Chapter Twenty-Five Tranquility Estates, Vermont Present Day
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tranquility Estates, Vermont
Present Day
“I had no idea you were such a horse girl. Your parents missed a serious opportunity when they put you in piano instead of dressage.”
Chrissie pulled on the reins and gently murmured “whoa,” as she’d been instructed. The horse she was sitting atop—a brown, silken creature with a glorious mane and the even more glorious name of Shadowfox—immediately came to a halt and whinnied.
“I didn’t know I was a horse girl, either,” she confessed as she took the hand being offered her and slid down from the horse.
The stable hand, a gruff, grizzled man who walked with a limp and could have been anywhere from forty to eighty years old, grunted and began leading the animal away before Chrissie could book another appointment to ride the animal.
She suspected that the horses were actually supposed to be for the patients of the facility, part of the entire line of therapeutic relaxation offerings that included a spa, hot baths, sunrise yoga, group talk sessions, and art classes, but Scarlett had taken one look at the massive, heaving animal and decided to watch from a comfortable Adirondack chair overlooking the corral.
“Well, I think you should take up riding when you get back home,” Scarlett said.
Before Chrissie could say anything, she added, “And no, that’s not me trying to order your life from beyond the grave.
It’s just a suggestion. Medford probably has lots of good stables to choose from.
You know how people in small towns get about horses.
They’re all one step removed from going full Wyatt Earp. ”
Chrissie nodded, unable to voice the protest that was bubbling up inside her throat. For some reason, setting foot at this place had deflated any and all of the arguments that had sprung up between them over the past few days.
Maybe it was how warmly they’d been greeted at the gates and shown to their private cabin, or perhaps it was the way they’d immediately been visited by a hospice nurse who had a full working knowledge of Scarlett’s medical history, prognosis, and end-of-life plans, but for the first time since Chicago, Chrissie felt as if she was standing on solid ground again.
“I might just do that,” she agreed. “Well? What’s next? A dip in the pool? A tour of the grounds? A nap?”
Scarlett pulled a face at that last one. “I’ve never taken a nap that wasn’t medically enforced, and I’m not about to start now.” Her frown deepened. “And I wish you’d stop agreeing with everything I say. If you don’t want to ride horses, then don’t. I’m not holding a gun to your head.”
Chrissie tried not to react to that, either, but considering where they were, it wasn’t easy.
“Ha!” Scarlett pounced—in a purely metaphorical way, of course.
Thanks to the prescription she’d picked up from the on-site pharmacy, which included not only the drugs she would eventually take in the quiet of her cabin but also a host of other things designed to ease her discomfort, she was more languid and relaxed than Chrissie had ever seen her.
“See? You are still mad at me. I think we should go to the soundproof room and scream for a while. The intake specialist said it can be very helpful.”
Chrissie busied herself with brushing the horse hairs from her jeans. She didn’t make much progress, but at least she was able to buy herself a few seconds to gain her bearings.
“If you’d like to scream, I’m more than happy to go with you. But I do all of my screaming on the inside like a lady, thank you.”
Scarlett laughed and allowed Chrissie to help her to her feet.
She was once again wearing her beige cashmere sweat suit and oversized sunglasses, looking so much like a waifish and chic millionaire that it almost felt like they were staying at some upscale rehab facility instead of a place where majestic horses and scream rooms gently ushered you to your death.
“That’s the most accurate description of you I’ve ever heard,” Scarlett said as she linked her arm in Chrissie’s. She rested her head on Chrissie’s shoulder with a sigh. “It’s nice here, right? You don’t hate it? You don’t want to leave?”
“I hate it with every cell in my body,” Chrissie said. “But no, I don’t want to leave.”
There wasn’t much more to say after that.
According to the hospice nurse, they were free to use the facilities as much or as little as they wanted.
Their cabin was private and entirely their own for the duration of their stay.
Room service was included whenever they wanted it, the doctor could be visited at any time, and therapy sessions were offered around the clock.
The only thing that differentiated it from an all-inclusive resort was that when the time came to check out, only Chrissie would be leaving through the front door.
“Oh! Ms. Thomas. There you are. I thought I might find you out in the stables. Everyone always seems to want to start here.” One of the staff members, a short, ponytailed woman in a blue polo shirt bearing the Tranquility Estates logo, came bustling up to them with a clipboard in her hand.
“I was able to book the extra cabin, as you requested. We’re also happy to move you to one of the bigger rentals, if you’d all prefer to stay under one roof.
It’s entirely up to you, of course. I just need two signatures here and here. ”
Chrissie took the pen being offered her and braced for the incoming storm. When it didn’t come, she took a few extra seconds pretending to read through the fine print on the form. When it still didn’t come, she plastered a bright smile on her face and handed the pen back.
“And you’re sure about the pet policy?” she asked.
“Oh, yes. Lots of our guests prefer to have their four-legged friends with them at the end. One man even brought his eight-legged friend. I can’t say I enjoyed catching grasshoppers and crickets for a tarantula’s dinner, but it’s all part of what we do here.
” She checked and nodded at Scarlett. Some of the false brightness dimmed to be replaced with a genuine smile.
“If you need anything, Ms. Sanderson, just say the word. No request is off-limits.”
The woman took herself off then, pausing only to share a few words with the grizzled stable hand.
Scarlett waited until she disappeared from view before turning toward Chrissie.
She looked so much like her grandmother, what with the purse of her lips and annoyed crinkles around her eyes, that Chrissie felt all the unfairness of the situation rushing back to her.
Scarlett would never get a chance to grow into the woman her grandmother had been—full of warmth and beloved of everyone she met, fiercely protective of those she called her own.
She’d been handed a ticking clock from almost the moment of her birth, and even though they’d all done their best to push the hands back, there was no reversing them now.
Unfortunately, the softening of Chrissie’s heart couldn’t have come at a worse time. She was going to need all the armor she could get if she wanted out of this part alive.
“Chrissie, please tell me you bought me a puppy somewhere on the road and have been hiding it from me this whole time.” Scarlett’s voice was almost as rough as the stable hand’s. “Or that you’ve ordered an exotic bird online and are having it delivered here as a final gift to me.”
“Yeeeaah. About that—”
Scarlett shoved her—as in, actually lifted a hand and pushed it against Chrissie’s shoulder. She wasn’t strong enough to do much damage, but Chrissie was forced to take a step back to avoid falling flat on her ass.
“At the very most, I’ll allow Rufio to be shipped here in a crate—but only if you’ve officially decided to do away with him and want to make sure he goes out in comfort.
” Scarlett shoved again. Again, Chrissie had to keep moving backwards if she wanted to stay standing.
“Is Rufio being shipped here in a crate? Is that what this is?”
Chrissie ducked out of the way to avoid the next attack.
“Scarlett, don’t. You’ll wear yourself out.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you invited complete strangers to my deathbed.
That’s why you were on that airline website, isn’t it?
” Scarlett’s voice suddenly turned sharp.
This time, it wasn’t her grandmother that peeked through, but Kat—angry, frustrated, heartsick Kat.
“Chrissie, how could you? I wanted it to be just the two of us for a reason. I know I haven’t handled this whole thing the way you’d have liked, but it’s my decision. My body, my life, my goodbye.”
“And it still will be your decision. You don’t have to see or talk to anyone you don’t want to.
” Honesty compelled Chrissie to pause and add, “Actually, that’s not true.
If you’d prefer to keep Walsh and Lily and the dratted cat away, then I promise you won’t even catch a whiff of them.
I completely respect your privacy in that regard. But that’s where I draw the line.”
All of the color drained from Scarlett’s face.
“What did you do?” she demanded. “What did you tell her?”
“I haven’t told Kat anything…yet. But if you thought you could just up and die without telling that girl goodbye, you underestimated me.” Chrissie crossed her arms, aware that she was treading a fine line and determined to move forward anyway.