Page 161 of Meet Me in the Valley
“So happy, baby.” Logan kisses my temple, then a chaste one on the lips.
Mom lights up the moment she sees me and Logan, and Dad wraps me into one of his signature warm hugs.
“Glad y’all could make it. You feeling good, Mama?”
“Feeling great,sayang.Don’t worry about me so much. Go be with your friends.”
She’s been saying things like that more often lately. Brushing me off with a smile, trying to make it easier on me.
She hasn’t said it outright, but I see the guilt in her eyes on the days I sit beside her too long. Mom hates that we have a front-row seat to this slow, cruel disease. She wants to protect us, even now. Especially me.
But that’s just not how I love.
I’ve built a life full of purpose and people I love, but family is still at the center of it all. It’s why I came back. It’s why I stay.
Alzheimer’s can fuck right off. I’m not going anywhere.
“Where’s Nora?” Dad asks, scanning the backyard.
I frown, glancing over my shoulder. Isworeshe was right behind me. I squint into the distance, but come up empty.
Logan’s in the middle of making my mom laugh when I step up beside him and rest a hand on his lower back.
“I’m gonna go find Nora,” I say softly. “Be right back.”
“Want me to come with you?”
I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. Stay with Mom.”
He nods and leans in, brushing a soft, careful kiss against my lips in front of my mother. Ever the gentleman.
I scan the backyard again, but still no sign of Nora. That uneasy feeling from earlier creeps back in, heavier now. Something’s off. I can feel it. It sits like a stone in my stomach, refusing to budge.
Just as I take a step toward the vineyard, the back door swings open, and Nora storms through it.
She avoids my eyes completely, weaving past everyone without a word. Her pace is fast, almost frantic, as she heads straight for the vineyard, her posture tight and closed off like she’s holding something in, or trying not to fall apart.
That stone in my gut turns to lead.
Something is definitely wrong.
I shuffle after her, catching her elbow to spin her around.
“Nora, what’s wrong?”
She jerks out of my grasp, eyes locked on Cali up ahead. There’s urgency in her steps now, and when I finally catch a glimpse of her face, my stomach drops. Her eyes are red-rimmed, like she’s been crying, and alarm bells blare loud in my head.
“What’s going on?” I plead. “Talk to me!”
She doesn’t respond, doesn’t even look at me as she powers forward. I have to jog in these damn wedges just to keep up. Two more steps and I’m about to kick them off.
Nora continues to ignore me, and that triggers something ugly inside of me. But I shove it down, refusing to let our past cloud our relationship. I’m not perfect, but damn, it hurts to see her avoid me when I’m trying to get her attention.
Up ahead, Kerry is showing Cali something on her camera. Nora storms up and snatches Cali’s hand.
“Calista, we’re leaving.”
“What? Why? We just got here! I don’t want to go!” Cali protests, trying to hold onto her camera.
