Chapter 11 Graveyard of Memories
GRAVEYARD OF MEMORIES
“What did you bring?” Rory said when he opened his door close to seven on Tuesday night. Gale had texted earlier apologizing she was running late and could reschedule if this time didn’t work for him.
Considering he needed a break from reading what destroyed his family, any distraction worked, any time of day or night.
“Italian,” she said. “Spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parm. They both came with a side salad, sorry.”
He narrowed one eye at her smirk. “I’m pretty sure you’re not going to crunch with your mouth open in front of me.”
“You never know. Take your pick what you want or we can be like cool polite adults and split them both.”
Her wide hopeful eyes said that was the option she wanted. Or it could be the two fingers held up trying to persuade him.
“I’ll take the spaghetti and meatballs.”
Her smirk dropped. “Fair enough.”
“And some of the chicken parm.”
“Sweet,” she said, her finger going back and forth between them. “I knew you were vibing like me.”
He laughed and it hurt how much it surprised him. God, it felt pathetic to admit, but he couldn’t remember the last time a simple, casual conversation had left him wanting to stay in the world instead of locking himself away.
Most of his adult life had been spent chasing ghosts, talking to them and letting them haunt every corner of his existence.
And now, standing in the shadow of the biggest one of all, he had her—this woman who didn’t just offer help but somehow made him feel…
lighter. As if the weight he’d been dragging for years had shifted just enough for him to breathe again.
Lighter than he’d felt in his soul since long before Lake George had become a graveyard of memories.
“Are you going to get quiet on me if I say you’re a lot in personality like Rene was?”
He could see her smile was forced now, her eyes sympathetic. “I’ll try not to. I wonder if it’s just having an older brother. Mine weren’t easy on me and I learned to give it back if not tweak their egos some.”
His smile was still in place and he almost felt a whisper in his ear of Rene telling him, “That’s it, Rory. Be you to help me.”
His eyes gathered the moisture he’d fought for years to keep hidden. The last thing he wanted was any witness to him losing it.
“Sorry,” he said, turning and getting dishes.
Gale moved closer and got right in his space even though he couldn’t see her with his back facing away. He felt her presence as much as he had felt his sister’s for years.
“Hey,” she said softly, her voice threading through the air. “Rory… I don’t know how you’re still standing here holding yourself together. If it were me, I’d have shattered a dozen times by now. I’d have broken in ways I’m not sure I could have come back from. But you… you’re still here.”
He turned and she held her ground. His gaze went to the ceiling, his eyes blinking some to get rid of those traitorous tears. “Fuck. Give me a minute.”
He walked out of the kitchen and left her standing there with him embarrassed and mortified by his loss of control.
He found himself in the bathroom, ran the cold water and washed his face, then came out prepared to apologize again.
Instead, he found dinner set on the table, a beer opened for both of them and poured into glasses, and her sitting there. “Come, sit, and eat. We can talk about anything you want or nothing at all.”
He appreciated her giving him the time. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. My brother Clay, he came back from the Navy with PTSD.
He won’t admit it, but we know. He was a changed man, but we gave him his space.
It took some time, but he came around and let us in.
He did that because none of us pushed. At least I didn’t.
Not so sure about my brothers, but I don’t think so.
I had to let him know he was still my brother regardless of what demons were in his brain. ”
“Thanks. I’m not sure it’s demons. More like emotions I haven’t let out for years.
My father, he did this. Refused to talk about what happened to Rene, and my parents’ marriage crumbled.
I lost the man I always looked up to, but he pissed me off.
It’s one thing to hold your emotions in, it’s another to pretend it didn’t exist.”
“That’s right. Don’t pretend. I’m not going to around you. I’m just going to be me. If it reminds you of Rene, let me know if that’s a good thing or not, but I can’t not be me either.”
“I don’t want you to pretend. Want to know why I got upset right now?”
“If you want to tell me.”
He had to be losing his mind to admit this. “I dream of Rene all the time.”
“That can be both comforting and emotional. I’m willing to bet a lot of it is guilt.”
“Definitely guilt. No doubt. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t blame myself for what happened to her. For not walking with her or searching her out when I got the text. Anything.”
“I remember enough from that time, Rory. Wasn’t it a few minutes from the text that she’d died? And wasn’t that far away.”
He sighed and filled his plate. “It doesn’t change my rationale.”
“It wouldn’t mine either.”
He took a few bites and appreciated that Gale just let him have that quiet to gather his thoughts. “I don’t just dream of Rene—she talks to me. Like her ghost is still here and she wants me to find who did this to her.”
Gale stopped chewing and gazed into his eyes. “Do you think it’s your subconscious or she’s really visiting you?”
“I thought it was the first and now I believe it’s the second. My mother confessed the same thing to me a few years ago.”
She put her fork down. “Now that is cool. Sorry, but it really is. Does she still pick on you like she used to? I hope she does.”
“Oh, she does,” he said, smiling, his heart racing but for another reason. This time he was going to really confess it all. What he was feeling when the tears came to his eyes. He’d come this far and wouldn’t back down now.
“I find that sweet. I’d do that to my brothers if I could.”
“It kills me to think she’s stuck here,” he said. “And I wonder if that is why she’s pushing.”
“I read one of your books,” she said. “It had a ghost in it talking to a relative. Do you always do that? Or write about that?”
“Sometimes. I write what I feel and what comes to me. That felt right,” he said. “Just like it feels as if you being here and helping me does too. When I turned around and saw you close to me, as if you were going to hug me, it’s like Rene was whispering in my ear to be me to help her.”
This time Gale’s eyes watered. She didn’t fight it back though. One big fat tear rolled down her cheek, then she stood up and sat on his lap.
“I should stay over there, but I feel as if you need a hug as much as I do.”
His arm went around her, her head on his shoulder as he wrapped her up tight.
They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. They just needed to be there for the other.
When she leaned back, he foolishly felt a draw closer to her and found his mouth just an inch away.
“Tell me no,” he said. “It’d be better for us both.”
“You don’t know that any more than me,” she said, her mouth pushing the last distance to make them one.
The kiss wasn’t rushed or desperate. It wasn’t deep or demanding.
It was soft, testing, and the kind of sensual tease that slipped past every wall he’d built.
His heart slammed like a jackhammer screaming that this was a mistake, but her arms clung to him like she couldn’t care less.
And God help him, he was ready to throw himself on that train with her, no brakes and no hesitation.
The time seemed to glide by, but he was positive it wasn’t even a minute before she lifted her head and then stood up and returned to her seat.
Maybe she didn’t feel the same as he did.
“Do I apologize again?” he asked after five seconds.
“Yes, you do. Because now I’m worked up and don’t like that feeling when I know there won’t be any relief in sight. So thanks for giving me a sleepless night.”
The humor in her tone and eyes was exactly what he needed.
“The same,” he said.
“Then I’m sorry I crawled on your lap. Or maybe I’m not. I think it was inevitable and I’m glad we did it.”
“Me too,” he said and returned to eating.
“I should tell you that when I picked dinner up someone mentioned a writer being in town asking about the case and getting the records. It’s no coincidence they were gossiping with me. I’m positive wherever this is coming from also knew I helped you get those records.”
He sighed. Not exactly what he wanted to happen. “What did you say?”
“What I always do,” she said, cutting her meatball in half and popping it in her mouth.
“Don’t leave me waiting,” he said while she chewed.
“That when people’s ears get bigger than their head, they do face plants and look like a fool.”
“That’s funny. I’m sure that person didn’t think so.”
“Most likely not. I don’t even know who it was. I go in there a lot for dinner and it’s embarrassing that more people around here know me than I know them.”
“Might come in handy though. If you don’t mind, can you tell me why you had to process what I told you yesterday about the McGregors and Cooper working for them?”
Gale nodded. “I had to figure out how much I was going to say. Not that I’m withholding, but if I give you my personal opinion on matters it might skew your thoughts and opinions and I don’t want that.”
“I appreciate that, but I’ll ask if I think you might be biased.”
“Ugh,” she said, wiggling her arms out. “Lawyers don’t want to be told they are biased.”
“You started it,” he said. “And you’re going to get sauce on that pretty sweater.”
She was still dressed for work in black pants, black pumps and a light pink sweater.
Her hair was in a ponytail but looked to have some more hair twisted around a rubber band, giving it some more flash. There wasn’t much makeup on her face, but he was positive she knew she looked the part every day she walked out of her house.