Chapter 50
FIFTY
We’re sitting on the edge of the small bed in Tim’s childhood room. The room is packed with stuff, and it’s clear they’re living out of suitcases right now.
There are still posters of the Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles on the walls, which would have given me fodder to tease Tim for the next decade if I weren’t too devastated to enjoy it.
If the situation weren’t so tense, I’d chuckle about how everything came about exactly as I knew it would.
But here we are, sitting in silence, tears still streaming down my face, even though I’ve stopped sobbing.
I’m wedged between Tim and Tally on the edge of the bed while Tim gently traces soothing circles on my back and Tally holds my hand in a vice grip.
Tally takes a deep breath before finally breaking the silence. “So… ghosts.”
I can’t help but cringe, and my stomach drops further.
That’s it.
This friendship will be over in the next few minutes.
I can’t bring myself to look at her, so I simply nod and focus on my trembling hands in my lap.
My voice wavers as I stammer out, “I-I’m sorry.
I very much appreciated the rescue, and I get that this is too much for you.
I never wanted to drag you into this. It just escalated and…
I’m going to go now. Thank you so much for everything.
I loved having you guys as friends.” The word ‘friends’ escapes with a sob, and I attempt to stand, but Tim’s hand on my shoulder gently pulls me back down onto the bed.
“Sit,” he demands.
“Explain.” Tally leans forward to look me in the eyes. My lip is quivering, and her gaze softens. “I’m sure we’ll understand better when we have the whole story.”
But deep down, I doubt anyone will truly understand. They’ll probably just think I’m crazy.
Just like they do.
But I owe it to Tally and Tim to tell them everything.
Even if it drives them away from me.
“I can see and talk to ghosts,” I begin, keeping my gaze fixed on Leonardo’s blue bandana so I don’t have to meet their eyes.
He was always my favorite Ninja Turtle. “I’ve had this ability for as long as I can remember.
My mom and my nan could do it too. It’s a gift…
” I explain with a hint of bitterness, “… that runs in the female side of our family. My mom didn’t want anything to do with it, but my nan used to communicate with spirits, helping them find their way to the light and the loved ones they left behind to cope. She taught me everything.”
As I speak, new tears begin to flow, but they are not for me this time. They’re for Nan, who would have known how to make people believe. She would have found a way to save Lio, never letting herself be pushed away because of her feelings.
She was so much stronger than me.
“So, you’re saying you’re like the medium on TV?” Tim asks skeptically.
“That’s not what she said!” Tally defends. “It isn’t, right?”
I nod. “Neither my grandma nor I ever accepted money for what we did, and we didn’t actively promote it either. It was just something we did, and people in need somehow found us. Word-of-mouth is a powerful thing.”
“You’re telling me you can see ghosts, but you don’t make money with it?” Tim’s brows furrow and he adds, “Sounds fucking dumb to me. You could make millions if what you’re saying is true.”
I let out a watery laugh.
Or I could end up locked away again.
“But what’s North’s problem, then? What was he talking about when he said you just wanted his money when you never asked for any?” Tim presses.
“I never even mentioned money. I have no idea. I just wanted him to get Lio checked again,” I explain.
“Why?” Tally inquires, her expression a mix of emotions I can’t quite decipher—maybe upset, concerned, or disbelief.
“Because Jessica told me to,” I whisper.
“Jessica?” They both say in unison, and Tim stops his soothing circles on my back.
I nod. “She was very insistent about it. I need to find a way to make it happen somehow.”
“Wait, let’s backtrack a bit. You talked to Jessie?” Tally’s eyes fill with tears.
I squeeze her hand gently, saying, “I did. She’s all right, just worried about Lio.”
“Oh my God,” Tally exclaims before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
“I’m sorry, Sloan. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s pretty hard to believe. I mean, it sounds fake,” Tim admits apologetically, and I love him for it.
A chill runs down my neck, and I raise my gaze to Shannon, who stands in the corner of the room with her tattooed arms crossed over her chest, her light blue eyes fixed on mine. And it’s the first time there isn’t a glimmer of her that feels hostile toward me.
“You can tell them I’m here, girl,” Shannon tells me, her voice softening. “You don’t deserve all this, and I think I’d like her to know I’m by her side after all.” She directs her gaze at Tally, and I follow suit, looking into Tally’s watery eyes and taking both of her hands in mine.
“Your mom thinks you’re doing an amazing job looking out for your little shrimp,” I relay what Shannon once told her.
Tally pulls her hands away from mine and gasps, her eyes wide. “She always called the baby shrimp. I hated it,” she whispers, looking over at her husband. Tim stands and pulls Tally into his chest.
“I would have told you sooner, but Shannon was worried about upsetting you and that it wouldn’t be good for the baby. So please, breathe, Tally,” I command, standing as well and reaching out to touch her forearm.
“She’s here? She’s really here?” Tally asks, tears streaming down her face, but her breathing is slowly coming under control.
“She’s always with you. But right now, she’s standing right there,” I tell her, pointing to the corner of the room.
“Mom,” Tally sobs out, and Tim has to hold her up.
“I swear, Sloan, I love you, but I will kick your ass if you hurt Tally with all of this,” Tim grunts out over his shoulder at me.
“I would never want to hurt her, or you, for that matter,” I assure him, my gaze still fixed on Shannon. She’s singing while slowly approaching Tally, stopping just a few feet in front of her.
“She’s singing a silly song. Something about the queen, the rulah, Tallulah.”
Tally gasps, turns, and buries her face into Tim’s chest while he holds her close with a hand on the back of her head. She sobs into his shirt, and I can see Tim’s worry when he mutters, “That’s the song Tally got her name from. “I’ll Take Tallulah.” Shannon was a big Sinatra fan.”
“I was his biggest fan, boy,” Shannon chides Tim before smiling warmly.
“I don’t want to be a dick, but that’s all stuff you could have found out elsewhere. That Tally was named after that song isn’t a secret, and the shrimp could have just been luck,” Tim points out.
“It’s not.” Tally cries, her voice muffled against Tim’s chest as he continues to comfort her.
“I want to believe you, I truly do, but I need a bit more,” Tim tells me, his gaze filled with sadness.
“Tell him about the day I found his sorry, broken ass in our front yard. They were in their last year of high school, two months away from graduation, and already a few months together, but I said he wasn’t allowed to sleep over until they finished school.
One ice-cold morning, I got out of the house to get the newspaper when I found him sitting before Tallulah’s window on the first floor, looking pained.
He wanted to sneak out of her window on the rain gutter, the way he went up there the evening before, but he fell on his butt while doing it, breaking his tailbone.
I was the one who picked him up and drove him to the hospital.
We told everyone he fell on the ice, but from that day on, he was allowed to sleep over.
That kind of dedication needed to be rewarded. ” She laughs heartily.
A grin tugs at the corner of my lips as I look back at Tim, hoping this anecdote might help him believe.
“What?” Tim asks, confused by my sudden smile.
“She just told me the story of how you broke your ass,” I tease, injecting a bit of lightness to ease the tension in the room.
“Holy shit,” Tim sputters, his eyes wide. “Shan?” he asks, looking up at the ceiling.
“I’m standing right in front of you, you flounder.” Shannon huffs with a laugh and rolls her eyes.
“She’s right here with us,” I tell both of them.
When Tally lifts her face from Tim’s chest to look over at her, I recount what Shannon told me.
“Tally, your mom is still here because she promised to be by your side throughout your pregnancy. She’ll stay until you have your baby in your arms. You’re not alone in all of this. ”
“Mom.” Tally’s voice is weak, her eyes red from crying, and the tears keep flowing. “I miss you so much. I can’t do all of this alone.”
Shannon reaches out to stroke Tally’s cheek and reassures her.
“My poor little Tallulah, I’m so sorry I couldn’t stay.
You know I would have if I could. I would have never left you.
You’re my heart. I know you think you have to keep the restaurant, but you don’t.
The café is what makes you happy. And you have our little shrimp on the way.
Give that place away. Sell it. Let someone else rent it. I don’t care. I care about you.”
My heart aches as I listen to Shannon’s words, feeling the love and longing in her voice that I could never convey to her daughter in the same way.
“She wants you to know that she would have never left you if she could have prevented it. That you’re her heart. And that she wants you to sell or rent out the restaurant if it doesn’t bring you joy. She cares about you, not about the restaurant,” I convey to Tally.
Tally sniffles. “I want to keep it.”
“Then keep it, Tallulah, but don’t do it just because of me. I’m happy. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. And I know that the baby and Tim do just that. The boy is good for you, and I trust him to keep you and our shrimp safe,” Shannon reassures her.
“She wants you to do what makes you happy, no matter what that looks like. That’s everything she ever wanted. And she knows that Tim will keep you and the baby happy and safe. She trusts the boy.” I smile at Tim, who now has tears in his own eyes.
“Thank you, Shan. I will do everything I can to not disappoint you. You know I love her more than life,” Tim murmurs into Tally’s hair, and Shannon smiles at them.
“He’s a good one,” she murmurs softly.
“He really is,” I respond just as softly, my eyes brimming with tears too. It’s a wonder I still have any tears left after today.
“So, you’ll be around for the birth?” Tally asks hopefully, looking into the room.
“I wouldn’t miss a second of it, like I promised.” Shannon smiles sadly.
Once again, I feel deep sympathy for the spirit that had to leave this world, unable to fulfill her plans and promises. But Shannon found a way to keep hers.
“She will be there,” I tell Tally, reaching out to take her hand, intertwining our fingers.