Page 20 of Quintessentially

Kandace is gone.

ChapterEight

Kandace

The house I’ve lived in my entire life comes into view. Two-story farmhouse, it’s pretty cliché. The wraparound porch, the outdated rooms. There is nothing smart about it. Dad doesn’t even want gadgets that talk to him. No Google Home or Amazon Echo for him. And yet as my headlights skirt over the white building, I am home.

At twenty-seven, almost twenty-eight, it is time I think beyond my parents’ home. The thing is they love and support me—me and Justin and Molly. Our farm isn’t as large as Mr. Gordon’s, but it’s still working, and, in this day and age, that says something.

When I learned that I was pregnant, I went into denial. I hadn’t lied to Dax. I was taking the pill. I hadn’t been taking it long and even if I was perfect with the schedule, the birth control pill isn’t one hundred percent effective. At first, I assumed it was my crazy periods. It wasn’t until the sickness started that I even fathomed the possibility. With one more year of classes, I didn’t want to admit that I could be pregnant.

My mom is a nurse at the same hospital in Washington where Chloe works. Maybe she figured it out before I did, but when she confronted me about not eating in the morning and I told her that I wasn’t feeling well, she was already prepared with a pregnancy test. As the lines turned blue and my eyes filled with tears, she was there with her arm around me, telling me that it would be all right. My dad didn’t waver. They and Justin were there for me and for Molly. It’s a gift I can never repay.

Yet if—no, when—Dax signs off on Quintessential Treasures, I know that it’s time for Molly and me to get our own place. Town isn’t far from my parents, and she’ll be closer to the school. Plus, she can be home while I work on the ground floor. There is even room upstairs for an office, a real office where I can run the online side of Quintessential Treasures.

Those thoughts and concerns fade as I park my SUV in the driveway—more like a long gravel road that spans from the house, garages, pole barns, and out to the big barn. I see my parents on the porch looking out at the fields. Walking toward them, I take in the peacefulness as darkness fills the sky and stars twinkle above. The sounds of crickets, insects, and toads come naturally here, not piped in by some recording.

“How was the game?” Mom asks as I come up the steps.

I nod. “Good. Riverbend won. How is Molly?”

“An angel,” Dad says. “She made me read four books before her eyes got heavy.”

That makes me smile. “Oh, the inhumanity.”

He lifts his mug and grins. “Driving me to drink.”

“Right, Dad.” My father doesn’t drink alcohol. He isn’t against anyone else having some. But after his health scare about six years ago, he’s taken better care of himself. “That herbal tea is pretty strong,” I joke, before giving each one of them a kiss on their cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Honey, we’re happy to do it.”

“I’m heading upstairs,” I say.

Mom reaches for my hand. “Did he sign?”

Tears prickle my eyes as I step out of her reach. Wrapping my arms around my midsection, I lean against a post on the covered porch and shake my head. “Not yet.”

“He will,” Dad says.

“Mr. Murphy said he’d call me. Apparently, Ruth had some stipulations for him. I don’t know what they are. According to Mr. Murphy, Ruth specifically wanted each of her beneficiaries to make their own choices.”

“What choice?” Mom asks. “Quintessential Treasures belongs to you. That young man hasn’t stepped foot in this town for years.”

That young man.

My chin falls to my chest.

“Kandace Anne.”

Taking a deep breath, I lift my eyes to Mom. “I saw him. Cory asked him to play on the team tonight.” I shrug. “He’s probably why they won.”

Mom’s lips purse. “What did you find out?”

“About?” Apparently, playing dumb is my new defense.

“Dax,” Dad answers. “Or don’t you care?”

“I care, I mean, I don’t want him to have some genetic disease that will end up hurting Molly.” I inhale. “Joyce said she spoke to him at the diner. According to her he’s not dating, engaged, married, or gay.”

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