Page 64 of The Summer We Mended
“You came over because I texted you ten times,” Anna teased.
“That too.”
Lily smiled faintly at the exchange, grateful for their easy banter.It reminded her of summers past, before deployments and heartbreak, before funerals and the silence that followed.Cody had once been the loudest voice in any room, always cracking jokes or teasing his sister.Lately, he was quieter, like the rest of them, but today… he felt a little more like himself.
Lily shifted on the porch, her gaze lifting to the edge of the yard, and that’s when a silver sedan pulled into Tom’s driveway.It was sleek and unfamiliar.
Lily sat up straighter.“Tom’s not home, right?”
Anna looked up, too, shading her eyes with one hand.“No.He said he had business in Boston.Left early this morning.”
They watched together as a woman stepped out of the car.She was tall and willowy, her pale blond hair pulled back in a loose braid.She looked in her late twenties.Her jeans were tight at the knees from the drive, and she was wearing a Boston University hoodie.
Something about her seemed… uneasy.She approached Tom’s front door and knocked.Waited.knocked again.When no one came, she looked around, as if second-guessing her location.Then she stepped off the porch and began walking around the side of the house, calling out softly.
“Max?”she said.“Max, are you here, boy?”
Lily stood instinctively.“I’ll go see if I can help her,” she said.
Anna touched her arm gently.“Hold on a sec.Let’s see what she does.”
Lily hesitated, then nodded.They watched as the woman paused in Tom’s backyard, her head tilting as if listening for something.
Lily stepped to the edge of the yard.“Can I help you?”she called.
The woman startled slightly.She turned to face Lily, lifting a hand as if to apologize.
“Oh.I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to be nosy.”She smiled sheepishly.“I’m June.I’m Tom Hadley’s daughter.This is his place, right?I was trying to surprise him with a visit.”
Lily’s brows lifted.“We didn’t realize Tom had a daughter.”
Anna joined her mother at the yard’s edge, curious now.“He’s out for the day.Had a meeting in Boston.He should be back soon.”
June’s shoulders sagged.“I should’ve called,” she said.“It’s… I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Lily’s gaze flicked to the car.It was packed.Not just clothes, but boxes, kitchen items, and a duffel bag shoved against the rear window.This wasn’t a visit.It looked like a move.
June followed Lily’s gaze and looked suddenly self-conscious.Her hand tugged at her hoodie sleeves, trying to pull them lower.She wasn’t fast enough, though, because Lily saw bruises.Yellowed at the edges, with darker smudges near the center.Old enough to fade.Recent enough to sting.
Lily didn’t pry, but she could show her some neighborly kindness.After all, Tom had done that for them since the day he arrived.
“You’re welcome to wait with us,” Lily said gently.“We’re just having lunch on the porch.”
June blinked.“Really?That’s kind of you.I don’t want to impose—”
“You’re not,” Anna interrupted with a smile.“We have more food than we know what to do with.”
Cody stood as they walked back to the porch.“Hey there,” he said, offering his hand.“I’m Cody.That’s Anna.This is Lily, our mom.”
“Hi,” June said softly, her voice barely above the breeze.
“You’re Tom’s daughter?”he asked, casually glancing toward her car.“He’s mentioned you a couple times.Said you were living out of state?”
“Virginia,” she said.“Until recently.”
“Well, welcome to Massachusetts,” Anna said kindly.“We’re all neighbors now.”
June nodded, but she still looked wary.Like someone who’d flinched too many times in one lifetime.
