Page 46 of Just For Her

“How did I grow up, exactly?”

“Don’t play games,” Kiersten said. “You know what she means. After your mother shamed herself, she took you to your maternal grandmother’s plot and raised you in that… vehicle.” She meant a trailer, although she would never admit that it was kept neat, tidy, and clean for as long as Lianne and Tove lived there. “You couldn’t have helped it, of course. You were a child, but your mother set you up for a different outlook on life. One that has served this family well as you’ve counseled us on what matters from that… side of things. That’s why we’re here. To offer you advice on whatweknow best.”

“You think that what’s best for me is to get rid of Kayla because she either might be a gold digger… or too low class to be seen with someone whose last name is Fredriksson.”

“In this county? Yes.”

Perhaps the anger burned in Tove’s cheeks. She couldn’t tell, because her attempts at a neutral look in front of the most influential women in her family put more strain on her heart than her gifts of perception. “At least you’re honest,” she said to Kiersten.

“I’ve always been honest with you. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Too honest, maybe.

“Suppose I prefer to know what you’re thinking instead of what you say to my face out in public.” Tove was grateful when Nemo escaped to the bedroom, his tail straight up in the air and his chomping noises behind him – Kiersten had almost looked like she was about to chase the cat away herself. “If there’s one Scandinavian stereotype this family bucks, it’s that the women are not afraid of confrontation.”

“We look out for our own,” Kiersten said. “How do you think you’ve made it this far?”

Tove knew better than to ask what that meant.She’s merely trying to get a rise out of me.It was one of many ways Kiersten exerted her control over the rest of the family.Because she has nothing else.That was Kiersten Fredrikssons fatal flaw, and she probably didn’t acknowledge it.

“I have no intention of breaking up with Kayla over your concerns,” Tove made clear a few minutes later. “I’ve heard your concerns. I already knew that someone probably harbored them. However, unless I have myownconcerns in a relationship thatIam experiencing, I don’t see why I should break up with the first person to come into my life in the past twenty years. Yes, she’s beautiful. Yes, she’s a generation younger than me. I suppose I am technically old enough to be her mother. Yet that also means I’m old enough to know a few things of my own. I know that I would prefer to not spend the rest of my life alone if it can be helped. I also know what I want from love. I don’t even know if thisislove. It doesn’t matter right now. We’re still getting to know one another, and I would appreciate the courtesy of you three treating me as I am mature enough to not only make it this far in life relatively unscathed but to make my personal decisions. Besides, there isn’t much for her to try to scam out of me. You’ve also ensured that as well.”

Out of everything Tove saidthatlast bit was what Kiersten glommed onto. “I don’t know what you mean by such an accusation, but I shall bite my tongue. You’ve made it quite clear that your intentions are pure, but again, it’s part of our job as your elders to look out for you and your best interests. We will not cease to do so until we are satisfied one way or another.”

If that was a threat, Tove would have to deal with it.

She saw them out soon after. They piled into June’s SUV, Kiersten choosing to secure herself in the backseat. Tove watched after them from her front porch, a drizzle raining down on the two vehicles in the driveway that soon turned into one. A finer mist had never obscured the single light shining from a garden shed near the road.

With a sigh, Tove locked up. Her TV dinner was long cold, but she had no appetite. The best thing to do was to work on a client’s taxes. Preferably, someone whodidn’thave the last name Fredriksson.

I still need a vacation.Having Kayla around for dates and more was a great distraction from the work-related stress eating away at Tove this time of the year, but it didn’t stop her from needing to getaway.When she closed her eyes, her imagination whisked her somewhere else: a large, rambling river cutting between two northern states; a sleepy house built by a woman with too much money and not enough sense; the cold wind in her face as she sailed down a snowy mountainside with nothing but chance and skill on her side.

That’s right. She was supposed to check on the availability of the house in Hood River. She wondered if there was still time to reserve a choice day in the middle of April.

Chapter 13

AssoonasApril18thhit the calendar, Tove shut down her work computer, closed up the office, and hung up a sign that said“Gone Fishin’.”

“You got that from my shop, didn’t you?” asked Trudy from down the street.

“I believe you gave it to me in a neighborhood Secret Santa a few years ago. Remember when we used to do that?”

“Honey, I barely remember what this town looked like a few years ago. So much has changed.”

Trudy wished Tove a well-deserved vacation. As soon as she was packed and her car was loaded, she picked up Kayla from her cul-de-sac on the other side of town and headed north on the highway. Of course, it wasn’tonehighway connecting the two touristy towns, but Tove didn’t think of it like that. As far as she was concerned, it was one straight shot from her childhood home of Bend to the place where she spent many idyllic summers and Christmases with her extended family.

“Ooh, there’s still snow on Mt. Hood!” Kayla’s face was glued to the window as they passed the biggest mountain in Oregon. The highway wound so close that not only did they contend with traffic from those looking for some outdoor enthusiasm, but Tove was likewise captivated by the image of the mountain that shared a name with a town and river. It was always like a special kind of homecoming.

“Good thing I brought the skis.” They clattered in the back of Tove’s SUV. She had too much experience around here to know better than to strap them to the hood of her car. “We can go tomorrow. I’ve already got us reservations.”

“So last minute?”

“Trust me, I know a guy who knows a guy.”

Kayla’s grin soon turned back to the window. Tove prepared to switch highways, but they were practically in Hood River already.

When they emerged near the Washington border, her breath was taken away by the bold greens of spring in contrast to the white peaks of the mountains behind her.I have to come here more often.The older she got, the more she appreciated natural beauty. Her mother once said that it was the biological, spiritual yearning to return to where one came from.She liked to get metaphysical like that.According to Lianne, there was nothing more understandable than the human soul craving a connection to the nature around them.

Tove understood that better now. As she flicked her turn signal and went over the new access code to the gate leading to private property, she was flooded with every sweet memory she harbored from her childhood.Christmas, family reunions, playing with my cousins, and eating up when there was a big announcement like a wedding or a baby.Those were the days. Nostalgia gripped her so hard that she almost forgot all the pain, fights, and disgust that often accompanied the same visits.

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