Page 62 of Falling into a Second Chance

“Did you tell her?” Lucy asked, her attention fully on him now.

“Yes, but it was too late. She was already mad at me for reading to Poppy.”

“Her books, Chris. Her own family had only known she had published them for just a few weeks. She doesn’t share easily.”

He sat down on a stool. “I know. She hid that she was an artist from me until after we had slept together.”

“You and your friends made fun of her for being an artist. I don’t even think anyone at the school knew she had gotten into art school.” Lucy started pulling out ingredients.

“She must have loved art school.” He could see her there, talking colors with her like-minded friends.

“She quit after three weeks. No explanation. Then Mom had Violet, and Agatha was her nanny until Violet went to school. Agatha bartended at night usually.” Lucy shifted her ingredients around.

“What are we talking about?” Harper interrupted as she came into the room, carrying more food.

“Just telling Chris about Agatha and art school,” Lucy told her sister.

“I don’t remember her going to art school,” Harper said.

“You were in France. It only lasted a few weeks. Then she was home,” Lucy said.

“See? I missed too much being over there,” Harper complained.

“Did Agatha say why she didn’t go to graduation?” he asked innocently.

“Nope, but that does sound like Agatha to quit school with only a week to go. They had to mail her a diploma,” Lucy said with a laugh.

“You’re right,” said Harper. “I didn’t come home for her graduation. I came home when Violet was born.” She laughed at her sister’s antics.

“Did Agatha miscarry the day Violet was born?” Violet’s story had bothered him for weeks now, and he had to ask.

“What?” Lucy turned to him in shock.

“No!” Harper stated. “Who told you that?”

“Violet said something about it. It seemed so real the way she talked about the baby,” Chris stated. Her conviction was what had made him feel it was true.

“Violet is nine and has no idea what a miscarriage is. Also, if it happened the day she was born, she would have no clue,” Lucy stated.

“That’s what I was hoping. I didn’t want Agatha to have gone through that,” he answered with relief. Lucy was right; Violet would have no idea, and there was no way Agatha was pregnant nine years ago. He knew her nine years ago.

“What did Violet say?” Harper grabbed a towel and wiped her hands as she rounded the island and sat on a stool farthest from his.

“Nothing really. Just that her invisible friend is Agatha’s baby and that she was mad her mom told her about Poppy in front of him because he disappeared.”

“I think she made it all up,” Harper stated. “Kids tell stories.”

“I hope so,” Chris said.

The room fell silent, and Harper got back up to help her sister. Within minutes they were discussing the event they were planning the next day, forgetting that he was even there. He let them and just listened for any word of Agatha, but there were none.

Not wanting to be in the way, he said goodbye and reminded them that he wanted to talk to Agatha. Both said they would say something to her, but he didn’t know them well enough to know if they would or not.

It was two hours later that he remembered the valentine. Running upstairs, he grabbed it and took it across the street. Both sisters were sitting in the living room watching TV, not cooking at all anymore. But the house smelled like chocolate and lemon. It was heavenly.

“Can one of you do me a favor?” he asked. He hadn’t knocked, and they hadn’t cared.

“What?” Lucy tipped her head back and looked up at him like an annoyed sister would.

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