by Jenny Hale
Hannah had barely traveled anywhere, spending every minute of her time working. She’d wanted to change that, starting with the trip to Barbados she’d planned for this week, but it had all gone so horribly wrong…
“Grandma is behind me in the chair,” Noah said. The picture on the phone pixelated and then the image of a woman, waving at the screen, became clear.
“Hello,” Hannah called.
Noah came back onto the screen. “I was bored, and Grandma needed a rest, so she said to call Daddy.”
“You’re bored?” Hannah asked. If she were there, she’d be able to come up with a million things to keep him busy. “You know, there’s a spot by the river in Franklin with a tire swing, and you can swing way out. So far that you can see the river. Maybe, if it’s still there, I can show your daddy where it is, and he can take you to it when the weather gets warmer.”
Liam glanced over at her with interest.
“Could you take me?” Noah asked.
“Me?” she replied.
“Yes. I want to go with you.”
“Maybe we could all go…”
Liam’s eyes stayed on the road, but by the way his lips were ever so slightly pursed, it was clear that something bothered him.
“What else can we do?” Noah asked.
“Well, when the weather’s nice, there’s a lot to do. We could hit baseballs at the park, get ice cream downtown, kayak…”
“Yeah!” he said, running around with the phone, the turquoise water sliding in and out of focus with his movements.
“With that kind of reaction, we’re going to have to take him,” Hannah said to Liam with a grin, once she’d gotten off the phone. “He’s such an adorable boy. I’d have a lot of fun with him. His smile is so cute that it makes me laugh.”
Liam stayed quiet, but looked over at her for a second, attentive. Then he turned his focus back to the road. Hannah looked out her window, wondering what in the world was going on between Liam and his family.
Nine
“Just drop me off here,” Georgia said from the backseat when they’d exited the traffic circle, directing them onto the main route of the southern town of Franklin, Tennessee.
The street brought back nostalgic memories for Hannah, and the shame of being gone so long returned with a vengeance. It had been nearly three years since she’d walked down this street, although even then she’d breezed down it quickly on her way out of town. It looked smaller now, compared to the towering city she called home. The warm glow of sunlight filtered in through the trees that had started to bud early, signifying warmer days that had been enjoyed before the recent cold snap. They passed the side street where The Memory Keeper was, and she craned her neck to try to see it, but construction and overgrowth blocked her view. Like an old film, her memories assaulted her.
“Slow down!” Gran had called to an eight-year-old Hannah as she ran ahead to get to the ice cream shop. She and Gran always walked there on summer days when the heat would slow a person down to a near crawl, making something as simple as sitting on the porch swing difficult to manage. Impatiently, Hannah would stop at the crosswalk and wait for Gran.
The vintage stores that lined the two-lane road had been exactly the same since childhood. They were all open for business, their windows filled with pink and red decorations and heart-shaped wares for the month of February. Despite the cold, the sidewalks were full of people. Families lined up for the day’s show outside the old Franklin theater, while others dipped into the local chocolate shop to get their taste of gourmet treats. Music sailed into the car from a street performer strumming gritty southern tunes on his guitar, as passers-by dropped tips into his cowboy hat.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you somewhere specific?” Liam asked. “It’s freezing outside.”
“I’ll be fine,” Georgia replied, as she opened the pet carrier and leashed up Jerry. “There are lots of restaurants and coffee shops I can duck into if I get too cold on the walk, and I have your number if I get into any trouble.” She waved her cell phone in the air.
“Want me to help you take all your bags somewhere?”
“I’m fine. I’ve been on my own long enough to handle a few bags. Pull over there.” Georgia pointed to an empty parallel spot near the stoplight.
Liam complied and put the car in park.
“Well, it’s been fun knowin’ you two.” Georgia gathered her things in the backseat and put Jerry on the sidewalk, where he immediately found a nearby tree.
Liam popped the trunk and got out to help Georgia with the rest of her bags.
Hannah put down her window. “You sure you don’t want to head over to my gran’s house with us? I can almost promise there will be birthday treats and a home-cooked meal.”
Georgia grinned. “That’s okay, but thank you.”
“Text me if you need anything at all,” Hannah said.
“Sure thing.” Georgia slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up the pet carrier as Liam set her suitcase next to her on the sidewalk. “Catch y’all later.”
Liam got back into the car and Hannah put the window up. As they pulled away, she watched Georgia shrink in the side-view mirror as she made her way through the crowds. “I have to admit, I’m going to miss her.”
“It’s weird, isn’t it—being with someone for two days straight and then not knowing if you’ll ever see them again.” He glanced over at her, and the look in his eyes made her wonder if that particular concern applied to her as well.
“Yeah,” she said, her attention lingering on him longer than she’d meant to. He caught it, offering another glance in her direction.
“Which way?” he asked.
She refocused on the task at hand. “Take a right on the next street.”
After a few more turns, they finally pulled up in the drive at Gran’s blue clapboard bungalow. Ethan’s fully restored, turquoise 1977 convertible Ford Bronco Sport sat out front. He’d been tinkering with that thing since they’d driven off Old Man Samson’s used car lot when they were eighteen. Hannah got out and walked up to it, peering into the windows. New leather seats.
“Wait, wait, wait—I gotcha,” Ethan had said to her the last time she’d ridden with him, running around to her side of the truck to let her in. He’d spread an old beach towel over the soiled, torn seats and held his hand out, palm side up. “For you, milady,” he’d said with a dramatic bow. Then he’d made some joke about her being too much of a princess.
She turned away from the truck and reached into the rental car to grab her things. Liam got the suitcases out of the trunk while Hannah piled the other bags next to them.
The porch swing swayed in the cold breeze, the pillows a bit more disorganized than Gran would have had them; the rocking chairs had been pushed aside, and her geranium pots were empty, which gave Hannah an immediate punch in the gut. Good thing Gran couldn’t see that right now. She’d have a fit.
The front door swung open, and Hannah’s dad, Chuck, waved, leaning on his cane, and filling up the doorway with his broad stance and oversized belly—too many dinners at home and not enough golf. Her father was still recovering from a heart attack he’d had last year, which had forced him into retirement. After the heart attack, which had been touch-and-go, putting all of them on edge, Hannah’s parents had settled on the coast of Florida for a slower pace of life.
“My eyesight might be failing me these days,” he said, working his way down the two steps to the drive, using the cane his doctor had suggested he now use, “but this young man hasn’t been on your social media feeds.”
“I don’t put all my business on social media,” she said, making a silly face at him, ignoring the niggling feeling of shame that her father had to search her social media feeds to find out about her life these days.
Ethan came out behind her father. His hair was a bit shorter and more stylish than it had been when he was younger, and somewhere along the line he’d developed a muscular build, having shed his lanky t
eenage body. She wanted to run to her best friend and wrap her arms around him, but seeing how different he looked now—how grown up—made her realize how many years she’d lost.
“You pickin’ up strays?” He regarded Liam curiously before giving Hannah a lengthy look. “Hey, man. Good to see you.”
Liam shook Ethan’s hand in greeting.
“Liam drove me home when all the flights were grounded. He’s a hero, not a stray,” she said, with a big smile in Liam’s direction.
When her father reached her, he gave her a giant bear hug. His squeeze wasn’t quite as tight as it had been over the years, given his health, but the familiarity of it was still there, making her want to bury her head in his chest to shield herself from everything that was swirling around in there right now.
“Who knew that being overly cautious and booking a rental car could make me a hero,” Liam said to Ethan.
“He did a lot more than that,” Hannah cut in, sticking up for him.
Liam shrugged it off before turning back to her father, holding out his hand. “Liam McGuire. Nice to meet you.”
“Chuck Townshend.” Hannah’s father offered Liam a firm handshake. “Let me help y’all with your bags.”
“We’ve got it, Dad,” Hannah told him, grasping the handles before he could. She noted the frustration in the purse of his lips, and she knew that it went against his nature not to help his daughter, but he was supposed to be taking it easy these days.
Liam carried the suitcases inside with her father leading the way, while Ethan took the duffel bag from Hannah. “Don’t those designer jeans get dirty on the back of your horse?” Ethan teased Hannah.
“I haven’t ridden horses in years, Ethan,” she told him, hearing the drawl inch back into her voice as she responded to him.
“You ain’t done a lot in years.” He tossed her bag over his shoulder.
He wasn’t going to let her off easy, and she knew that. Family meant everything to Ethan, and he’d considered her family. She’d let him.
“Were you ever plannin’ on comin’ home?” He ran his hand through his hair, and her breath caught when she saw the wedding band on his left hand. She’d always said she’d be a bridesmaid in his wedding since he didn’t have a sister.
“What’s that?” She pointed to it.
“Life’s moved on since you left,” he replied.
“You didn’t invite me to the wedding?” she asked, hurt that he hadn’t even so much as called her to tell her.
“I didn’t think you’d care,” he said honestly.
His words cut her like a knife. How could he ever think she wouldn’t care? She’d have stopped everything and come home to his wedding. But then it hit her: while she’d been working like crazy, meeting deadlines, and moving up the corporate ladder, on his end, all Ethan had heard was silence. And her silence had felt like indifference. Sadness plumed in her stomach. She’d never wanted him to think for one minute that she was uninterested in his life.
“Did Gran know you were getting married?”
He shook his head. “We kept it small. I told her when I went to see her at the hospital, so she knows now…”
Still in shock, Hannah reached down and grabbed the last of the bags, slinging it over her shoulder. Ethan gently slid it back off and carried it for her.
“Your mama’s been at the shop all day, organizin’ to get it into some kind of order,” Ethan said, moving the conversation on. “I’m sure she’ll want to kick her feet up when she gets home. Good thing, since it’s your birthday.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
Her dad called from the doorway. “We’ve got a few surprises for you.”
“Y’all didn’t have to do that,” she said, but she was glad they had. She hadn’t been sure what she was going to find when she got home, and Ethan’s news had hit her like a ton of bricks.
But despite everything, a sense of home had settled upon her the minute she’d arrived, and she missed being around her family. Ethan was right to give her a hard time. It had been too long. She hoped she could make him see that she hadn’t meant to stay away. She wouldn’t let it happen again.
“How’s Gran?” she asked as she made it to the front porch.
“Mama was with her some yesterday,” her father said. “She’s doing okay, all things considered.” He opened the door, sending a wave of flavorful smells from Mama’s famous stew her way, taking her back instantly to the savory aromas she knew so well from her childhood. “She’d get out of bed and walk home if they’d let her. You know Gran.”
Hannah laughed, despite the weight of the situation. “Will I get to see her tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. You can go with your mama. Maybe you can convince Gran to sign a few business documents. Your mom tried to get her to entertain the idea of closing the shop, but she’s not having any of it. You and Gran have always seen eye-to-eye, so maybe you can talk some sense into her.” Her dad closed the door behind Ethan. “But enough about that right now. Your mother’s gonna be home in just a bit, and we need to celebrate our birthday girl.”
While Chuck made small talk with Liam, Ethan grabbed Hannah’s larger suitcase.
“What room you sleepin’ in?” he asked.
“I’ll help you,” she said, grabbing her other bag. “I’m staying in Gran’s room.” She turned to Liam. “I’ll be right back.”
Chuck patted Liam on the back. “I’ll get you a drink. After that drive, I’m sure you need one…”
“So,” Hannah said as they went down the short hallway. “You got married.”
“Yup.”
“Do I know her?”
“No, she didn’t go to school with us. She grew up in Chattanooga.”
“Ah,” Hannah said, the topic uncomfortable for her. She’d always known everything about Ethan, and now he had a whole life she didn’t know anything about. “What’s her name?”
“Christie.”
Hannah nodded, feeling like she’d lost all her oxygen. She’d been so selfish, and she hadn’t even realized it.
“I’d love to meet her.”
“Maybe…” He dropped her bags next to Gran’s bed. “Let’s talk about it later, all right?”
“No, let’s talk about it now,” she pressed. “Why wouldn’t you want me to meet your wife?”
He pressed his lips together the way she remembered whenever he was worried about something. The last time she could remember seeing him do it was the day she’d left.
“Tell me,” she urged.
“She thinks you put crazy ideas in my head.”
“What?” she said, dumbfounded. “How? I haven’t even spoken to you in years. And even if I had, what crazy ideas would I put into your head?”
He sat down on the bed. “This is where I belong. I’m happy here,” he said. “But sometimes I wonder out loud to Christie, what if you were right about getting out of here and following your dreams? I wonder what’s so good out there that you didn’t even bother to come back. It must be pretty damn great.”
Hannah lowered herself down next to him. “It’s not that great,” she said. “Not at all. It’s just different.” She hung her head, feeling awful. “I should’ve come back.”
Her father stuck his head into Gran’s room. “Quit hogging her, Ethan,” he teased. “Y’all can catch up out here.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, and Chuck disappeared down the hallway. Standing up and tipping his head toward the door, Ethan told Hannah, “Let’s talk later. We’ve got birthday treats out there.”
She needed to get back to Liam anyway. Her father had probably cornered him with his coaster collection—he’d bought a coaster on every trip they’d taken since she was a little girl. Hannah got up and followed Ethan to the kitchen.
Liam’s bags were stacked in the corner, and he and her father were talking next to Gran’s antique farmhouse table, which was hidden by a red tablecloth. In the center was a stack of dessert plates from the family china pattern and Gran’s nineteenth-cent
ury white French cake stand. Under its glass dome was what Hannah would bet was a red velvet triple-layer cake, the icing a mass of perfect peaks and valleys in buttercream. Two gifts, wrapped in pink paper printed with cascading bright white bows, sat beside it. And, of course, Gran’s largest white milk-glass vase was filled with red roses and a balloon that said, “Happy Birthday.”
“How did Gran do all this?” she asked, the sight stirring the desire in Hannah to see her gran.
Growing up, every year after having cake at home, Hannah had gone to Gran’s. And whenever she visited on her birthday, she got this exact set-up. The only difference was that this time, she hadn’t gotten to choose the “surprise” in the middle of the cake. Hannah’s favorite had been the time Gran had added a peanut butter fudge swirl that marbled the entire inside. Hannah could still remember the creamy decadence of it. Gran had told her she’d teach her how to do the fudge swirl, but that had never happened.
“She helped your mama bake it over the phone last night,” her father said. “Gran told her it was time she learned how.”
Fear flooded Hannah with that last statement. Had Gran wanted to teach her mother how to do it so that she could carry on the tradition in her absence? She shook the thoughts free, the idea of being without Gran unimaginable.
“The top gift is from your gran,” her father said. “She told your mother where to get it and how she wanted it wrapped.”
“Leave it to Gran to still deliver gifts and flowers from her hospital bed,” she said, after collecting herself.
Her father smiled. “That’s your gran,” he said.
“I’m home!” Maura Townshend’s comforting voice sailed in from the entryway. She came into the kitchen, unwinding her scarf and pulling her light brown hair from under her collar. “Oh, hello, all.” She kissed Hannah on the cheek. “You made it!” She held her hands out to get a good look at her. “I’m so happy to have you home.” She turned to Liam. “Hello,” she said.
“Mama, do you remember Liam McGuire?” Hannah asked.
“I think so…” She smiled at him.