Chapter Twenty-Five
Full of Empty Promises
‘Is that any way to greet your mother? Especially since I’ve come to stay a while.’
‘You’ll have to elaborate on that one. For you, “a while” can mean anywhere between two hours and two months.’ The scrapes on my back protested as my skin pressed against the hard edges of the chair.
She nervously glanced at Clo. ‘I sensed I was needed here and came home. And from what I heard inside, it sounds like I arrived just in time.’
‘In time to do what? Make things worse?’
She crossed her arms over the thin black lace top she was wearing. ‘That’s not fair.’
‘Let me refresh your memory. The last time you were here, you promised Aster you’d help her in the store. That she could take on more weddings because you’d be around to handle the day-to-day. But as soon as she loaded up her calendar, you disappeared quicker than the sun on a January day.’
‘There was a last-minute opening at a retreat in Santa Fe,’ she sputtered. ‘They needed a seasoned yogi to lead some advanced Ashtanga classes.’
‘Oh.’ I flapped my hands out to my sides. ‘Then you’re totally forgiven, because some retreat a state away is much more important than the promise you made to your youngest daughter.’
She shook her head like I was some petulant child. ‘You know I do not enjoy it when you raise your voice.’
‘Really?’ I jumped to my feet. ‘Well, I do not enjoy it when you show up out of nowhere, flip our lives upside down and then fucking take off again.’
I bent to kiss Clo on the cheek. ‘Call me when she’s gone. Flora, come on.’
I fled the deck, took the stairs two at a time and slammed out the front door. The lake rolled and shifted again. The current surged higher up on the dirt shore, startling some of the herons in their nests. I pushed Flora up into the truck and peeled out of the driveway.
Whenever Belladonna showed up, things went to hell quickly. A gnawing throb began in the back of my head and inched its way toward the raw spot on my scalp. It only took me ten minutes to get to the clinic, but when I pulled in, a small SUV was parked in front of the entrance.
Crap. Could this day get any worse?
I stopped the truck, slammed the door and strode past Bryce, who was sitting on the top step. He looked too good in his faded jeans and a plain white T-shirt.
‘I woke up and you were gone. Why didn’t you say anything? I would have made you breakfast.’
‘Go away, Bryce. I’ve had a crap morning, and all I want to do is go inside, crawl into bed and go back to sleep for the rest of this Sunday.’
He stood and reached for my hand, but I stepped back. ‘I don’t want you here.’
He bowed his chin and shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘Did I do something wrong? I thought last night was important until I woke up to an empty bed.’
Anger, fear and frustration became a tsunami in my head, and I swallowed down the tremble in my throat.
‘This isn’t going to work. I need to focus on my job.
You have to write your story,’ I said, unable to keep the venom from my tone.
‘Let’s agree that last night was a one-time thing that will not be repeated. ’
He stepped closer, his deep blue gaze desperately searching my face for answers. ‘Talk to me, Dani. If I screwed up, then I need to know how I can make it up to you.’ He planted his feet like he had no intention of leaving.
‘Exactly how long have you been stalking me and my family?’
‘Stalking?’ he choked out.
‘I saw the photos on your desk. The ones of me on the street. And my sisters just quietly going about their lives.’ Rage built in my chest. ‘You’ve been lying this whole time, and I’m an idiot for believing a single word that has come out of your mouth.’
He scratched a hand through his already tousled bed head.
‘This story was originally supposed to be written by my friend Hank. He came here six months ago and took those shots. Another job overseas came to him, and he knew I was struggling to get work. It took a while, but he eventually talked me into writing this piece because I had a connection here.’
‘That doesn’t explain your lies. Why on the trail, and later that night, you pretended like you didn’t know who I was, but you really did. You should get a damn Oscar for those performances.’
He was already shaking his head. ‘Hank sent those pictures to me a couple of weeks ago, but he got the zip code wrong. They didn’t show up until last week. I’ll show you the envelope as proof.’
‘And the line you fed me? “This isn’t about the article. It’s about you and me.”’ I spat his own words back at him.
‘That was the truth.’
‘Bullshit. Were you waiting for the minute I finally fell asleep last night so you could sneak into your office and write all the sordid details about Mara’s search? How long have you been building my family tree, Bryce? Because that looked like it took a long fucking time.’
Sensing my anger, Flora growled and took a step in front of me.
Bryce paled and let out a thready breath.
‘When I don’t understand things, I write, Dani.
What you read was private. It was me puzzling out what I saw yesterday.
Trying to make sense of the connection I witnessed between you and your sisters.
There are things at work in this town that aren’t normal.
How animals react to you. The way you can feel their aches and pains.
How Lia can hear the woods. Connect with the land.
I’ve talked to at least six couples in town who swear what Aster can do borders on the supernatural.
And last night…’ He laid his hands on the top of his head and walked in a tight circle.
‘The lights shattering. I thought it was the electricity, but I checked the fuse panel this morning, and it looks like Rich replaced it a few years ago.’
‘We’ve been over this,’ I flung back. ‘Each of us girls does have a gift, but it’s not magic. We understand animals, people, the land. As for the lights, the bulbs could have been defective.’
His shoulders crumpled. ‘I noticed the other night at dinner that when Clo got worked up, the chandelier above the table flickered.’
‘Now you’re reaching. Making things fit the narrative you need to tell.’
‘No. I’m trying to get to the truth.’ He sank down onto the step.
‘This last year has been a mess for me. It’s like if I can’t write, I can’t breathe.
It’s the only thing that makes sense in my life.
’ He tugged on his hair again. ‘I’m trying to figure out a way to do this where I can tell the story without hurting you or your family.
Please, just give me time to figure it out. ’
‘And what does that look like exactly?’
‘I’m trying to balance things. Write an article that will get me back to work but will also tell a real story about this town.
You, your family, are a part of that tale.
I’ve seen it in the way the town treats you and your sisters.
Clo. You’re respected. Admired. That won’t change once the article comes out. ’
It was exactly what my grandmother said, but they were both wrong.
People in town didn’t think I noticed, but I caught the odd lingering gazes tossed in my direction at the clinic, the market, the pharmacy.
The slight tilt of the head, puckering of lips, the fixed stare, as if they were questioning if my magic simmered just below the surface of my skin.
That old article had stripped my ability to relax. To believe people could see me just for me. The salt circle thing had been a hoax, but that journalist’s words had carved a small dark hole into my heart. I couldn’t let Bryce make that wound any deeper. Not for me. Not for my family.
Flora leaned in close as if sensing my heartache. ‘You should leave now,’ I said as firmly as I could.
‘Please, let me come inside. Explain more of my thoughts about the story. How I’m desperate to make this work with us.’
He was so earnest. It’d be easy to let him in.
Allow him to spin some story to placate me.
But when I looked at him now, all I saw was Max.
A man full of empty promises and lame excuses.
And Aster’s gift be damned. Believing in a man who was only going to betray me was not a trap I was walking into again.
‘No, I’ve seen enough to understand where this is going.’
His eyes went sad as he stood. ‘My article isn’t due for another few weeks.
I’m here if you change your mind. Want to talk.
’ He turned and made for his car and then stopped.
With his back still turned, he said, ‘Mo told me about Max. How he hurt you. Some people wait a lifetime for what’s happening between us.
Don’t throw it away because you’re scared. ’
Flora let out a low whine, and I urged her through the front door, unable to watch him drive away.
Once we were inside, I slid down and let the tears come again.
Flora lay across my lap to comfort me. Another aching sob filled my chest as I considered if Bryce was right.
Was I scared to let him in? To trust him?
Flashes of the day Max left, suitcases in hand, filled my mind. It was just another reminder that I was a failure, because I couldn’t protect my family, or my own damn heart.