Page 21 of Just Another Chance

I pause unlocking the door and look over at my sister. “That would be a huge relief. Are you sure?”

Something flashes across her face, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “Of course. It’s the least I can do.”

“What about your job?” I ask as we walk inside. Kayla started making candles and has gotten them into quite a few upscale boutiques. They’ve been selling really well, too. She hasn’t mentioned her debt, but I assume she ended up declaring bankruptcy.

“I can make candles here while I watch Owen. That’s the great thing about it. It doesn’t really matter where I am. And I can always drop off the product at my stores on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s not a big deal and I can make my own schedule.”

“Well, I really appreciate it. So does Owen.”

“No problem,” she says. “I look forward to getting to know my nephew better.”

I nod and set Owen down on his play mat.

“I’m sorry about that,” she continues, and I turn to look at her, brows raised. “I probably should’ve come down with Mom to help while you were pregnant. I just had a lot going on and…Hell, I’m a selfish jerk. I’m well-aware of that now and I’m sorry, Addie. I’m trying to change and be more considerate.”

Her words touch something deep inside of me. “I know you are. I can see that you’ve changed a lot over the last couple of years.”

“I’m a work in progress, but I swear I’m trying to make up for past mistakes.”

I’m not exactly sure what she’s referring to, other than being absent a lot. “It’s okay, Kayla. I’m just glad to see you’ve turned things around. You seem to be doing really well and I’m so happy for you.”

She forces a smile and drops down beside Owen. Something is up with her, but I’m not exactly sure what. I figure she’ll tell me eventually. In the meantime, I go get the pile of paperwork associated with our mom’s death– there are things related to the house, insurance and the cremation. I sit down beside Kayla and Owen, and we start to sort through everything and figure out our best options.

The one thing we already decided was to skip a big funeral and burial. We had Mom cremated and when we get her ashes back, I’ll take them. It gives me comfort knowing that she’s finally back with my dad, her first, true husband, and the love of her life. It gives me a sense of peace. I’m also thrilled that Randy left.Good riddens.

“You haven’t heard anything from Randy?” I ask.

Kayla shakes her head. “No. He took off for good about a month ago.”

I nod, happy to hear it. If he was here right now, I’m sure he’d be causing all kinds of problems and we don’t need that. “I want to say I can’t believe he just took off and left Mom. But honestly, it doesn’t surprise me. At least he wasn’t around to make her life miserable the last few weeks.”

“I still don’t understand why she ever married him. He treated her terribly and he was a mean drunk.”

“I think she did it for us,” I say softly and look down at Owen.

“I would’ve rather had no father than him. He was the worst.”

“Yeah, I agree. It’s like if I would go out and marry the first loser I meet just so Owen can have a dad.”

“You’d never do that,” Kayla said.

“No, I wouldn’t. There’s a difference between a man who steps up and fills the big shoes of a father figure versus somebody like Randy. I know Mom meant well, but…” My voice trails off.

“Yeah.” Kayla grabs Owen’s foot and playfully tugs it. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” I ask suddenly. She hasn’t mentioned anyone, but Kayla always used to have a boyfriend.

She shakes her head. “No. I decided to step away from men for a bit. Take some much-needed me-time.”

“Me-time is always a good thing,” I say and smile. My little sister has really grown up and I’m proud of her. I think we’re going to grow a lot closer now that I’m back and I look forward to it.

“Yeah, it is. And I needed to figure out a way to get my act together. I’m not sure how long making and selling candles will last, but I really like it. I’m even thinking about expanding the business and setting up meetings with some of the larger department stores. If they carry my line, it could mean amazing things.”

“Can you imagine getting them into Bloomingdales?”

“Or Saks?”

We both squeal and Owen’s hazel eyes go wide. I lean over, laughing hard at the look on his face, and he bursts into laughter, too.

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