Zoey

The thought of being stuck in a car with him traveling through different states made me uncomfortable. I knew what Nora was thinking when she did that. The last thing she whispered to me before she passed was to look after him and make sure he was okay. If he had been a nice person, I wouldn’t have minded. And even though he was rude, arrogant, and a total asshole of a human being, I still felt this undeniable pull towards him. Nora wasn’t the only one who wanted me to help him. Angelique visited my dreams frequently. Her presence in this house was strong and her messages were coming through loud and clear.

“I’ve rented a car for our little road trip,” Carter spoke from behind and I jumped.

“You scared me.” I placed my hand over my heart and turned around. “Why are you always sneaking up on me?”

“I don’t sneak up on you. It’s not my fault that you’re always in a daze.”

“I am not.”

“Yes, you are. But I’m not going to stand here and argue with you. Sadie’s flight back to New York leaves tomorrow morning at ten o’clock and the car service is picking her up at eight. As soon as she leaves, we’ll head to the funeral home and be on our way to Lake Tahoe.”

Just as I was about to speak, Carter’s phone rang.

“I have to take this.” He headed towards his office.

I went into the kitchen where Sadie was just starting to make lunch. As I was helping her, Carter walked in.

“As of tomorrow, this house will be on the market.”

“That was quick,” I spoke.

“The quicker the better.”

He walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.

“But why? You bought this house for a reason at one time.”

Sadie glanced over at me and lightly shook her head as if to warn me not to agitate him, but I didn’t care. Carter turned to me, his eyes burned into mine.

“Me selling this house is none of your concern, Zoey.”

“You’re right, Mr. Grayson, it’s not. But this house meant the world to Nora. She wouldn’t want you to sell it.”

“Nora isn’t here anymore, is she?” He cocked his head and spoke with an attitude.

“Just because she isn’t physically here doesn’t mean she isn’t here in spirit.”

“Jesus Christ, enough with your craziness. Nora isn’t here, this is my house, and I’ve decided to sell it. There’s no need for me to keep it anymore.”

“The memories here are enough to want to keep it,” I spoke.

“Yeah, well, some memories are better forgotten. I’m going out. I’ll be back later.” He stormed out of the kitchen.

I looked at Sadie, who stood there with an “I told you so” look on her face. I shrugged.

“Someone had to say it. He’s selling this house for all the wrong reasons and one day he will regret it.”

“We know that, Zoey, but he will never see it that way.”

I was lying in bed, unable to fall asleep, when I heard the front door open. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was just after midnight. I listened carefully for him to walk up the stairs, but I didn’t hear anything. It wasn’t hard to miss because the third step from the bottom squeaked when you stepped on it. Was he drunk again? Did he need to be checked on? Why did I care? I lay there, pondering my thoughts, and finally threw the covers back and walked from my room to the living area, where I found Carter lying on the couch, passed out. Walking back to my room, I grabbed an extra pillow off the bed and a blanket, and took it out to him. After placing the pillow under his head and covering him with the blanket, I stood there for a moment and stared at him. His grief, his broken heart, and his broken soul were too much for him to handle and I wasn’t sure how to help him.

****

The next morning, after getting dressed, I grabbed my bags and set them by the front door. Looking over at the couch, I noticed Carter wasn’t there. As I went into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Sadie will be down in a minute. Are you all packed?” he spoke.

“Good morning to you too. My bags are already by the front door.”

I poured him a cup of coffee and handed it to him.

“Were you the one responsible for the pillow and blanket last night?”

“Yes.” I wrapped my hands around the mug and took a sip of coffee.

He stood in front of the patio door and stared out at the ocean.

“Thanks,” he softly spoke.

“You’re welcome. Want to talk about it?” I cautiously asked, even though I knew what the answer would be.

“No,” he spoke in a sharp tone.

Sadie walked down the stairs just as there was a knock at the door.

“That must be your driver,” Carter spoke to her.

I walked over and hugged her tight.

“Thank you for everything, Sadie.”

“You’re welcome, Zoey. Thank you for everything you did for Nora. Please don’t be a stranger and come visit. I’ll miss you and our morning talks.”

I gave her a small smile.

“I’ll miss you too, and I won’t be a stranger.”

“Good luck on your road trip. Whatever you do, please don’t kill Mr. Grayson,” she whispered to me with a smile.

“I will try my best to control myself.” I winked at her.

Carter said his goodbyes, and as soon as Sadie was gone, he grabbed his bags.

“Are you ready?” he asked me.

“Is the rental car here?”

“Yes. It was dropped off last night.”

Walking over to the door, I grabbed my bags and took them outside. While Carter loaded them into the Escalade he rented, I stood in front of the house and took one last look at it. Staring up at the bedroom window that was Carter’s, I saw Angelique in the window. The corners of my mouth curved up into a tender smile as I climbed into the SUV and braced myself for the journey that I was about to embark on.

Carter drove us to the funeral home, which was only fifteen minutes down the road. Once we arrived, we were greeted by Ted Kingsley, the owner.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. Please step into my office and I will collect your sister’s ashes,” he spoke.

Carter and I took a seat in the oversized brown leather chairs and waited for Ted to come back. As I glanced over at him, I could see his uneasiness as he sat there and rubbed his hands. A few moments later, Ted and another man walked in carrying two small silver urns each.

“Why are there four urns?” Carter asked.

“It was per your sister’s request,” Ted replied. “Each urn is for the four places in which you will scatter her ashes.”

He set the urns on the table next to his desk.

“Each urn is equally filled except for this one. This has only a small amount of her ashes in it for your Hawaii trip, which can easily be transferred into this plastic storage bag.”

“I am not putting my sister’s ashes in a plastic storage bag,” Carter spoke. “I will be renting a private plane to fly us to Hawaii, so taking the urn won’t be an issue.”

“Very well, Mr. Grayson. All I need from you is a signature that you’ve picked up your sister’s ashes and then we’ll be done here.”

Carter signed the paperwork, handed me two of the urns, and then we climbed into the SUV and started on our trip to Lake Tahoe.