1. Teddy #2
The screen illuminated, dividing into three glowing windows that broke the darkness of her kitchen.
Dahlia appeared first, sitting at her desk with a steaming mug of tea, her expression instantly shifting from focus to concern.
Junie joined a second later, her hair pulled back in a loose bun and her hands dusty with flour as she stood in the farmhouse kitchen.
Prue was the last to connect, surrounded by the sweet scent of dried marigolds in her flower cottage.
"We're here," Dahlia said, her voice carrying a soft warmth that seemed to reach through the cold screen. "We didn't expect to see you online tonight."
"I wanted to check in," Teddy replied, keeping her voice as steady as she could manage. She lifted the glass to her lips, but her hand trembled, sending a tiny ripple across the red wine. "The packing is moving along. I've got most of the kitchen boxed up."
"You look exhausted," Junie noted, leaning closer to her camera, her brow furrowing as she studied her sister's pale face. "And you've got that pensive look you get when you've been working on a difficult joint for twelve hours without a break."
"I'm fine," Teddy insisted, but the lie felt dry and heavy in her throat. She set the wine glass on the counter, the hollow click of the crystal echoing in the silent loft. She looked at their loving faces, and suddenly, the armor of self-reliance she’d built up over the years felt too heavy to carry.
The realization that she was completely alone in her empty home, while they stood together in the valley, cracked her resolve.
A hot tear slipped down her cheek, blurring her vision.
"Tell us what's wrong," Prue urged, her expression softening with an encouraging look. "You don't have to put on a brave face for us."
Teddy tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but a ragged sob escaped her lips instead. She pressed her palm against her mouth, trying to force the grief back down, but the dam had finally broken. The tears flowed in a rush, washing away the defensive pride she'd guarded so fiercely.
"I'm so sorry," Teddy whispered, her voice cracking with the weight of her confession.
"I've been lying to you. Ian isn't away on a trial in Boston.
He hasn't been in my life for two years.
The relationship was already over before the spring that year, and the papers were finalized in June, right before that final hospital call. "
The three windows on her screen went completely silent, her sisters absorbing the staggering confession.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Prue asked, compassion shining in her eyes.
"I didn't want to tell you," Teddy sobbed, her fingers tightening around her phone as she let the hard truth pour out.
"You were all carrying so much grief, and then you were finally finding happiness.
I watched you heal, and I watched you find love again, and I couldn't be the one to drag you back into the dark with my problems. I felt so small next to his household, so inferior, and I thought if I admitted everything had failed, I would just look like a failure to everyone else.
I tried to fix it alone. I tried to carry it because I didn't want to cause any burden. "
"You're never a burden," Dahlia said, her voice dropping to a fierce tone that carried the full weight of her protective nature. "And you shouldn't ever have had to face this in secret."
"We're right here with you," Junie added, her own eyes bright with tears as she wiped her dusty hands on her apron. "We don't love you because you're strong or because you never cause trouble. We love you for exactly who you are."
"I'm turning down the Portland contract," Teddy confessed, wiping her face with her sleeve as a profound relief began to ease the tight band around her chest. "There's nothing left for me here. I'm moving home for good. I just need to get through the packing."
"You won't be packing alone," Dahlia promised, her mouth curving in a warm smile. "We'll handle this together."
She took a slow sip of her wine, her fingers tightening around her phone as she watched the three glowing screens. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel completely alone.
The gray coastal mist pressed thick against the windowpanes of the loft, turning the harbor below into a slate canvas of shadows and fog.
The heavy rhythm of the rain had settled into a steady drizzle, casting a chill through the spacious room.
Teddy sat on a taped cardboard crate in the center of the floor.
She had barely slept after the midnight call, her mind looping through the tearful confessions she had poured out to her sisters.
The immense relief of having shared her burden still warred with her lifetime habit of solitary pride, leaving her tensed and emotionally drained.
On the wooden kitchen island, the envelope containing her divorce decree sat under her cold coffee mug, its white corners slightly damp from the condensation.
She had spent the morning trying to organize her remaining hand tools, wrapping her heavy brass drawknife and Japanese hand saws in clean canvas before securing them in her leather chest. Every movement felt sluggish, her muscles aching from the exhaustion that had settled deep into her bones since the spring.
She had built her entire adult life on the proud assumption that she could manage any storm without assistance, believing that asking for help was a sign of a failed structure.
If there was one word people would use to describe Teddy it would be capable.
Now, surrounded by taped boxes and empty walls, she felt the powerful truth of her vulnerability.
A sudden rattle at the heavy front door broke the silence of the loft. Teddy turned her head, her hand tightening around her tape gun as she prepared to rise. Before she could stand, the latch clicked open, and the door swung wide against the frame.
Dahlia entered first, carrying a flat stack of empty cardboard boxes under her arm.
Her dark hair was pinned back in its neat corporate twist, but her usual structured blazer had been replaced by a comfortable cable-knit sweater of forest green.
Right behind her came Junie, holding a steaming cardboard tray of paper coffee cups and a paper bag that smelled richly of fresh cinnamon pastries.
Prue came last, carrying a thick roll of bubble wrap under her arm and a canvas tote filled with empty packing labels.
Teddy froze on her crate, her mouth opening slightly as she stared at the sudden arrival. The cold rain dripped from their woolen coats, the scent of damp wool and hot coffee immediately filling the echoing room.
"We brought fresh tape," Dahlia announced, setting her stack of boxes on the wooden counter with a decisive thud. "And there’s a truck parked downstairs that needs to be loaded before the evening tide."
"You didn't think we would let you carry this weight alone," Junie added, offering a steaming paper cup as she crossed the floor. "Drink this first. It has three sugars, just the way you like it."
Prue set her roll of bubble wrap on the floor, her cheeks bright from the coastal wind. "We have enough packing supplies to secure an entire museum. Show us which crates are ready."
Teddy felt a powerful warmth rush through her chest, making her throat tighten with emotion.
She set her tape gun on the crate, her hands trembling slightly as she hugged her sisters and accepted the hot coffee from Junie's hand.
The cup was hot against her cold skin, the sweet steam rising to warm her face.
"I didn't expect you to drive all this way. It is a long trip from the valley."