Chapter 14
“Can I come over?” Tempi asked.
Thora sighed. “It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday night, Tempi.”
“I know.”
Another pause. “Are you okay?”
“Not really.”
Her sister sighed even louder. “Come over. Just be quiet. Lexi and Alden are already in bed, and Charles is in his office working.”
Fifteen minutes later, Tempi pulled into Thora’s driveway and strolled to the front door.
The beautifully restored Victorian sat on a tree-lined street with a manicured lawn and a wraparound porch that looked like it belonged on the cover of Supernatural Southern Living.
The porch light was on, and Tempi was fairly certain even the welcome mat had been recently laundered.
Perfect...just like Thora.
The front door opened before Tempi reached the door. Her sister stood in the doorway wearing yoga pants and an oversized sweater, her hair pulled up in a messy bun, and a wineglass in her hand.
“Come in.” Thora stepped back and motioned Tempi inside.
Tempi followed her sister through the foyer, across the spotless hardwood floor, and into the kitchen, where Thora poured Tempi a glass of wine without asking.
They sat at the kitchen table, and Tempi wrapped both hands around her glass, wondering where to start.
“What happened?” Thora asked.
“I hurt someone tonight. Someone who didn’t deserve it.” Tempi took a sip of wine. “And in the process, I realized I’ve been hurting him for three years.”
“Ronin.”
Tempi looked up. “How did you know?”
Thora gave her a look. “Tempi. Come on.”
“Fair enough.” She took another sip. “He suggested we partner our businesses. Package deals, shared resources. It was a smart idea to be honest.” She closed her eyes.
“But what I heard him say was my company needed him.” She set the glass down.
“Because that’s what I always hear, Thora.
That I need help. That I can’t do it on my own.
” Tears filled her eyes, and she had to swallow past the lump in her throat.
“And then he told me about his life. How his dad left when he was ten, and how he pretty much raised his brother and sister while his mom worked two jobs. He got his first paying job at fourteen and then worked his way up to construction work. He built everything from nothing.” Tempi’s throat tightened.
“And then I looked him in the eyes and told him everything in his life comes easy.”
Thora winced. “Oh, Tempi.”
“I know!” She swiped at a tear. “Can I tell you something? Something I’ve never said out loud?”
“Of course.”
“I have spent my entire life feeling like I’m living in your shadow.
Like when I’m standing next to you, I come up short.
” She glanced down at the table. “You were always the smart one. The responsible one. The one who got the grades and the scholarships and the career and the family. You built a nonprofit from the ground up. You run a bird sanctuary. You have donors and staff and a beautiful house and two kids and a husband who—” She stopped.
“Everything about your life is perfect, Thora. And everything about mine feels like I’m barely holding on. ”
Thora let out a bark of laughter. “Perfect?” Thora set her wineglass down. “Are you serious, Tempi?”
Tempi blinked. “What?”
“Tempi, my nonprofit is short-staffed. I lost two employees last month because I can’t afford them.
So now I’m doing the work of three people, and I haven’t taken a day off in a month.
” She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose.
“Lexi barely talks to me anymore because I’m never home.
Alden still does, but he’s eight. Give him two more years and he’ll stop too.
And Charles...” She trailed off as tears filled her eyes.
“Charles and I are struggling. Over my hours. Over the kids. Over the fact I can’t seem to stop working long enough to be present in my own house.
” She wiped the corner of her eye with the fingertip.
“I’m afraid if we drift much further apart, he’ll just up and ask for a divorce. ”
Tempi gasped. “A divorce? Never! Charles loves you.”
“Does he?” Thora met her eyes. “I hope so. But love and patience aren’t the same thing, and I’ve been testing his patience for a long time now.” She let out a hollow laugh. “I’ve been testing everyone’s patience in this family. Mine included.”
“I’m so sorry, Thora.” She reached over and stroked her sister’s hand. “So I might as well admit to something else, since we seem to be doing that…the startup money Grandma gave me. You never needed it. That always made me feel like a failure.”
Thora let out a short laugh. “Tempi, I got my startup funding from a lot of different places. The biggest was PADA’s Fish and Wildlife Division.
They came here and helped me set up the bird sanctuary.
And then PADA’s Plant Conservation Division funded the native flowers and pollinator program.
” She shrugged. “I didn’t need Grandma’s money because I could pull from other resources.
Not because I was better or smarter or more capable, but because my business happened to fit into existing grant programs. Yours didn’t. ”
“But you have to think I’m a failure because I had to take her money.”
Thora snorted. “I don’t have to think any such thing. I never have.” She leaned forward, and this time she took Tempi’s hand in hers. “Let me ask you this. Did you pay Grandma back?”
“Of course. About two years later, I paid her back the entire loan.”
“Then stop fretting about it.”
Tempi stared at her sister. “You really never thought less of me for taking it?”
“Tempi, Grandma gave you that money because she believed in you. The same way she’s always believed in you—we all have. You took it, you built vacation-mogul properties, and you paid her back in two years.” Thora shook her head. “That’s not failure. That’s exactly what she expected you to do.”
The tears came before Tempi could stop them. She wiped her face with the heel of her hand. “I’ve been so stupid.”
“Yes, you have.” Thora grinned. “I’m teasing.” She dropped her smile. “Or am I?”
Tempi laughed and gave her sister a small shove in her chair. “Shut up.”
They sat at the table for a while longer, talking about things they’d never talked about before...
Thora’s fear of losing Charles, Tempi’s fear of never being enough, and the distance that had grown between the two sisters without either of them noticing.
She also confessed to liking Ronin, even though she was sure she’d ruined her chances with him.
And when Tempi finally stood to leave, Thora pulled her into a hug.
“For the record,” Thora said as they pulled apart, “I’ve always been jealous of you.”
Tempi laughed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You built a business that makes people happy, Tempi. Families come to Moonlight Bay and stay in your cottages and make memories. You give people magic.” She smiled. “I give birds a place to nest and live. It’s important, but I wouldn’t say it makes people happy.”
“I would,” Tempi said. “I’d say you make people very happy.”
Thora walked her to the door. “Go fix things with your merman.”
“I will.”
“And Tempi?” Thora leaned against the doorframe. “Stop comparing yourself to me. I’m a mess. A well-dressed and stylish mess, but still a mess.”
Tempi laughed. “I love you, Sis. I want you to know that.”
“You’re my heart, Tempi. And if you’ve ever doubted it, then I’m sorry.” Thora pushed off the door frame. “Now get out of here. I need to go upstairs and have a serious talk with my husband. Seems it’s a night for getting things off our chests.”