Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
That evening, Raven called a few volunteers and arranged for them to take shifts the next morning. Then she called Lance.
“Hello.” His voice sounded like his hugs felt. Warm. Comforting. Glad to hear from her.
“I’m sorry, but I have to cancel our lunch meeting,” she said, the familiar specter of guilt descending and blotting out the warm sunshine. “Wren is coming home, and I think she’s going to need her mom.”
“Oh.” He paused a moment, and she could hear the disappointment he didn’t quite manage to hide.
“I know you want to get the work started as soon as possible. I’ll see you as soon as I can, to go over the plans.”
“The plans?”
“Yes, that’s why we’re going to meet.”
He let out a quiet breath. “I thought that was the excuse. Though I don’t know why we need an excuse at this stage of the game.”
“Excuse?”
“Raven… every time I feel like we’re getting closer, something comes up. The center, cats. And now Wren.” He didn’t sound angry. Just tired. “I’m starting to wonder if we’re moving at the same pace.”
She blinked, caught off guard. “I’m just worried about Wren.”
“I know you are,” he said quickly. “And of course you should be. I’m just not sure where I fit into all this. Or even if I fit at all.”
“You have daughters. You know how it is.” She knew she sounded defensive, but she was talking about Wren.
“Wren has been my only priority for so long and I feel like I’ve let her down.
If I had just been paying better attention I would have known she was in trouble.
” She could not stop thinking about that.
If she hadn’t spent the past few weeks blithely building a relationship with Lance, she might have known Wren was struggling.
Maybe she would have even gone to visit her, seen her for herself.
Prevented the pain that Wren was experiencing now.
He didn’t answer right away and then quietly said, “yes. I have daughters, and I also know life never stops being complicated. If we wait for everything to be perfect, we might be waiting forever.”
She didn’t reply right away, letting the silence on the line grow.
He spoke again. “Look, how about I give you time to sort things out with Wren. We can talk after that. Okay? Let me know if… when, you want to meet.”
The warmth from the beginning of the call was gone now. In its place was the voice of a distant acquaintance.
Not the voice of a lover.
His words settled uncomfortably in her chest.
“I’ll call you soon,” she said, shivering as she clicked off the call. She smiled grimly. It was like she had told Wren only a few hours earlier. It was better to find out now, when she could still extricate herself, that he didn’t have patience for her daughter.
Tears threatened to rise, and she tamped them down. Best to go slowly with Lance. She had thought they were building a relationship, but maybe, despite her hopes that it could be something lasting, it was only a fling.
She fought the tears again and shifted her focus to the clock on the wall.
Wren’s flight would arrive soon, and she told her she would go to the airport to meet her.
Plus, there were a few more volunteers to call, some tidying to do around the house, and she was confident she could come up with five to ten other things to do besides think about Lance and the pain of losing him.
The pain that, after her ex left, she had sworn she would never allow a man to cause her again.
Three hours later, she stood at the airport outside Sunshine Bay as the tiny plane landed on the runway, as the stairs were rolled up to the plane, and as a pair of men in business suits emerged and walked into the terminal, one waiting by the sole baggage carousel while the other went to the car rental desk.
An older woman arrived next, squatting and opening her arms to a trio of excited children screaming “Grandma! Grandma!”
Raven smiled at the scene and turned her attention back to the plane, watching others emerge from the dark interior, pausing to adjust to the bright sunshine, then make their way down the stairs, some skipping, anxious to reach their destination, others picking their way down carefully, one painful step at a time.
The flow of people was receding and the crowd around the baggage carousel had grown, and still she hadn’t seen Wren.
Had she missed the flight? Raven checked her phone for messages but saw none.
She was considering asking at the check-in counter when Wren emerged, paused to shift her backpack over her shoulder, and made her way slowly to the tarmac.
Raven waited, willing her feet to stay put behind the rope barrier. Now Wren was close to the building, and through the glass doors Raven surveyed the changes to her daughter.
She was thin. Bordering on frail. Was she ill?
Wren’s sandy brown hair was longer by nearly three inches and tinged with a fading blue dye that emphasized the fatigue on her face, the dark circles under her eyes.
Wren opened the glass doors with much effort, though others had pushed them open with ease.
When she was finally through and past the rope barrier, Raven’s feet moved.
She swooped toward Wren, noticing a faint smile appear on her daughter’s tired face, and hugged her, but not too tight.
She was so changed; Raven was afraid her daughter might break if she gripped her too tight.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said into Wren’s ear.
“You too, Mom,” said Wren. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Raven hugged her again and held her out at arm’s length for a better look, pleased to see a little color in her cheeks. “Let’s get your luggage and go home,” she said. “Jackie will be so glad to see you.”
Wren laughed. “We both know Jackie isn’t even likely to notice me. She’s your cat.”
“I think you’ll be surprised,” said Raven, knowing what Wren said was true. “Mal and Daisy are also looking forward to seeing you.”
“I’ve missed them.” Wren walked over to the carousel and picked up the last bag before it disappeared back into the wall and they had to wait longer.
“Here, give it to me,” said Raven, reaching to relieve her daughter of her suitcase.
“Thanks,” said Wren, letting go of the handle and following Raven out the front door toward the car. “It’s good to be home, Mom,” she said as she settled into the front seat.
“It’s good to have you home,” said Raven. She felt her old self for the first time in months.
And as she drove past the new sign Lance and his daughter Zoey had helped her design, then down the driveway past the rescue center, she barely gave Lance a thought.
Her life would be better this way. Simpler. Cleaner.
No divided loyalties.
No one asking her to choose.
Mal was walking across the driveway as they arrived, and Wren jumped out of the car to greet her. Daisy joined them moments later, to hug her and screech about how super excited she was that Wren was home.
Raven left them to reacquaint themselves and brought her daughter’s bag to her old room, stopping to pat Jackie on the head.
“Look who’s here,” she said to the cat, pointing out the window to where her daughter was still chatting with Mal and Daisy, her face animated.
Jackie rose to her feet, peered out the window, stretched, then snuggled back down to snooze.
“Well, I’m happy to see her,” said Raven, parking the suitcase before walking into her own room to drop off her purse. She sat on the bed a moment and leaned over to smooth the other side, where Lance slept only a few days before.
She would miss him, but she told herself it was better this way. Wren was her priority, and she needed her mother.