Page 60 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
“Oh,no.” Minna bit her lip and stared at Beatrice as if she was going to kick the bucket right then and there. “We’ll figure it out. We will!”
That was nice. But none of them had to deal with the rising existential panic that threatened to choke Beatrice, did they? No, that was hers, her own dire gift bag of terror.
I’m young. Youngish, at least. I’m healthy.
At her last routine physical, the doctor had said, “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up. You’ve got the blood pressure of a twenty-year-old runner and your labs are gorgeous.”
I’m youngish and I’m healthy.
A chill swept through her, cooling the sweat that had broken out along her spine.
Reno bent to pick up the cap of her water bottle for her. When she pressed it into Beatrice’s hand, the kindness of the small gesture made tears rise behind her eyelids.
Cordelia turned to Astrid. “Wearegoing to figure it out. Right?”
Instead of answering, their mother rose.
“Mom?”
Astrid went to the front glass door, unlocked it, passed through, and with a key she withdrew from a pocket in her coat, relocked it again from the outside. Then she was gone, down the sidewalk.
Beatrice’s throat knotted so tightly, she could hardly breathe. Yep, that was just about what she’d expected from a person who’d abandoned her as a baby.
Minna sighed. “She’s just pissed all the action isn’t happening toher.”
But Cordelia shook her head. “There’s more to it than that. I think it’s guilt. And fear.”
Bullshit. Astrid didn’t fear losing her. How could she? She barely accepted the reality of her.
Besides, the reality of Beatrice wasn’t going to last very long at this rate. Nausea rolled through her at the thought. “Fuck,” she said softly.
Reno spoke. “What about those other things you wrote?”
Cordelia threw her a grateful look. “Of course. Start with what we have.”
Minna flipped back a page. “Here.” She let Cordelia read the page first, and then passed it to Reno.
As Reno read the words, Beatrice skimmed them again.
Drivel. All of it.
Except…
It had felt the same to write the sentence about the tree house.
So, what if it wasn’t drivel?
Minna listed names on her fingers. “Norman. Do we know a Norman? And Patrick—isn’t that the name of the new butcher at the store? And those initials,K,M,J, andO.”
“Keelia and Olive?” said Reno.
Beatrice scanned that one again.
K–M and J send love and out of season peppermint bark. Don’t worry. We’re watching O. Froggy carries our kisses.
Cordelia said, “Keelia’s mother’s name was Margaret, right? What was her dad’s name?”
Minna’s mouth formed a circle. “Olive was just talking about her grandpa on her mom’s side. Grandpa Jackson.”
