. ‘Kaitie …’

  ‘Don’t.’ She held up a hand, blinking fast to keep the tears glistening on the edge of her eyelids at bay. ‘Don’t do that. Don’t stand here and call me that, not while I was so close to making the same mistakes again. My gosh, Zach was right. History repeats itself.’

  ‘No.’ He muttered a curse word under his breath. ‘Kait, that’s not what this is. I wasn’t purposely keeping anything from you, I just didn’t think it was worth mentioning.’

  Whatever she thought the right answer was, it wasn’t that. ‘Worth mentioning? Branch, we’re supposed to be in this together!’ She raked her hands over her ponytail. ‘And here you are, saying one thing and doing another. Sounds oddly familiar.’

  ‘Kait, you’re not listening to me.’

  ‘You’re right,’ she agreed. ‘I’m not. And I won’t, not anymore.’ She was still in the doorway, the front door swung wide and letting the frigid December air permeate the house’s cozy interior. The cold air was nothing in comparison to the icy stare she pinned him with. ‘I believed you,’ she choked out. ‘I believed in you.’ The emotion she was trying so hard to hold in was flooding out of her in the form of tears, splashing onto her cheeks. A thickness in her throat gave her voice a strangled quality. ‘But I’ve been here before, and I should have known better. Go home, Branch. Wherever you came from, wherever you’ve been these past eleven years, go back there.’

  ‘Kait, no …’ He reached out for her, desperate to comprehend what was happening. She flinched and stepped away, holding her hands up to prevent him from getting any closer.

  ‘Leave me alone, Branch.’

  Distraught, he begged her to listen to him. ‘Kait, just let me explain—’

  ‘No, I’m done listening to your words.’ She hugged her arms around her middle, her breath puffing out in hazy short bursts where the warm air collided with the cold. ‘Because that’s all they are … words. Empty ones.’ She paused, giving him another stricken glare. ‘I think that’s the only thing I don’t understand, why you ever made promises to me in the first place.’ Another step back, another step away from him. ‘You and I both know you were bound to break them.’

  He stood in the doorway and watched her go back to her car, still running and waiting for her in the driveway. He could have screamed her name, pleaded with her to wait, but Branch was so gutted by her parting words he didn’t know what he would have said if she turned around.

  Leave me alone, Branch. Go home.

  He didn’t know how he was supposed to do that when the woman he called home had just climbed into her car and driven away, the glowing tail-lights taunting him as she disappeared out of sight.

  Chapter 19

  Kait

  History repeats itself.

  In Kait’s eyes, that’s exactly what this was – a repeat of her past, of their past. Zach had warned her, Janna had warned her, and yet here she was, finding out Branch kept the truth from her and made her believe in things that would never transpire.

  Why? That was what she wanted to know more than anything. If he wanted to sell his grandparents’ place and leave Port Landon, if that was his original plan, why play with her emotions the way he did? Why be so cruel, making her walk through those rooms and trudge through that attic thinking he was going to turn that old house into a home? Thinking Branch wanted to build a life with her?

  In hindsight, she knew he had been trying to give her those answers. Kait despised the way he brought out the irrational part of her, the way her emotions rose up and cut off her ability to be the level-headed woman she was. She felt so much, and hurt so deeply. Faced with his lies, her ability to handle normal, reasonable conversation was robbed by her own subconscious desperation to protect herself from him and his betrayal. Without realizing it in the moment, she regressed into the teenage version of herself, willing to sacrifice the truth for the sake of having to hear one more pretty lie from his mouth.

  Damn him.

  No, damn yourself, she chastised herself. You knew better.

  It had all sounded so wonderful. So perfect. So exactly how she dreamed it would be if the accident had never happened and Branch hadn’t strayed. If Zach had never been hurt, and her heart had never been broken.

  Except the accident did happen, and people were hurt and hearts were broken and perfect didn’t exist.

  She had been a fool to think otherwise. Even in the bright light of morning, she could see that she had been too willing, too eager to rekindle what they lost and believe what he said. But she had believed Branch, and that was why her chest constricted so tightly every time she thought about it. The way he acted, the things he said … the more Kait replayed it all in her mind, the more she felt that his plans to stay here and give their relationship a second chance just made more sense to her than lying about it all and selling the house out from under her nose. It was a small town, Branch had to know she was bound to hear about it. Especially when her friend was the realtor.

  But there was no arguing with a document. Black ink on white paper with Branch’s name on it – the proof couldn’t get much more concrete than that. And he admitted to meeting with Zach twice, as well as keeping it from her.

  She would never understand what he planned to gain from any of it. It would never make sense.

  But it didn’t have to make sense to hurt her. Even as she sat in the kitchen of her little house, feeding mushy cereal to the only two boys who would never break her heart, she would never forgive Branch for doing this to her. She would never forgive herself for letting him.

  ‘Don’t ever lie to Auntie, okay?’ She offered up another spoonful of mush, much to one of the twin’s delight. ‘It seems Auntie has a thing for loving boys who lie to her.’

  That was probably the worst part of it. She loved a man who had lied to her once, then she willingly
allowed him the chance to do it a second time. But nothing was worse than the fact that she still loved him.

  I still love him, lies and all.

  Kait would never forgive herself for that, either.

  It should have been a day she anticipated. She should have been a bundle of nerves over the minute details of the event she had so painstakingly planned with Branch. She should have been so excited to see all her hard work and ideas come to fruition in such a festive and beautiful way.

  Instead, Kait dreaded today. Because if it was really, truly December twenty-third, then that meant tomorrow was Christmas Eve. And that meant the holiday dinner at Grandma Addie’s house wasn’t going to be the beginning of the life she thought she was starting alongside Branch. Now, it was just a bleak reminder of her gullibility and desperation. She didn’t need any more reminders.

  Upset enough by what happened, she hadn’t been brave enough to tell Janna about Branch’s lies. Knowing Janna, she wouldn’t be able to bite her tongue and suppress the I told you so she’d been chomping at the bit to get out since the beginning of the month, and Kait couldn’t bear to hear that at the moment. The fact that her older sister was right only made it harder to take. But as she shuffled into her coat, heading to the diner for the morning shift, her luck of being able to occupy herself enough to avoid being cornered by Janna ran out. They were sisters, and Kait knew she could read her like an open book, even when she didn’t want her to. Kait could do the same to her.

  ‘What happened?’ Janna held one of the twins in her arms, propped on her hip as she stood near the counter, nursing a cup of coffee that was undoubtedly cold by now.

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Liar.’

  Kait really didn’t want to get into this right now. Not ever, if she had the choice. ‘You were right about Branch,’ she said simply. ‘He’s selling his grandparents’ house.’