At least, that’s what I believed.
Time gave me a very different perspective, but like everything else in my life, it was too late to fix.
chapter forty-one
Pris
Pris sighed and looked around at the cottage. Half-packed bags lined up for tomorrow’s early departure. A bittersweet sadness flowed through her at the idea of leaving. So much had happened here, and Mom had been a testament to all of it. These past two weeks had changed everything.
The thought of seeing Garrett again stirred hope. She hoped they could continue to grow together rather than apart, but knowing next week she’d be starting a new adventure for herself was key. She’d signed up to begin ballet classes again and get back in shape, and was meeting with a trainer to learn about the marathon. She was ready to embark on a new journey to find what fulfilled her. The past—or the years lost—no longer mattered so much.
Because they weren’t lost. She had her precious Thomas. A marriage worth fighting for. A life that was still so good, it was time she woke up and began living it.
Dev groaned. “I’m not looking forward to those stairs.”
Bailey laughed. “Oh, come on, your legs are like rocks now! Where’d you make reservations for our final dinner?”
“The Mirage. I got us a sea view and the menu looks sick,” Dev said.
“You could have invited Hawke,” Bailey mentioned. “We don’t mind.”
Dev smiled. “Thanks, but I wanted it to be just us tonight. Kind of our farewell. I’ll see him tonight after dinner.” Her gaze skirted over the cottage. “This turned out to be an amazing vacation, but I wish we’d been able to solve the mystery we came for. Do you think we’ll ever figure out who R is?”
“We may never know the full truth about Mom and R, but maybe we weren’t meant to.” Pris spoke slowly, her brow furrowed in a frown. “I feel like we were meant to find her house. Our house. At first, I thought I needed to protect her legacy. I didn’t like the idea of us thinking she was unfaithful, or not the perfect Mom I always saw. But now? I feel like this was always about us.”
“Us?” Dev asked, tilting her head.
Pris smiled. “Yeah. Us. We were broken and no one knew how to fix it. We lost Mom but we gained one another. And I kind of feel like she’s been here, guiding us back, and this house was part of it all. Is that weird?”
Bailey sighed. “Not at all. Sounds perfect to me. Why do we always try to make it about a guy anyway?”
Dev laughed. “Truth. Even though I found one when I wasn’t looking. I guess I’m learning the best-laid plans don’t always work out.”
Bailey fell back in exaggeration. “What did you say? Plans may not work? I’m sorry—can you repeat?”
Dev punched her in the arm. “Cut it out! I’m taking a risk here, but I’m going to try.”
Pris beamed. “That’s all we want you to do. Hey, if you ever need a reminder, I can text you this picture I snapped on the beach.” She scrolled quickly through and showed her the screen. The picture showed Dev with a straw hat perched low on her brow, sprawled out on a red-and-yellow-striped lounge chair, mouth hanging open in an obvious snore.
Bailey cracked up, which got her another punch. “I told you to delete that!” Dev yelled.
“Never. I’m printing it out for my Christmas cards this year.”
“You both suck.”
Bailey jumped to avoid another attack and floated toward her room. “Gonna sit in the garden before dinner and do some sketching.”
“I’ll join you,” Pris said. “I want to soak up as much as possible before we leave. I feel closest to Mom in the garden.”
“So do I,” Bailey said.
Dev grabbed her phone. “I’m going for a short walk with Hawke. Just going to change real quick.”
“Okay, meet you outside, Bae,” Pris called. She grabbed a water bottle and headed toward the front door.
Then stopped short.
A man was standing outside, behind the screen door. His hand was raised to knock, but he lowered it when he caught sight of her. “Hello? Can I help you?” Pris asked, walking forward. In Boston, she’d never open the door to a stranger, but Positano was so friendly, strangers invited you to dinner daily.
She swung the door open and paused.
The man stared back at her and, immediately, goose bumps prickled her skin. His hair was a mop of salt-and-pepper curls. He was taller than average and seemed fit. His face held thick brows, a full mouth, and a broad, slightly crooked nose. But it was his eyes that mesmerized Pris. Deep and dark, like staring into a midnight abyss. Full of emotion. Sadness. Longing. Regret. It was all there contained in his gaze, and suddenly, Pris began to shake, sensing all the days before had led up to this one right here, in this moment.
“My name is Rafael Sartori. I was a friend of your mother’s.”
The water bottle slipped out of her hand and crashed to the floor. She tried to get her voice to work. Finally, it came out in a squeak. “Please come in. Let me get my sisters. We’ve been looking for you.”
He bent and retrieved the bottle, pressing it back into her hand. Pris called out.
“I told you I’m coming I just—” Bailey trailed off, clutching her sketch pad to her chest.
Dev came around the corner and just stared.
“This is Rafael Sartori,” Pris said, her voice a tiny bit stronger. “He knew Mom.”
The silence in the room felt explosive.
Finally, he spoke. “I’m here to tell you about Olivia Moretti. About what happened.” He paused. “About us.”
chapter forty-two
Olivia
It’s the first day of summer.
I woke up thinking of him today, as I often do, but this time I dragged out the trunk from my closet and lifted the lid.
The house is quiet. Bailey still comes in and out depending on who she’s dating or what job she picked up, but even then she has her own room and I rarely see her. Adam and I have been divorced for years now, finally agreeing the girls could handle the split.
I kept going back to the irony. Bailey was just a little younger than I was when my parents decided to divorce. I’d been set on giving them a different upbringing, sure Adam and I would make it, but we did our best. Mom was right. Sometimes, it’s better to let go and focus on being happy as individuals. Mom definitely did better than Dad, though. Till the very end, I always believed he regretted the divorce and missed Mom.