Page 42 of Mine to Keep

Another reason not to go to Nancy’s birthday party with Jamison. He could show off the piece that he’d picked out and they could go to her website if they wanted more information. She could tell him that she and Zadie had had a tough night and that she needed rest. He’d believe that and leave it alone.

She hoped.

“I think your granddaughter will love this.” Bryn strolled into the kitchen and set the open necklace box on the table.

“Oh, my. That’s just beautiful.” Willa fingered the silver dolphins. “I can’t take this without paying you.”

“You can. And you will.” Bryn squeezed the kind woman’s shoulder. “You can tell everyone where you got it, and they can come buy more pieces from me.”

Willa waggled her finger. “You’re a clever one.”

“Why, thank you.” Bryn did a little bow as if she were on stage. She’d fallen in love with Willa. It was like spending time with her grandmother. Or her favorite aunt, who had passed when Bryn was fifteen. She felt safe with Willa. “Now, what was the favor you wanted to ask me?”

“Well, as you know, I can no longer drive, so I was hoping to catch a ride with you to Nancy’s party.”

How could she say no to Willa? That would be like saying no to a well-behaved child on Christmas.

Impossible.

“You are going, right? Jamison said you would be.”

He shouldn’t have said she was definitely going. That was a bit manipulative on his part, and she’d make sure that she let him know how much that annoyed her later.

But there was no point dragging a sweet old lady into it.

“Yes. I’m going. And I’d be happy to drive you. Can you be ready at twelve-thirty?”

“With bells on.” Willa lifted her teacup to her lips and took a slow sip. “Oh. That’s some good stuff.”

Bryn sat across from Willa and sipped her coffee. She’d learned in the short week she’d lived in Lighthouse Cove that you didn’t push Willa out the door too fast. And, right now, Bryn was fine with that. She hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been all these months living in solitude, only leaving one dingy hotel room to go to the next one.

There was a three-week period where Bryn swore she hadn’t seen the sun. During that time, all she could think about was never seeing her father or sister again. She knew what it was like to bury a parent. And she missed her mother every day. However, when someone died, it was final, and you knew it. At some point, you had to accept it.

When Bryn left California, she’d known that her father and sister were alive. However, if something were to happen to them, she’d never know. It tore her at her insides that they were grieving her death when all she wanted to do was go running up her father’s driveway screaming, “I’m alive.”

But she needed to remain dead.

“Where did you go, honey? Because it’s not here in Lighthouse Cove.” Willa rested her wrinkled hand over Bryn’s wrist. “Sometimes, when we sit and chat, you disappear for a minute or two. I don’t usually say anything, but right now, you have this sad look about you, and it breaks my heart.”

Bryn had told Jamison that she was estranged from her sister. It was a story she would stick to. It was believable, and while everyone had an opinion, it wasn’t like anyone would meddle because her fabricated sister would be unreachable, and she’d never show her face in Florida.

“I was just thinking about the party for Nancy, whom I haven’t met yet, and how I wish things were different with my sister and me.”

“You’ve only mentioned that you have one and that you aren’t close.”

Tears threatened to fill Bryn’s eyes. That was so far from the truth, and it hurt. She and Anna, who she was going to call Arleen from now on, had been best friends. Her sister had been Bryn’s confidante. The one person, besides Hatti, that she could count on until Timothy turned into an asshole. That’s when Anna, aka Arleen, had had enough. She told Bryn that if she didn’t leave Timothy, she would stop giving her a safe place to land every time he raised his fist to Bryn’s cheek.

And that’s exactly what she did.

So, it wasn’t an untrue statement to say that they were estranged. However, Arleen had told her that if she ever left, she’d be the first one to open her doors, her arms, and her heart.

“We’re not, and I was just thinking about how close Jamison’s family is and how sad it is that he’s struggling with it all. I mean, they’re all still here and have a chance to mend things. I won’t ever have that with my sister.”

“That’s too bad,” Willa said. “Why do you say that?”

Because she thinks I’m dead,was the first thing that popped into Bryn’s head. “It’s complicated.”

Willa laughed. Not loudly. She never did that. It was always this quiet chuckle where her shoulders bobbed up and down, and she shook her head. “All families are complicated. Take Jamison and his family. He tries so hard to be mad and to hate them and not speak to them. Jamison has done a pretty good job of shunning Steve, his kids, and both his parents, but then his marriage fell apart, and it was his dad who helped him pick up the pieces there. His mom tried, but Jamison wouldn’t let her in. I think he should, but what I do I know?”

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