Chapter Five #2
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she steeled herself for what was to come with this new information.
She already knew she wasn’t going to tell her dad about her mother’s letter until she was able to do it face to face.
This wasn’t the kind of information she wanted to divulge in a phone conversation.
Tomorrow she’d begin to unravel the tangled threads of her family’s past. But for now, in the quiet of her bungalow, she found a fragile peace.
Her fingers trembled as they hovered over her mobile phone, contemplating the lengthy message she was about to send.
The artificial glow from the screen illuminated her face, a stark contrast to her dark room.
With a hesitant tap, she sent her message flying through the quiet streets to her childhood best friend.
Almost immediately, her phone buzzed with a response, cutting through the heavy silence.
A wave of relief washed over her as she exhaled, feeling the weight of her fears and doubts lifted by Hope’s heartfelt reply—simple pixels on a screen, yet a reassuring embrace from a world that had felt cold and distant.
Come over first thing in the morning , were Hope’s concluding words. I’m here for you.
Beneath was the address of Hope’s lifelong dream, her café bookshop, only two streets away, followed by a hug emoji.
So close, yet so far away. It was time she righted the wrong she’d caused by cutting every tie here in a bid to move on with her new life.
Back then, it had been needed. Now it was not.
She was grateful Hope possessed the innate heart of a Hart.
Wholesome. Forgiving. Unconditional. Pure.
As did Caleb. Of that she had no doubt.
The next morning arrived with a gentle grace that seemed out of place with her turbulent mind and heart.
She turned the street corner with determined steps and made her way towards Hope’s café, her Skechers scuffing against the gravel with each nervous step and her mother’s letter burning a hole in the pocket of her denim shorts.
Gazing into the bright sunshine, she saw the wholefoods establishment looming ahead, the humid draft carrying with it the intoxicating scent of freshly brewed coffee.
Reaching the pretty facade with Hart’s Healthy Hub…
a foodie and bookworm’s delight engraved on a sign that hung overhead, Nyah didn’t pause at the door for a breath, for if she did, she was afraid her courage would leave her.
The bustle of customers filled her senses as she took measured steps through the tables, towards a woman who’d known her as well as the books she’d always loved to read.
She stopped short of the counter where she could see Hope standing; a beacon of light seemed to surround her, aglow with her kind spirit.
And when Hope lifted her gaze from the till and saw Nyah, her green eyes lit up with genuine affection and concern, and crinkled at the corners with warmth.
‘Oh, my goodness, Nyah Love!’ Hope raced around the counter and with her arms unfolding like wings, offered refuge and solace as she embraced her in a tight hug. ‘I’m so glad you came to see me.’
‘Of course.’ All the years apart seemed to dissipate in an instant. ‘It’s so good to see you, Hope.’ Nyah allowed herself to be held, feeling her defences melt away under the comfort and care offered by one of her oldest, truest friends. ‘I’m sorry it’s been so long.’
‘Don’t be silly, friends for life no matter what, remember.’ Still hugging like her life depended upon it, Hope repeated the exact parting words they’d said to each other the day Nyah had left Wildstone. ‘We’re sisters, me and you, always have been and forever will be.’
And they really would’ve been, if Nyah had stayed and married Caleb Hart, and had his three children, like they’d all imagined happening.
‘I’ve missed you.’ Nyah squeezed every word past the emotion now clogging her throat. ‘So very much.’ She breathed in deeply, taking in the familiar scent of cinnamon and nutmeg clinging to Hope—an aroma that brought back memories of times before life had grown increasingly complicated.
‘I’ve missed you too, Ny,’ Hope replied, her voice quivering.
And there it was, the name that only Hope and Caleb had used for her, and gotten away with. Finally untangling, they stood for a moment, smiling and sniffling and wiping tears.
‘Let’s sit down, have a cup of tea and talk, hey,’ Hope suggested, leading Nyah to a secluded corner of the café. ‘You get settled here and I’ll be back in a jiffy. Just need to let my staff know where we are, and how you take your tea.’ She smiled now. ‘Still super strong, white and sweet?’
‘Yes, spot on.’ Nyah matched Hope’s familiar smile with a warm one of her own.
Minutes later they settled into a conversation that held no weight of the years that had passed between them.
Hope’s presence was a grounding force, her attentive gaze encouraging Nyah to unravel the intricate cobweb of her creeping fears and doubts.
And within Hope’s company, Nyah didn’t feel the need to hold much of anything back.
She knew Hope would keep her business to herself.
She had always been the keeper of her secrets and Nyah trusted it would remain that way.
As she explained how her mother’s lack of an apology hurt her, greatly, Hope’s listening ear and open heart were like a healing balm to her aching soul, a shelter in a peaceful haven.
Taking a breath once she reached the end of her story, she watched the steam from her Earl Grey tea curl up in graceful tendrils.
Emotionally spent now she’d spilled most of her heart onto the table, she cradled the ceramic mug between her hands and rested back against her chair as they took tentative sips.
Hope’s expression was that of a woman trying to absorb how a person could be so cruel to both their husband and their child, and Nyah appreciated her understanding.
‘Do you have any idea who this man my mum was having an affair with could be?’ Nyah finally asked.
Hope slowly shook her head. ‘I wish I could say yes, but I really don’t.
It wasn’t like your mother got out and about much, and with her living on the other side of town, I really haven’t had anything to do with her since you left.
’ Then, with a thoughtful smile and a nostalgic lilt to her voice, she asked, ‘Do you remember how we used to wish upon the stars?’
‘Oh yes, that’s right.’ As she nodded, memories flooded back to Nyah—of two young girls sitting on the front verandah of the Hart family home, their feet dangling over the edge as they waited for the stars to appear.
‘You’d always drag that huge blanket your grandma made outside, claiming it would make the magic happen if we sat on it when we wished with all of our hearts. ’
‘And it did, didn’t it? Or at least, that’s what our sweet, innocent minds believed.’ Hope laughed softly.
‘Either way, the blanket made it feel more magical, that’s for sure,’ Nyah mused, her eyes misty with memories of simpler times. ‘Oh, Hope, if only we could rewind time and be back there, just for a little while.’
‘Yeah, that would be nice, huh.’ Hope reached out and brushed her fingers against Nyah’s, grounding her back into the present. ‘Just know that I’m still here for you, just like I was back then.’
Their connection across the table was brief but powerful as Nyah nodded.
‘So where are you staying while you’re here? At your mum’s place?’
‘No.’ Nyah took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her mother’s debts pressing down on her like a heavy cloak. ‘I’m renting the bungalow down the road.’
Hope’s head tilted, and her blonde bob swayed. ‘You mean the only Airbnb for miles?’
‘Ha, yes.’ A small smile broke through Nyah’s heartache. ‘That’s the one.’
Hope’s smile was sad. ‘You should have called me, Nyah, you could have crashed at my place.’
‘I didn’t think I had a right to ask such a thing, especially after not speaking all…’
Hope held her hands up, halting her. ‘We don’t need to hash over old times, let’s just look to the here and now.
’ She reached out and gave both of Nyah’s hands a squeeze.
‘And right now I’m grateful to have you here with me, my beautiful forever friend.
’ She drew in a slow steady breath, then offered a kind smile.
‘What’s going to happen with your mum’s house?
Are you going to keep it, so you can make it your own place to sometimes call home? ’
Nyah couldn’t think of anything worse, but she knew Hope was speaking from a place of wanting her to return to Wildstone, for visits if not permanently. ‘I can’t. Even if I wanted to, my mother has left a mountain of debt, so I have to sell it to cover costs.’
‘Of course, yes, that’s totally understandable.’ Hope’s eyes filled with sadness. ‘So how long will you be in Wildstone?’ she asked softly, the question like a fragile dewdrop on the brink of falling.
‘Only as long as I need to,’ Nyah replied, her gaze returning to the steam rising from her tea. ‘To be honest, I don’t really feel welcome here, other than by you and Caleb, of course.’
‘I don’t know about that.’ Hope reached across the table once again and took Nyah’s hands in hers.
Her palms were warm and steady, enveloping Nyah’s like a comforting embrace.
‘You’re not alone,’ she reassured her, her voice firm and unwavering.
‘There are people here in Wildstone who remember you fondly, who would want to help in any way they can, please know that.’
Nyah lifted her gaze to meet Hope’s. ‘I don’t know, the vibe I got at the funeral…’
‘The people at the funeral were ones who’d listened to your mother for years, and likely taken her side.’ She drew in a slow, steady breath. ‘There are also some of us, quite a few actually, who didn’t appreciate the way Claire went round trying to point the finger.’
Nyah grimaced. ‘Hmm, yes, I can see her doing that.’
‘Lean on us, my friend,’ Hope continued, her thumb tracing soothing circles over Nyah’s knuckles.
‘This community, the good-hearted ones at least, we take care of each other. Let the ones who want to help be there for you, and as for anyone who wants to make you feel like you don’t belong, stuff them. ’
A shaky exhale escaped Nyah’s lips as she considered Hope’s earnest words.
She remembered how the locals had come together when Skye had first gone missing, how the collective spirit of Wildstone had risen to the challenge of finding a twelve-year-old girl lost, taken, maybe hurt or worse, but she also remembered the divide when the whispers had started days later, her mother’s snowballing loathing towards her, and the heartbreaking accusations that had fuelled the breakdown of their family unit and inevitably her parents’ divorce.
‘Maybe…’ Nyah’s voice trailed off, that one word weighted with the gravity of contemplation.
But as Hope remained patiently silent and her words sank in deeper, a glimmer of hope ignited within Nyah—faint yet resilient, like a single star piercing through the velvety darkness of a country night sky.
‘At least say yes to us hanging out a bit, while you’re home, I mean, here …’ Hope said, her voice soft yet steady, a promise of a renewed friendship woven into each syllable. ‘And if you need any help, with anything at all, all you have to do is ask, okay.’
Nyah felt the brittle walls around her heart begin to creak and crumble.
‘Thank you, Hope, it means the world that you want to be here for me.’ There was strength in unity, a resilience born from sharing burdens, and with Hope’s unwavering presence by her side, she could almost see a path through the tangled mess her mother had left.
‘I will also quietly see if I can find out anything about this mystery man that thought it was his right to sleep with a married woman.’ Hope sat forward. ‘That, is, if you don’t mind me doing so?’
‘I’d really appreciate you helping me with that,’ Nyah whispered with a quivering smile. ‘Because I’d like to be able to tell Dad, when I break the news to him, who this bastard was.’
‘I’ll make it my mission to sniff him out, don’t you worry about that.’ Hope’s gaze was determined. ‘And who knows, it might lead us to information about Skye.’
And in that moment, with the gentle hum of life in the café and bookshop surrounding them, and the reassuring presence of her darling friend, the road ahead seemed less daunting, less lonely.
Together, they would hopefully discover who the man was.
And maybe, just maybe, they might finally find out what had happened to her sister.