“We make the decisions we make and we learn to live with them. It’s a good thing I chose so wisely, isn’t it dear?” She bends down and kisses Norman's cheek, settling her hand on his other one while he leans into her.
“Good morning, dear,” he murmurs. “We have a beautiful visitor.”
“Quite. You’re here early,” she says to me and kisses the top of my head. “But it’s lovely to see you.”
Teresa is dressed in cozy gray lounge pants probably cashmere and soft and silky along with a matching top. Her dark hair is pulled back with a clip and even without makeup, she’s still beautiful.
“Difficult weekend and I was up early. We head back today, so I figured I’d enjoy breakfast with you instead of the insanity at my house.”
“Ah. Your mother mentioned fireworks with Iris this weekend. Are they still sparking?”
“I think once the flames end, there may be some difficult conversations ahead. But good ones, I hope.”
“Your parents do love you.”
“I think I’m finally beginning to understand that.” I sip my coffee and turn to Norman.
We chat about nothing. The weather. My job and my house. We avoid the talk of Norman’s cancer and further discussion of Roman or his wedding, but it’s an enjoyable morning all the same and when my coffee is emptied, I know, despite not wanting to face what’s waiting for me, I have hidden long enough.
“I should head back,” I say regretfully. “I need to pack and see Nana before she leaves. It was so good to see you.” I cover Norman’s hand with mine and he holds me tightly.
“You are a beautiful young woman with a bright future ahead of you. Never forget that and never settle for less than everything you’ve earned and deserve.”
“I won’t.” My chin wobbles and I fight back tears. With a shaky smile, I say, “I promise.”
He gives me a solemn look, one of sadness but acceptance. “Try not to stay away so long again, okay?”
“I won’t.” Not now that I know he’s sick without much time. I make a silent vow to return again while I still can and turn to Teresa who’s already standing from her chair.
“I’ll walk you out.”
I kiss Norman’s cheek, lingering there and tell him I love him before I allow Teresa to guide me back through the house. Once she sees I didn’t drive, but walked over, she asks, “Do you want to borrow our car so you can drive back?”
“No. The walk will do me good.”
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
“It’s been a long few days. Hard ones.”
“Well, seems to me that you’ve got a man at your side with shoulders strong enough to carry it if you let him.”
It’s too bad Klaus is the cause of most of the weight she’s referring to. I open my mouth to tell Teresa the truth but stop. There’s no point, and it’s better for her to believe what she thinks she sees than the truth.
I kiss her cheek and hug her tightly before saying my goodbyes and head down their stone path.
It’s too bad the walk isn’t long enough to solve anything, because when I return, Klaus is on the front steps of my parents’ house, arms crossed, broad stance, looking pretty damn angry, and I’m pretty certain my morning has gone from bad to worse.
23
Klaus
“Where were you?” I can’t hide the irritation I’m feeling, so I don’t bother. After avoiding me all night last night, for her to be gone when I woke up this morning ticked me off.
And then when she wasn’t in the house at all—and trust me, I looked. That irritation turned to anger. And then worry when I realized she’d left her cell phone.
She took nothing with her when she disappeared, and I had no idea where she went or how long she’d been gone.
As it is, everyone is awake, bustling for the day, and Nana is packing and talking about heading out.
In front of me, Jillian trudges up the steps with a metal coffee cup in one hand and red eyes from what looks like crying.
“What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head, barely glancing at me. “I went and saw Norman. Said I’d see him before I left.”
Oh. Well don’t I feel like a jackass. Although a note would have been nice. Maybe a kiss and a whisper but that’s probably asking too much after the wall she threw up last night when we left the reception.
“How is he?” My shoulders slump, tension draining now that I know she’s okay—relatively—and back home.
“Dying,” she says and blinks several times. She brushes past me up the stairs, barely giving me the time of day and while I’m glad she’s home and safe, the fact she’s still avoiding me hurts.
“Jillian?” I call to her. She hardly pauses in her race to get away from me. At least that’s what it feels like.
“Yeah?”
“Nana was looking for you before she leaves.”
“Right.” She heads inside, and I’m left out here, glaring at the rising sun and the bright blue sky.
Seriously. What in the hell went so sideways, and why is she taking it out on me?
I let loose a growl of frustration and head back inside. I’m already packed, my bags in Jillian’s room, and I find her there, grabbing clothes and heading into the shower.
“Is there anything you want to do today before we head back?”
Like, talk to me?
“No. I think I just want to head home. Make sure Becca hasn’t killed my plants.”
Despite the distance I can feel her putting between us like cement blocks, one by one, thick with mortar between them, I still laugh.
It quickly evaporates along with the click of the bathroom door closing behind her and the sound of the water turning on.
She’s locked the door for the first time all weekend.
Locked me out.
What in the fuck happened?
“Get my daughter home safe.”
I shake Stetson’s offered hand. My, how quickly things can change. “I will. Thanks for everything this weekend.”
“Perhaps we’ll have more of them.”
I’m not sure I believe that.
After she showered and dressed, she went and said goodbye to Nana, again without me, leaving me to hunt her down.
Some day I might find the humor in this, but today isn’t that day. I have no idea what she’s so upset about or what I’ve done, but the last thing I want to do is start an argument when we have a three-hour drive ahead of us.
Lucky me, it appears I’ll be spending it with a thick block of awkward tension between us instead. My already cramped Ferrari might not be able to handle any more weight.
Claire has her hands clasped gently together in front of her, but she’s smiling at Jillian. An improvement in seventy-two hours I didn’t think I’d witness. But oh, things are changing.
“After you get home, you can check your calendar and let me know when you have a free weekend. Perhaps your father and I can come up and visit? See your gardens you’ve told me about for so long?”
Jillian’s face registers complete shock from her raised brows and slack jaw. “Yeah, sure, Mom. I’d like that.”