Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Gina
I feel like I’m floating on air as I walk into the writing group.
The previous day with Hunter was life-changing.
I know deep in my heart that I love him.
I can’t believe that he shared his secret with me.
It both broke me and touched me at the same time.
He’s been through so much, and yet he is still strong, and he’s still been there for me.
Part of me is still worried. A part of me wonders if the cancer could come back, but I didn’t want to ask him. I love him.
I love the way he touches me. I love the way he looks at me. I love everything about him. And when I look at him, I feel that love from him, as well, even though he’s never said it to me. And I’m certainly not going to say it to him first.
When I reach the parlor, I realize that I’m the first one in the room and take a seat.
I grab my writing pad and look down at my notes.
There are a bunch of ideas for different articles that I was going to send Holly, but I know I can’t send any of them.
I can’t write about Hunter. I would never do that.
I can’t betray him. And now that I know what the secret is, there is no way.
Before I can think about what I’m doing, I’m writing the word cancer on my notepad.
Fuck cancer, I think to myself. Fuck cancer.
He was right about the fact that he’d been lucky.
A lot of people didn’t have access to the same doctors, the same medicine, the same manner of care.
Many people’s families were left devastated and bankrupt because of healthcare costs.
It is admirable to me that he realizes that.
And I wonder if he really and truly meant what he said.
If he really meant that he would try to find ways to help people—that it would be life-changing for so many.
I find myself scribbling randomly in my notepad and hear footsteps.
I look up and see Amethyst walking in. Behind her are Enid and Preston, and then Captain Joe, Quincy, Sally, and Ernest, whom I haven’t seen in about a week.
I stare at Sally to see if I can get any vibes off her that would make me think she was a thief.
But I’m fast realizing that I’m not really any sort of detective. I can’t tell anything.
“Hello, everyone,” Enid says, clapping. “Let’s have a seat, and we’ll get started soon.”
“I’m very pleased to announce that my darling husband, Preston, has decided to join us today. You all know Preston.”
“We know him very well,” Amethyst says, rolling her eyes and taking a seat next to me. “Hello, Gina.”
“Hi.”
“Having a good day?”
“Yeah, thank you. What about you?”
“So so.” She looks around and stands up. “I would like to make an announcement before everyone starts.”
“Go ahead, Amethyst.” Enid looks annoyed.
“I actually may not be part of the writing group for much longer because I have had a publisher contact me, and they are interested in publishing a book of my poems. So, I’m thinking about going on a writing retreat to visit other states to get inspiration.”
“Oh,” Captain Joe says, surprised and slightly upset. “You got a book deal?” His voice is incredulous, and I bite down on my lower lip to stop from laughing.
“Of course. It was a long time coming.” Amethyst looks taken aback.
“Well, very nice, Amethyst. I’m very happy for you,” Enid says, looking anything but happy. Preston just stares at her and says nothing.
“I would like to read a poem to start off the workshop,” Amethyst says.
“Not now, Amethyst. This is my group, and I have some announcements to make.” Enid immediately jumps up.
“Oh… well, okay.” Amethyst looks pissed.
She’s not used to Enid shutting her down like this.
I suppose none of us are. I hear Sally’s phone beeping, and she looks down at it and starts typing furiously.
There’s a small smile on her face—a smile I’ve never seen before.
I notice Quincy looking over at her, scowling like he’s jealous. My heart starts racing.
I grab my phone and text Hunter.
Oh my gosh, I think Sally has a boyfriend. She’s texting someone right now, grinning, and Quincy is looking jealous.
He texts me back immediately.
Can you see the screen? Can you see if it’s Patrick’s name or number?
I type back.
I’m not sitting next to her. I can’t look.
I smile as I put my phone back into my pocket.
I love being an undercover detective with Hunter. I love that we have this.
I feel like we are about to solve the case.
I truly believe that Sally is probably dating Patrick and that Patrick is the reason why she stole the necklace. I know it’s a lot of leaps to make, but sometimes when something just seems to add up—that’s the answer.
“So, I really wanted to thank everyone for being a part of this writing group,” Enid says loudly. “I think it’s something really special. When my husband and I first met, we bonded. We bonded over our love of literature.”
“Really?” Amethyst says loudly. I glance over at her. “Preston always loved Shakespeare, but not much else.” Amethyst snorts.
“And I have always loved writing. I’ve always considered myself a modern-day Emily Bronte,” Enid continues, and no one says anything. Enid’s not as bad a writer as Amethyst, but she certainly is nowhere close to Emily Bronte standards. But I’m certainly not going to say anything.
“And because this writing group has given so much to me, I wanted to—”
I freeze at her words. There’s something ticking in the back of my brain.
I tune out what she’s saying so that I can think about what made me sit up straight. Preston. Preston was into Shakespeare. Why did that matter?
I look around the room. I don’t know why that suddenly means something to me.
And then I look at Amethyst. I think about the first time we met.
What had she said to me? She’d said Shakespeare came to her in her dreams. And now I think—either she truly believed Shakespeare came to her in her dreams, and she was crazy.
Or that had been a metaphor for something else.
All of a sudden, my eyes move to Amethyst, and I see the dangling earrings hanging from her ears.
This time, they’re whales. And then I think back to some of the photos I’d seen in the photo album.
My heart starts racing, and I grab my phone and text Hunter.
Meet me in the library. Now.
He texts back immediately.
Oooh, are we going to hook up in the library?
No. I think I figured something out.
What?
Tell you in a little bit.
I put my phone back into my pocket.
Amethyst is staring at me now, her eyes narrowed. Does she know that I’m suspicious of her?
“Hey, is everything okay?” I ask softly, even though Enid is still talking.
“What’s that?” She looks down at my notepad. I realize she sees Hunter’s name and cancer written there. I quickly cover it.
“Nothing. I was just—”
“You were just what? Why did those look like headlines?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I want to shoot myself. Why had I been writing random headlines on this notepad when she could see it?
I should have been more careful. “It’s nothing.”
“Huh,” she says softly. Now she’s suspicious of me. I can tell. Shit!
“I asked you a question,” I say.
“What’s your question?”
“When Shakespeare comes to you in your dreams… is it William Shakespeare, or is it someone that likes Shakespeare?” She stills suddenly, and then she blinks.
“What do you mean?” She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts. “Shakespeare comes to me. John Steinbeck comes to me. Many literary figures come to me.” She plays nervously with her earrings. “Why? Does he come to you, too?”
“No. Shakespeare’s never come to me.” I bite down on my lower lip. I want to just ask her what I’m thinking, but I don’t. There’s a shift in the air between us. “So you must be really excited about the fact that you got this book deal.”
“It’s nice to come into money,” she says, nodding. “The advance has been great. It will really allow me to live my life. And isn’t that what life is for? Living?”
“Yeah… I suppose so.” My phone beeps.
I glance down.
I’m in the library. Where are you? Coming?
“Excuse me,” I say, standing quickly. “I will be right back.”
I don’t tell them where I’m going as I hurry out of the room.
As I pass through the door, I look back and see that Amethyst is watching me with narrowed eyes. My heart races as I run out of the room and up the stairs toward the library. I step inside, feeling like Sherlock Holmes. Only I don’t know if I want to be right.
Hunter stands there—tall, handsome, perfect. My Hunter. The man I love. The man who has changed my life.
“Hey there, sexy,” he says, walking over and kissing me.
“Hey. I think I figured something out.” I pull away from him reluctantly.
“What?”
“I’m not going to say unless I’m right. But grab the photo albums. Let’s look at them.”
“What are we looking for?”
“Photo albums from when your grandparents were younger. At parties.”
We grab the albums and start flipping through them quickly. I know what I’m looking for. I just don’t know if I will find it.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” he asks, looking baffled and confused.
“Not yet. I might be completely wrong. Oh, shit.” I stare at the weathered yellow page and see a photo that makes my heart stop.
I’d been right. I don’t know how to feel or what to make of it.
I pull the photo out of the album and hold it close to my face so I can scan it carefully.
I feel like I’m going to faint as I hand Hunter the photo. He stares at it, expression blank.
“What am I looking at?”
“Recognize anyone in this photo?”
“That’s my grandfather,” he says, pointing to a younger Preston. “And I assume that’s my grandma.” He points to the woman he’s holding.
“No. That’s not your grandma.”
“It’s not?”
“But that,” I say, pointing to the woman standing alone beside them a few feet away. “That’s your grandma.”