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My heart hurt to think about all that she’d endured on her own. “You should have told us so that we could be here to help you, to support you.”
“That would be just lovely. Everyone can see how badly I screwed up.”
“Eleni, we all make mistakes.” I scooted closer to her, taking her hand in mine. “I’ve made plenty. And I’m sure Flora has as well. We’re here for you. We would do anything for you. And you had a miscarriage. You were pregnant. That’s not the kind of thing you just get over.”
She sighed, tears filling her vision. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Well, you’re selling your house, so I don’t think everything is fine,” I pointed out. “Unless… Are you planning to leave Grouse?”
Shrugging, she revealed, “I might have to if I plan to work in my field ever again.”
My brows pulled together. There was so much I was attempting to process; I couldn’t keep up. “What? What does that mean?”
“I’m working as a waitress right now, Iris. I’m doingthat because nobody in this town will hire me. Brandon, my former boss, has all but destroyed my opportunities. And all the connections I had in this town were at my former job. There isn’t anyone I can reach out to for help in securing another position as a corporate accountant.”
No wonder she’d been telling me about how I needed to find friends outside of work. All this time I thought she was being miserable, but she’d been looking out for my best interests.
And to think that I thought I’d been having a tough time. My sister was going through something so much worse. I felt horrible. How could I have not known she was in such pain? The work situation was awful, but the miscarriage…
Unable to hold myself back, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so sorry, Eleni. So, so sorry.”
She didn’t hug me back. Not immediately.
“Have you even allowed yourself to grieve for the loss you suffered?”
“I don’t have the time,” she croaked. “I have to work as many shifts as I can right now so that I don’t eat too far into my savings.”
Loosening my hold on her, I brought my hands to her shoulders. “I’m going to help you. Whatever you need, until it’s all figured out, I’m here for you. And I know Flora will be, too. You haven’t told her?”
Eleni shook her head. “No.”
It was at that moment, my phone rang. I pulled it out, noted the name on the display, and said, “It’s Flora.” I answered the call. “Hi, Flora.”
“I saw I missed your call, Iris. What’s going on?”
“Can you meet me at Eleni’s?”
She groaned. “Don’t tell me you drove out here just to get her to talk to you.”
“I’m already here. And I’m with her. We need you to come here now. It’s important.”
There was a brief pause before she asked, “Is everything okay?”
I lifted my gaze to Eleni. “No. But it will be.”
“I’m on my way.”
I disconnected with her, looked at my sister, and said, “She’s coming.”
“Sunshine?”
The sound of Landen’s voice pulled me out of the chaos I was in. “Landen. I’m sorry. I just?—”
He held up his hand. “It’s okay. I don’t need any apologies. But how about you tell me a place where I can go pick up some dinner for you and your sisters, as well as the best hotel in town? If you want to spend the night here with Eleni and Flora, that’s fine. I can grab dinner for the three of you, head to a hotel for the night, and come back in the morning.”
This man.
This wonderful man was so selfless. We were only an hour away from home, but he was offering to spend the night in a hotel.
