Page 21 of Butterfly Sisters
“I’m so torn,” Mama said. She sat down next to Leigh, wriggling into position to face her. “I want to do this as a family.”
“Has Mereditheveracted like family?”
Mama looked down at her lap, wringing her hands. “I comb through my life, wondering why she’s so different from us… I just can’t understand it.” Tears welled up in her mother’s eyes and Leigh scooted over to comfort her.
“What’s going on?” Meredith’s voice pierced the moment like a sharp knife as she stepped out onto the porch.
Mama wiped her eyes. “We just wondered where you were,” she said, clearing her throat and blinking away her sadness.
Meredith held up a paper cup. “I went to get coffee. I’ve been dying for a good cappuccino and I had to drive almost into Nashville. Do you know how hard it is to find good coffee in this town?” She plopped down on the sofa, pinning Leigh in the middle.
Leigh turned to her sister, years of irritation scratching at her insides. “You could’ve told someone,” she snapped.
Meredith’s wall slid up, her lips a straight line. “I didn’t know it would take that long. I thought I’d be back before you were even out of the shower. Mom was gone. There was no one to tell.” She set her paper cup on the table and stood back up. “Geez. I’m a grown woman. Can I not step out for a cup of coffee? Mom, did you leave us a note that you were at the market?”
“I told Leigh,” their mother replied.
Meredith threw her hands up. “Of course you told Leigh,” she spat.
Katherine sat up straight. “You were off fishing with Colton! How could I tell you?”
“You two can sit around pointing fingers at me and being miserable. I miss Nan too—like crazy. But I’m trying to enjoy life the way she did. That’s what she would’ve wanted. You asked me to come down here, but I’m met with misery at every turn.” She faced the lake and shook her head. “Just tell me whatever it is and then I’m out of here. You two would rather me leave anyway.”
Mama stood. “That’s not true.”
Meredith seemed to notice Leigh’s silence, looking over her shoulder at Leigh and then letting out a frustrated sigh. It wasn’t that Leigh wanted her sister to leave. She just wished that they could all enjoy each other, and she didn’t think they ever would.
“I don’t want to fight,” Meredith said, coming down off her rant, her tone softer.
“I don’t either,” Mama said. “Look, we haven’t had a chance to be a family in a long time. Why don’t we do something together before we worry about anything else.”
As she gazed between her sister and her mother, Leigh thought about Nan’s letter:No matter what, you’ll be okay.
Mama’s voice broke into her thoughts. “We need a chance to bond. That’s what Nan would’ve liked to see.”
Meredith softened even more at the mention of Nan’s wishes, facing Leigh. It was as if she were there, trying to direct them all in silence.
Both Meredith and Leigh stared at each other, neither of them saying a word, the two of them knowing that finding something everyone enjoyed was easier said than done.
“I think you should just say what you need to tell us, Mom,” Meredith said.
Mama looked around the ceiling as if it would give her some sort of hidden insight. “I can’t tell you yet. The three of us need to be on the same page before I drop this news.”
“I don’t havethatlong. I’m off to Paris soon,” Meredith said, her remark surprising Leigh. She hadn’t seen that coming. “Getting us on the same page is gonna take more time than that,” Meredith added.
Paris?
Realizing right then that she had no idea who her sister really was, Leigh got up and stood next to Meredith, ignoring her little jab. “How are we supposed to be on the same page when we barely speak? You’re my sister and I don’t even know what you do for a living or where you live. Or how in the world you’ve managed to plan a trip to Paris.”
Meredith faced her, pursing her lips. “You’ve never asked about any of it. Neither of you have.”
Leigh took a step closer to her. “Well, I’m asking now.”
Meredith looked down at the wooden edge of the porch’s screen frame, picking at a splinter that was jutting out. Her chest filled with air, and she met Leigh’s gaze once more. “I lived in a camper for two years, saving all my money from bartending. I bought a handful of canvases and got to painting, putting them up in different cities, saving my best ones along the way. And I opened a gallery in San Diego. It launched in January.”
“That’s amazing,” Mama said, her face lighting up.
“How’s it going?” Leigh asked, completely blown away that her sister would have pulled off something this huge without backing out or changing her plans. “Have you sold any paintings?”
