Chapter 9
Nine
Present Day
Bronwyn stood by her door and welcomed Cal, Landry, and Eliza into her home. Meredith and Mo were a few steps behind them.
At the first opportunity, she slipped into the kitchen and ran her hands down the towel hanging from her dishwasher. What was wrong with her? Why was she so sweaty? And nervous? She hadn’t felt like this since . . .
She froze. Thoughts of waterfalls and small hands reaching across the bond of friendship to become something more crashed through her. She forced the memories from her mind. She couldn’t go there. Not tonight.
But she watched Mo out of the corner of her eye. He took in every detail of her home, and she saw the moment he spotted the tiny rock on the shelf. A rock she’d found the first time they held hands. It was heavily lined with orange veins, and she’d carried it with her everywhere she’d gone since.
His gaze met hers, and the turmoil she saw there nearly melted her on the spot. Was he angry? Hurt? Both? She didn’t know. But he definitely wasn’t apathetic.
Eliza rushed in. “Aunt Bronwyn?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Did you ask Aunt Cassie to make the chocolate cookies for me like you had last time?”
“You know it.”
“Thank you!” Eliza threw her arms around Bronwyn’s waist. “You’re the best.”
Mo gasped in faux outrage. “I thought I was the best?”
Eliza released Bronwyn and ran straight to Mo, but instead of hugging him, she jumped and he caught her.
She giggled and whispered something in his ear.
Mo’s face was usually all sharp lines and angles, but in the presence of Eliza, it softened into something so beautiful that Bronwyn had to stifle a gasp.
A wicked light filled his eyes, and he spun Eliza upside down.
She screamed in delight. He pulled her back up and said, “Just for that, I’m going to eat all the cookies. ”
Eliza squealed with glee as he tickled her.
“We’ve covered this, young lady,” he said. “I’m your favorite. Got it?”
“Yes, Uncle Mo! You’re my favorite.” Her giggles only eased after he stopped tickling her, and then she said, “But Aunt Bronwyn’s tied for first.”
Okay, now she really was going to melt.
Mo narrowed his eyes and pressed a kiss to Eliza’s forehead before he returned her to her feet. “I’d say you chose your favorites well, so I can live with that.”
Bronwyn all but ran from the kitchen and collided with Cal. “Whoa! What’s lit your shorts on fire?”
“Nothing. I’ll be right back.” She slipped past him and went to her room, closed the door, and leaned against it, gasping for air. What was happening? What was wrong with her?
She’d spent years building up her defenses against Mo. For a time after his last betrayal, she went full no contact. It had been tricky, but she rebuilt her relationship with Cal and Meredith while avoiding anything that would put her in the same space as Mo.
Then Landry’s stalker situation forced her to figure out how to live without avoiding Mo, and for the past year or so, they’d existed in a messed-up but manageable détente.
She’d forgiven him. Mostly.
She just didn’t think she could have him in her life.
Or she hadn’t thought she could.
Bronwyn sat on the edge of her bed and tried to process what was happening with her emotions. This squishy feeling when Mo was around? She’d experienced this before. And she had to stay far, far away from it, not just for her own sake but for his and for their friends and family.
The knock on the door was her only warning. The door opened, and Meredith’s voice preceded her. “Beep?”
Landry followed close on her heels. “Bronwyn?”
“I’m here. I’m fine. What’s wrong with you two? Since when do you barge into people’s bedrooms?”
“I beg your pardon.” Meredith’s tone was hoity-toity. “I would never barge in. I knocked first.”
“You didn’t wait for a response.”
“Didn’t I?” Meredith looked at Landry. “Huh.”
Landry and Meredith stood by the bed. “It’s like she’s trying to get away from us.”
“Us?”
“Well, somebody. It couldn’t be us. We’re awesome.” Landry delivered the line while staring at Bronwyn. “Right?”
“You’re awesome.” Bronwyn’s response was automatic.
“Good. As your friends, we can chase you down when you exhibit bizarre behavior,” Landry said. “I’m relatively new to the girlfriend rulebook, but I’m confident it’s in there. Somewhere.”
Meredith nodded. “Oh, it’s in there. We would be less awesome if we didn’t chase you down.”
Bronwyn gave them a slow clap. “You two should try stand-up. How much practice did that take?”
“None.” Landry grinned. “Totally impromptu. Maybe we missed our callings and should consider a tour?”
Meredith patted Landry’s baby bump. “Little miss might make road life difficult.”
“True.” Landry gave an exaggerated shrug of dismay. “I guess since we’re staying here, we should find out what has crawled up Bronwyn’s butt.”
“Language.” Meredith tapped her ears.
“Sorry,” Landry stage-whispered. “But don’t you think it’s getting ridiculous?”
“Yes, but we discussed this. She has to tell us what’s going on. We can’t force it.”
“I think we might need to try.”
“You could be right.”
Both women turned to Bronwyn and waited for her reaction.
“Again, how long did you practice?”
Neither of them spoke. And neither of them smiled. Playtime was over.
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine,” Bronwyn said, not even believing herself. “I needed a moment. It’s a big deal, having y’all here, what I’m about to do. If I’m wrong, it could cost me my job.”
They continued to stare at her.
“What?”
“We’re patiently waiting for you to talk yourself around to the truth.” Landry managed to deliver that line with no judgment.
Bronwyn fell back on her bed and covered her eyes. “What do you want from me?”
“We want you to be happy.” The bed dipped, first on her left, then on her right. She peeked through her fingers. They were now sitting on either side of her. She was trapped.
Meredith tapped her arm. “We want you to give yourself permission to live.”
“I am living.”
“You’re hiding from life.” Landry’s eyes shone. “I’ve been there. I understand. The hurt, the pain, you want to avoid it. But you’re too young to assume you can’t have more than what you have now.”
“What are you talking about?” Bronwyn didn’t understand where this was coming from.
Meredith patted her knee. “You forget. I was there the first time you fell for him. I know the signs.”
Cal joined Mo and Eliza in the kitchen a few seconds after Bronwyn left. “What’s wrong with Beep?” he asked.
Mo opened the box of cookies on the counter. “You’re married. You tell me.”
“I’m not married to her. And what does being married have to do with anything?”
Mo glanced at Cal and got the nod before he offered a cookie to Eliza. “Only one before dinner, yeah?”
“Yes! Thanks!” She climbed onto a stool and munched away.
Mo took a cookie for himself. “You want one?” he asked Cal.
“Why not? There’s no telling when we’ll eat.”
They took their cookies into Bronwyn’s living room, and Mo walked around, looking at the pictures and art on her walls.
He felt like a voyeur, wandering around her home, looking for the things that made her, her.
What did adult Bronwyn like? He’d guessed right earlier today with the coffee.
But what changes had the past seventeen years brought?
If her home was any indication, she liked to decorate with photographs, but very few of them were of people.
She favored mountains and beaches, with a few random shots of wildlife and flowers.
He paused at a photograph of Catherine’s Falls.
It was taken in winter. Snow was on the ground, and part of the falls was covered in ice.
And that tree . . . he reached toward the picture before he realized what he was doing.
Cal joined him. “That’s a great shot. I wonder if she took it?”
Mo moved to a different picture, but his mind stayed frozen on the image. The tree that was down in that photo had fallen this past winter, sometime between Christmas and mid-January. It wasn’t there now. Hadn’t been since early February.
Bronwyn had been at Catherine’s Falls in the past six months.
Why?
“Hey.” Cal pointed to the photo. “Is that the tree that’s in my shop now?”
“Yep.” The Quinns preferred to let the forest take care of the forest, but in this case, the tree had been perched precariously against another.
Mo had taken one look and made the call that it was too risky to leave it there.
He’d been right in his guess that Cal would do just about anything to have that trunk for his woodwork.
“I’ll have to ask her for a copy. I’d love to have it to go with the pieces I make from the wood.”
Mo didn’t want to talk about Catherine’s Falls. He didn’t want to talk about things that had been strong and beautiful and had fallen for no obvious reason. Not that he needed to be present for this conversation. Cal was carrying it all on his own.
“I can’t decide what to make. Landry says I should chill and let the wood speak to me.”
“Did you tell her the tree is dead and can’t talk?”
Cal chortled. “What does it matter if it’s alive or dead? It’s a tree. It can’t talk regardless.”
“You know what I mean.” Mo continued to walk around the room, but his eyes were unfocused.
He needed to get out of here. Being in Bronwyn’s space was messing with him.
He’d spent too many years of his life falling out of love with her.
Staying away from her as much as possible was best for everyone.
So why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Why was the thought of her being in danger bringing out every protective feeling he’d ever felt toward her?
He’d assumed she hated him. She’d acted like she did. But if she hated him so much, why had she kept the rock?
A door down the hall opened, and Meredith emerged. Her smile was bright and as fake as a three-dollar bill. She needed to up her game if she wanted to convince him everything was fine.
She laced her arm through his. “Gray’s on his way, so let’s take the food out.”