Truly, when she thought about all the things they needed to replace, it overwhelmed her.
And yet, she had moments where she embraced the fact that this was a chance to start over, start fresh.
But there was so much of the past still left unsettled.
While the community had come together to provide free meals and assistance to navigate the process and red tape involved in a disaster, it was still so overwhelming. All she wanted to do was hand the whole job over to someone else. She wanted to turn back time and go back to her life before the fire destroyed everything.
That thought only reminded her that life hadn’t been happy and carefree for a long time. Certainly not since her husband’s death and, if she was honest with herself, it started before that. There’d been a distance building between them for some time. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she’d never get the answers she desperately wanted from David.
Right now, that didn’t matter.
Her boys deserved better than dingy motel rooms and another takeout meal.
Sierra glanced around the messy room. Plastic shopping bags with their meager belongings on the floor and dresser, discarded takeout containers scattered across the small table by the window, the boys’ bath towels on the tile floor by the vanity with the dripping faucet, both beds a mess of tangled sheets littered with toy cars and stuffed animals, and her boys sitting among the chaos eating a bag of chips instead of a healthy snack.
The untidy room reflected the current state of her life.
She needed to clean up the mess, clear her mind, and come up with a plan for their new life.
“What do you guys think about going to visit Grandma and Aunt Amy and Aunt Heather?” Asking for help had never come easy, but Sierra really needed some right now. She’d reached that point where there was so much to tackle she didn’t know where to start.
The boys rolled up to their feet and jumped up and down on the bed. “Yes!”
Danny bounced and landed on his butt. “When can we go?”
“Now!” Oliver begged.
Yep, they needed family. Stability. Something familiar.
Truth be told, so did she, but that meant going home. It felt like the right decision, but sometimes going home was easier said than done.
She hoped she wasn’t trading one drama for another.
Chapter Three
Heather pulled onto the shoulder and parked the car next to the mailboxes. She checked the car seat behind her and found her daughter, Hallee, still slumbering, her face soft and sweet. Every time she looked at her little girl, she saw a glimpse of the man she’d loved and lost.
Cars drove by on the main road. She climbed out and inhaled the slightly salty scent in the air, though they were a ways from the beach. She loved it here in Carmel Valley. So much so, she’d never left.
Not like Sierra.
She couldn’t imagine all her sister had been through these last weeks.
Her mother had called an hour ago, said she’d heard from Sierra, and asked Heather to stop by after work to talk about Sierra and the boys.
She missed her sister. But as much as she wanted to help, she dreaded Sierra’s return. Everyone would start asking questions about Heather’s daughter again.
Family. They wanted all the details about your successes and mistakes.
Hopefully, Sierra’s troubles would keep them all occupied and off her back.
Life had always been about her older sisters. This time would be no different.
Amy seemed to have a new crisis every week. If you could call motherhood a crisis. Amy seemed to think everything had to be perfect in her perfect life.
Heather rolled her eyes at that. Sometimes the messy things gave you the most satisfaction and joy. She glanced at her sweet sleeping angel. Yep. The mess, the pain, the bad choices . . . totally worth it.
Even if she had to live with the consequences and secrets.
A Mercedes pulled in front of her car as she retrieved the mail from her mother’s box. It had been a long time since she’d seen the sexy man who climbed out and stopped short when he saw her.
Mason Moore. Superhot next-door neighbor. Now a successful divorce attorney. They met him the day they moved here after their mom married husband number four. As teens, at one time or another, she, Amy, and even Sierra had a crush on him.
He had an odd profession for a guy who didn’t seem to enjoy other people’s drama. But Mom said rumor had it he’d helped an old flame out during a nasty divorce, managing to get her full custody of her kids from an ex-husband who liked to hurt the people he supposedly loved.
Mason would want to be the guy who protected people like her and the child.
He was just a good guy.
Maybe if she’d gone for someone like him instead of the bad boys she preferred . . . Well, that’s what happened when your heart wanted what it wanted.
Her heart sped up just looking at him.
“Heather. Hey. What are you doing here?”
Thinking about getting out of this rut and dating again. God, you’re gorgeous.
It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed a night out with a guy. She missed the flirting, listening to a man’s deep voice, having all his attention focused on her.
No offense to her sweet girl, but Mama needed some affection, too, sometimes.
She held up the stack of envelopes and catalogs. “Grabbing the mail for Mom on my way to see her.”
“How is she?” He unlocked his box and pulled out his mail, his focus more on the bills than her. Unfortunately.
“Fine. Getting the house ready for company.”
One eyebrow raised above his dark sunglasses. “Company?”
“Sierra and the boys.”
The eyebrow went up again. “Sierra’s coming home?” A hint of anticipation and hope filled the question that sounded way more like a statement he needed to hear to believe it.
She couldn’t see his eyes, but she felt his interest in the answer, not her. “They’ll be here tomorrow.”
“How are they? I mean, they must be devastated after the fire.”
“It’s been difficult. They’ve been moving from one hotel or motel to the next while Sierra sorts out the mess with the insurance and government assistance. There’s not much left up there for them. Sierra’s job is gone along with everything else they owned, so . . .” She shrugged. “I guess this is her only choice right now.”
Mason tilted his head. “She’s smart. Resourceful. I’m sure she’ll be back on her feet in no time. But it will be good to have her home.”
Heather wasn’t so sure about that. She loved her sister, but when they got together, they fell back into childhood roles. Heather wanted Sierra to see her for who she was now, not the impulsive spoiled brat Sierra used to call her. Of course, her sisters and mom never let her forget her mistakes and missteps. “I’m looking forward to seeing the boys.” That at least was wholly true.
“Please tell Sierra, if there’s anything she needs, I’m happy to help.”
Yeah, everyone had scrambled to help Sierra after David died. They’d do the same now after the fire. She’d be everyone’s priority.
Mason glanced at the back of her car. Hallee gave him a bright smile and waved. Mason waved back, smiling for the first time. It made him even more handsome, and Hallee ate it up, covering her face with her stuffed elephant, then moving it away and smiling at him again.