Page 65 of A Whisper of Summer Magic

Meghan waved goodbyeto Jackson and walked back into the stately house that had always had a fairy-tale quality—and it belonged to all of them. Meghan knew Sarah was mulling the future, but since discovering the note from Chloe’s mom, they’d been so focused on the now.

She found her sisters upstairs in the large bedroom with a sitting room attached that had long ago been a nursery, playroom, and nanny quarters before her father had married and brought his bride home to build a family. It had become their bedroom and nursery until her father had moved his family of five to Cramer Mountain into a modern, elegant, custom-built home on two acres rather than the usual one acre their father had developed. After that, G. Millie had converted the space to a children’s-teen bedroom with bunk beds, a library, games and craft area for when they visited.

“I figured we’d be doing girly things,” Meghan teased. “Temporary tattoos? Massages with flavored whip cream and sprinkles?”

“Messy.” Jessica shot her a look—warning or amused.

Chloe had a hot oil hair mask that covered her curls and an avocado face mask. Her short nails were polished in a pale, shimmery pink and her toes matched.

She sprawled on a pile of cushions, leaning up against Jessica, who’d had a mani-pedi with Chloe and her bio mom today, followed up by lunch. Chloe had opted for a massage before lunch instead of the facial. Meghan and Sarah had been working and planned to paint their fingers and toes tonight over a glass of wine and takeout.

Meghan had met Chloe’s biological mom and stepdad, earlier in the week when they’d arrived, and they’d all had dinner a few times, and of course had headed to South Park for a shopping trip. Chloe’s stepdad really was an earl, which still sounded like something out of a historical romance novel, but he’d been totally down to earth and had taken them all out to dinner at a steak house in Charlotte, and had leaned back in his chair, just watching Chloe and his wife talk, and drawing each of the sisters into the conversation.

It had reminded her of her father—how he’d always seemed to enjoy being an observer of hisgirls, and that had put her in a dark place. She wondered how all of her sisters were coping. She hadn’t known how she felt about that.

“I know you’re all being nice to me because I finally talked to your father.”

“Chloe, we’re always nice,” Jessica said carefully, leaving thehe’s your father toounsaid along with the questions that were probably burning up all of their brains. “And anyone who’s not nice to their sister the night before her wedding should get kicked off the bank of the Catawba—hopefully in their best church dress.”

“I like the image.” Chloe sat up and took the cucumber slices off her eyes. “Do I take a shower yet?”

“Four more minutes.” Jessica looked at her smartwatch.

“Maybe we should incorporate water after the brunch—like all jump in the river as symbolic of washing off the past and starting new,” Chloe said eagerly.

“Ick—the Catawba is brown and full of I don’t even know what, and I am not jumping in water where I can’t see the bottom,” Jessica stated firmly.

“Besides, there’s nothing to wash off, Chloe,” Sarah reminded her. “You are living a life of love, giving and purpose.”

“And beauty,” Jessica added. “Your voice is a gift.”

“Definitely, but let’s dissect the elephant,” Meghan said.

She did get paid to poke a stick at uncomfortable topics like death, lawsuits, and huge tax or legal fines.

“Ew. No. I love elephants.” Chloe took the cucumbers off again and jacked upright off the colorful cushions scattered on the floor.

“What happened when you talked to Dad?” she demanded. “Did you really bust up a meeting?”

“I did.” Chloe put the cucumbers back on and lay down again. “Publicly because he was doing the whole icy, you’re not worthy of my time thing, so I just told him that I knew he was my bio father. I didn’t care. I didn’t want a relationship with him and so he could duck back down in his hidey hole pretending to be morally and intellectually superior, although everyone would know he wasn’t because he’d cheated, he’d been a deadbeat dad, he’d lied, covered up and left his mother with his mess.”

She jerked up again and ripped off the cucumbers. Her eyes glittered. “These are angry tears. I’m not crying. He stole my mother from me.”

Meghan reached back for the couch and felt Sarah’s hand, and then Jessica’s hand as they all sat beside Sarah on the couch. Meghan hadn’t really considered that, but she should have.

“But if he hadn’t then I wouldn’t have had sisters, and I wouldn’t have had Grandma Millie, and now I have all of you, and my mom, and Rustin, and a life I love, so I told him I wouldn’t talk any more about him, and I won’t. We will continue to ignore each other.”

Jessica’s watch beeped.

Chloe popped the cucumbers in her mouth. “I love all of you. You’re the best sisters anyone could ever have.”

She stood up and walked over to them and practically sprawled in Jessica’s lap so she could hug all of them.

“I’m choosing happiness,” Chloe said firmly. “And to shower off my spa goop.” She marched to the en-suite bathroom, and Meghan felt a little like a bomb had gone off. None of them were injured, but they were shell-shocked.

“Oh. And I told your father that while I promised to shut it, if he came after the house or the farm trying to wrangle something from Grandma Millie’s will, I’d become a big dramatic blabbermouth and would write a slew of songs about a gone, daddy gone and maybe even a musical about deadbeat, cheating dads.” Chloe smirked. “Trina’s mom was there as she’s on the board of directors. She nearly fainted, and Mr. Greggor senior practically wet himself rushing to open the door for me to leave. It was kinda funny.”

Chloe closed the bathroom door. Then she opened it again. Looked at them. No one had moved.

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