Page 9 of Hide Away By the Sea

I was about to open the door and walk inside when my mother saw me and jumped to her feet.

“Everleigh,” she cried, rushing toward me. I opened the screen door, and she flung her arms around me. “What are you doing here? Your father and I were going to pick you up.”

I clung to my mother, inhaling her raspberry-scented perfume. It was a special concoction my grandmother had put together. I never left home without putting on the honeysuckle perfume my grandmother had made for me. Thinking of it now made my chest tighten. Once my bottle ran out, that was it. My grandmother wasn’t here to make any more.

My father came up beside us and draped his arm around my shoulders. “We were getting ready to head to the airport,” he murmured softly.

My mother let me go, and I turned to my dad and hugged him. His strong arms held me protectively as any father would do. I missed him and continued to hold onto him as I spoke.

“After Mom called yesterday, the last thing I wanted to do was get on a plane with strangers. The drive helped clear my head.”

He kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear. “Glad you’re here, pumpkin. Maybe you can keep your mother from killing your aunt.”

“Great,” I groaned as he let me go.

When I turned toward the kitchen, Sandy was nowhere to be seen. But then she reappeared, sneaking out of one of the bedrooms. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just any bedroom . . . it was my grandmother’s. Even though my grandmother was Sandy’s mother, I didn’t like her snooping through her things.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite niece,” Sandy chirped, her voice high-pitched and nasally. It was the kind of sound that made you cringe. I raised my eyebrows, trying to keep a pleasant expression on my face.

“I’m youronlyniece,” I reminded her firmly.

Sandy waved away my comment and offered me a halfhearted embrace. Feeling obligated to reciprocate, I hugged her even though her hug felt limp and uninterested.

“I couldn’t help but notice the CRV outside,” she said begrudgingly as I stepped back. The slight edge in her tone was not lost on me.

My jaw tightened, and I frowned slightly. “What’s wrong with it?”

My aunt rolled her eyes and put her nose up in the air. Her words were patronizing yet laced with envy. “You’re a doctor now, a highly trained surgeon at that. You can afford something better.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her incredulously. Didn’t she have something else to worry about? Her mother had just died.

“Maybe you should concentrate on other things instead of worrying about what I do and don’t do with my money.”

Sandy scoffed again and raised one eyebrow disdainfully before shifting the conversation to another uncomfortable topic. “You’re still single, too, aren’t you?”

Her statement felt like more of an insult than an inquiry. A burst of rage surged through my body. My fists clenched, and I felt heat on my cheeks while I held back the torrent of words I wanted to spew at her. But my mother stepped between us before I could find the right ones to say. Her voice rose like a crescendo in a symphony as she shouted.

“What is wrong with you? We’re all here mourning the loss of our mother, and all you’ve done since you arrived is nitpick and belittle everyone.” She took hold of my hand and pulled me toward the door. Halfway there, she spun around to address Sandy again. “Why are you even here? It’s not like you care about anyone other than yourself.”

Sandy’s mouth hung wide open with shock, but before she could utter a response, my mother yanked the door open sharply and dragged me out with her. Once we were outside, she propped her elbows onto the balcony railing and exhaled heavily.

“I still cannot believe that woman is related to me,” she said, shaking her head. “It breaks my heart that she doesn’t understand how much our mother longed to be in her life.”

I gently touched her arm and spoke softly. “Every family has a Sandy.”

A small smile appeared on Mom’s face as she nodded in agreement. “You’re probably right. It hurts me to think that she never gave a damn about spending time with our mother. Her being here makes me so mad. After everything my mom did for her, she deserved so much more in return.”

I draped an arm over her shoulders, feeling her tremble under my touch. Her long, blonde hair blew around us as the wind picked up.

“She hadus, and our love was stronger than anything Sandy could ever give her.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I rested my head on hers, and we watched the waves crash against the shore until the sky turned a gentle shade of pink and purple with the dying sun. It felt like my grandmother was standing with us.

My mother broke the silence. “There’s something you need to know, Everleigh.”

The second I looked at her serious face, dread filled me. I couldn’t tell if she had good or bad news for me.

“What is it?”

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