Page 101 of Loud Unspoken Memories

She laughs at whatever his response is.

Then her jubilant demeanor changes. “Aw, no, really?” Her eyes settle on me. “Are you sure?” She shifts her stance, pouting. “Well, whatever. If it can’t be avoided. Guess I’ll see you when I see you.” She tucks her phone away. “Problem solved. He’s not coming. Something to do with the authorities wanting to talk to him about some old dead guy.”

“Abe,” I say, feeling sad about the man I never met all over again.

She rubs her cold hands together. “So? Will you come?”

“We won’t know anyone.”

“That will be remedied about thirty seconds after we go through the door.”

“Marti,” Asher says, leaning over the console. “It could be fun. We’ve had a lot of depressing situations in the past few days. A party might be just what we need.”

I shoot him a‘you’re not helping’glare.

“Mommy?” Charlie says from his car seat, awake now. “Is there a party?”

“There sure is,” Allie says. “And there will be lots of kids there. Wouldn’t you like to come and eat great food and play? There will be cake.”

“Mommy! Can we?”

These three. They’re teaming up on me.

“I don’t know, buddy.” I turn to Allie. “We’d have no place to stay. Is there even a hotel here? I know the town is small.”

“We have two, actually, but there’s no need. You can stay with me. There’s plenty of room.”

“I don’t know.”

“Mommy, pwease?” Charlie begs.

I look at Asher, who’s innocently holding up his hands. I feel I don’t have a choice. I sigh. “Fine.”

Allie jumps up and claps. “Great. Let me lock up. My car is around back. You can follow me home and we’ll all freshen up.”

She runs off before I have another chance to protest.

I get back in the car and point a finger at Asher. “You.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe you backed me into a corner on this. This wasn’t in the plans. It’ll set us back a day.”

“So we’ll drive an extra few hours tomorrow. It’s no big deal, Marti. Geesh, when did you become such a stick in the mud?”

I close my eyes, lean back into the headrest, and surmise it was two days ago when I became said stick. The day the man I’m in love with walked away with my heart in his pocket.

~ ~ ~

My jaw is in my lap as I look at the massive house we’re pulling up to. The house goes on forever. It looks like a governor’s mansion or something. Sprawling grounds. Walls of windows. Dormers and peaks and angles and garages… oh, so many garages.

It’s all decked out for the holidays. Huge decorative Christmas ornaments hang from trees. Wooden reindeer displays dot the landscape. There are wreaths in every window, and a massive red bow adorns the front door.

I grab Asher’s arm. “This can’t be her house. She’s only twenty-seven.”

A classy-looking couple steps out of the front door and walks toward the car. We park behind Allie in the large circular drive and get out. The woman, who looks to be in her fifties, with hair the color of Dallas’s and a welcoming smile, says, “Welcome to our home, Marti and Asher. I’m Sarah Montana, and this is my husband, Chris.” She peeks in the back. “And that must be Charlie.” When she sees the odd look on my face, she adds, “Allie called from the car. She said we’d be having guests for the evening.”

“I… I thought we were staying at Allie’s place.”

Chris chuckles. “ThisisAllie’s place.” He points to the windows over the four-car-garage on the left—one of two four-car garages connected to the house. “Or that is anyway.”

“I only wanted to return Dallas’s coat. This”—I wave a hand around—“is not what I intended.”

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