Page 12 of Not Another Beach Read
"It's ok. Keep breathing. I can talk about my garden in the meantime. Did I tell you I caught Brenda next door staring at my ass while I was pruning the rose bushes?"
As he'd predicted, that was all it took. A choke of laughter burst out, followed by a warbled "D-a-aaa-ad!"
"That's better. Between you and your mother, keeping everyone calm is a full time job around here. Ok, are you ready to hear what's been going on?"
I most certainly am not.
"Yes," I whispered.
He cleared his throat. "It's been two weeks since Rachel left. She stole your mother's laptop and my iPad and took off in the middle of the night. We tried to track her but she's turned off Find my Phone and our messages go unread. Your mother is a wreck."
We all have our coping mechanisms. My Dad's and mine are inappropriate humor (much like Paige and her Dad from what I've seen), once I'm over the initial shock. My mother hides in bed with the shades drawn. Who's to say which was the least healthy. At least she never accidentally offended anyone from under her covers.
You'd think we'd all be used to this by now, but frankly, we just keep practicing for the worst day of our lives. The day we all know is coming, just not when.
None of this was new. This was an act she had been perfecting over the last decade, and it usually began with some theft of property in one form or another.
"How's Holly?" I asked, with the most obvious of answers already in the back of my mind.
My niece, Holly, was more like my dad and me, and hid her worry. But instead of tucking it behind a wall of ill-timed humor, she chose to stuff it down and not talk about it at all. She visited Drew and me at least twice a year, but in those times, she had only opened up to me about her troubles with her mom twice. And both times were rather late at night, when she was tired and her defenses were down.
The last time, I had stopped by her room to say goodnightand heard her blowing her nose before I walked in. That night, she confessed to me how hard her mom's addiction had been on her. My sister always ran out of money or resources at some point and came crawling back, begging for forgiveness and swearing that she would change. That had yet to happen.
And of all of us, Holly was the one paying the highest price. I had my parents around. And while I did not want much of their comfort as a teenager, they had been a great comfort to me in my adulthood, especially as I struggled to become a parent myself. Holly was the closest I had ever come to a child of my own, and I cherished my relationship with her.
"You know Holly," said my dad. Holly was stoic to her core with a light undercurrent of thinly veiled anger, and a dash of teenage angst. "How lucky for you to get to enjoy that stage for a third time," I joked.
"Yeah, well," he said. "If it's not this, it'd be the lottery." He chuckled. "But in all honesty, I feel so blessed that we're in a position to care for her. I know that your sister just can't. I just feel bad that this is Holly's summer."
At that moment, an idea struck home.
"Hey, I know that Holly just left here a few weeks ago, but I wonder if she wouldn't mind a second visit this summer, just to keep her mind off everything that's going on. It'd probably also take a little pressure off of you guys having to think about her needs. It's okay for you to think about your own from time to time, Dad. Maybe this will make life a little easier on Mom, too."
"I think that would be a wonderful idea, kiddo," he said without missing a beat. "Let me talk to your mom, then run it past Holly and see what she thinks. She came back from your place completely different and more carefree than I'd seen her in a while. I'd love for her to be able to put some of this behind her and relax a bit. She has another month before school startsup again, and honestly, even if she starts a little late, it's probably not the end of the world."
"She can stay here as long as she needs to. I'm sure Drew won't mind. He loves having her here."
"Well, then it's settled. I'll talk to your mom and Holly, and you and I can connect again over the next couple days and make a plan."
"Sounds good. I know Drew's got a ton of airline miles, so if this all lines up, I'll send you a ticket for her."
We hung up, and within a few hours, I had my answer.
After a quick call to Drew to make sure he was on board—which was really just for show, because I already knew his heart as well as my own—I logged on to our airline account, bought the first ticket I could, and sent the flight information to my dad.
Holly would be leaving Arizona and arriving in Florida the next day.
ELYSE
On the way to Tampa airport to pick up Holly, Drew and I were both so nervous and excited the air seemed to crackle around us. I had butterflies and sweaty palms, and when Drew grabbed my hand, I felt that he did too. We didn't seem to have much to say, both of us having exhausted the what-ifs the night before, but we were so in tune with one another, we already knew every word that we'd left unsaid.
I texted Holly as we pulled up in front of the arrivals at the airport. I wanted to meet her inside, but when we'd chatted over text the night before, she'd insisted she could get her luggage and meet us outside of the airport.
We did a few laps around the arrivals terminal before receiving the text that she was outside. When we approached the spot she said she'd be, I saw her short brown hair had been cut even shorter. It suited her pixie-like face perfectly.
Drew came around and put her two large suitcases in the trunk of his car while Holly climbed into the back where Eden was spinning in circles, excited for her visit. She comes often enough that to Eden she's just another member of our family. Italso made preparing for her arrival much easier since she'd already taken over the guest room on countless occasions.
"We got your room ready," I said as Drew pulled away from the curb.
