Page 68 of Butterfly Sisters
“I’ve already apologized. I don’t know what I’d say that could make it any better,” Leigh replied.
Mama kept her gaze above her as she lay on the mattress beside the girls. “I hate to think of him stewing on that big farm all by himself. It just doesn’t seem right for him to be alone.”
Meredith tucked her arms under the covers. “It’s odd that he lives out there by himself. That’s a mighty big house to have for one person. It’s huge, Mama. Have you seen it?”
Mama shook her head.
Leigh rolled onto her side. “I know. It’s weird that he never settled down. I’d always pictured him as a family man.”
“He used to tell me he was going to marryyou,” Meredith said.
A wave of regret washed over Leigh, her skin turning ice cold.
Mama propped herself up on her elbow to address Meredith. “He told you that?”
Meredith nodded. “Yep. We’d laugh it off because we were so young, but I could always tell that he kind of meant it.”
“A house like that isn’t meant for one person. That’s why I sold the house in Spring Hill. It was too big for just me. I noticed the emptiness.”
Leigh suddenly wanted to go back in time and visit more, stay in her old bedroom, and spend long days on the front porch, talking about nothing in particular.
Meredith had been quiet, lying on her side, listening to the conversation. When Leigh and Mama had settled into a comfortable silence, Meredith spoke up.
“Growing up, I never needed anyone,” she said. “And I’m different from the two of you. But Iwantyou both in my life. I don’t want to go that long again without us all getting together.” For the first time in their adult lives, Meredith reached around the two of them and pulled them in for a hug.
TWENTY-THREE
The next morning, the light tweeting of the birds caused Leigh to swim out of her sleep. She carefully climbed over her mother and sister and crawled out of the tent, stretching her limbs in the crisp air. The sun was just coming up, casting a pink-and-orange glow over the lake. Barefoot, she tiptoed down the path and up the steps to the porch, going inside the cabin, the heat immediately hitting her and making her shiver after being outside.
She turned on the lamp at the kitchen counter and grabbed her phone to check the time. A text notification was waiting on her screen. A pulse of excitement zinged through her, hoping it was Colton. She swiped it open but was met with something different entirely.
Hi Ms. Henderson. This is Pamela Lyons. James Peterson gave me your number—I hope that’s okay. I’d love to speak with you about a possible job opportunity. You can reach me at this number.
What was Jimbo doing giving out her number? And did she even want to meet someone who was involved withhim? She swiped the text alert away and rubbed her eyes, yawning. She’d get to that later.
She set the phone down and walked past the table with the red roses that were now beginning to droop, heading into the living room. She turned on another lamp and dropped down onto the sofa.
A blue early-morning light filtered in through the windows, and the cold air lingered above the floor like a springtime fog that would lift as the day wore on. Leigh grabbed the blanket from the arm of the sofa and draped it over her, pulling her legs up under it, settling her chill.
The creak of the screen door pulled her attention to the porch.
“Hey,” Meredith said, her voice groggy, her hair frizzy from sleep. “Need. Coffee. Want some?” She padded past Leigh into the kitchen, her bare feet hardly making a sound.
“What time’s your flight?” Leigh asked quietly, her voice carrying easily through the silence into the next room.
“Eleven,” Meredith replied above the clinking of the mug she was getting out of the cabinet. “Want a cup?”
“Sure, thanks,” Leigh replied.
The coffee maker protested with a sizzle, and after a lull of silence, Meredith came into the room with two mugs. “I’m gonna see if I can postpone the flight.” She sat down next to her sister, handing her one of the coffees, and pulled the edge of the blanket over her feet.
“Really?” Leigh asked. “Why?”
“I’ve been thinking.” She wriggled to get herself comfortable and then stilled as she looked at Leigh. “Last night was the first time in my whole life that I actually understood you and Mama. Like,reallycomprehended where you were coming from. My trip to Paris seems awfully insignificant compared to that. I want to stay.”
A wave of happiness washed over Leigh. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
“You okay putting up with me for a few more days?”
