Garrett was quiet on our way back. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, likely preoccupied with his conversation with my father. When we pulled into the driveway of my house, Garrett didn’t get out. Instead, he leaned across the console and kissed me hard.

“Don’t wait up for me,” he said gruffly. Something was bothering him, and I didn’t want to push him, so I merely acquiesced to his demands.

When I walked into the house, Valerie was sitting at the kitchen table studying information about hospice care. We needed to make decisions and get things set up because Dad would be coming home soon.

“I took Garrett to meet Dad,” I informed her. I walked toward the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

“How did that go?” Valerie asked. She glanced up momentarily to acknowledge me but went back to reading the countless brochures that littered the table.

“Better than I expected until Dad asked to speak with Garrett alone. Whatever they talked about must have spooked Garrett because he dropped me off and told me not to wait up.”

“Huh,” Valerie replied. She wasn’t going to be much help, so I sat down at the table with her and helped sort through the mound of information. She told me she’d already arranged for some men from one of Dad’s crews to help move furniture around in his office to make room for the hospital bed that would be arriving in a few days. We agreed that the furniture in the master bedroom would go into storage since he wouldn’t be using the bedroom. I volunteered to rent a unit in the morning.

“Thank you for helping me sort through all of this,” Valerie said after we had a fairly solid plan of items to tackle in the morning. “It’s times like this I wish Mom was here.”

I was shocked because Valerie never talked about our mother. When Mom left, Valerie had been upset, but she seemed to get over it quickly. I wished I’d been able to move on so easily, but even now, seven years later, my anger still bubbled to life.

“Well, she’s not.”

“Don’t you think she might come back eventually?”

I shook my head fiercely. “No. I don’t.” That was a lie. For several years after she left, I thought about her returning every day until I eventually gave up. “If she wanted to come back, then she would have by now.” A person could be declared legally dead after seven years, and that was exactly how I thought about my mother.

I gathered up my stuff because I didn’t want to continue this conversation. It would only lead to angry words and hurt feelings, and I couldn’t afford to lose my sister. “Dad will be comfortable in his office,” I told her. “It’s his favorite room in the house, and all of his records are there.”

My father had an extremely impressive vinyl collection that was the result of his days as a DJ for a college radio station. Over the years, his collection had grown until it consumed an entire wall. Valerie nodded her head in agreement, and I left her with a squeeze around the shoulders.

The sun was beginning to set as I stepped out into the driveway and started to walk over to the guest house. Garrett still wasn’t back yet, and I was worried because he didn’t have too much time left stateside. Forty-eight hours, to be exact. I stood in the middle of the driveway, looking out at the street, willing him to pull in, but it didn’t happen.

Frustrated, I headed inside the guest house and waited.

Our relationship formed and blossomed so easily. My heart had known the moment I laid eyes on Garrett that he was meant for me. As we spent more time together and I discovered more about him and his passions, I knew that my heart wasn’t wrong. Maybe that was why it felt so effortless to love him. I didn’t want to pay any mind to what my father said about meeting and falling in love with my mother after only a week. Their marriage lasted twenty-five years before it crumbled. Maybe he had a valid point; if you’re meant to be, falling in love didn’t take time.

My thoughts captured my attention until the front door to the guest house opened. I blinked at the sound and realized I was sitting in complete darkness.

“Cami?” Garrett’s warm, familiar voice called out, and I responded that I was sitting in the living room. A lamp next to the table clicked on, and Garrett sat down next to me with a sigh. “What are you doing in the dark?”

“I just got lost in my thoughts. Where have you been?” I didn’t want to seem nosy or anything, but I was curious.

“Your dad said some things that I just … needed to wrap my head around. I’m sorry.” His hand slid across my leg to rest on my knee.

“We have forty-eight hours,” I said quietly.

Garrett inhaled sharply. “I know.”

“Can we just go to bed?”

“Whatever you want, Cami.”

Hand in hand, we walked down the short hallway to the bedroom. I stripped down to my underwear and pulled on a T-shirt Garrett had discarded on the floor. His scent invaded my senses. We both crawled into bed and then gravitated toward each other. Garrett’s arms wound their way around me, and my head rested on his bare chest. I listened to the rhythm of his heart and knew that my heart beat out a similar song. With the moonlight streaming over us, we lay silently together until eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I managed to wake up before Garrett. I watched him sleep, admiring the peaceful look on his face. His dark beard was full and lips slightly pouted. I resisted the urge to lean across the bed and kiss him. He wouldn’t get too many more quiet nights.

I reached down for the running shorts I’d had on yesterday and slipped them on before heading out into the kitchen to start breakfast. Garrett’s rental car was in the driveway, but next to it was an unfamiliar car. I wondered if it was Dominic’s, which meant I needed to go across to the main house and check on Valerie. She didn’t need that kind of shit this early in the morning.

Abandoning breakfast, I headed over to make sure Valerie was okay. The moment I stepped through the front door, I knew Dominic wasn’t the mystery visitor. Valerie’s voice was easy to pick out, but the other voice was familiar and female. My feet just seemed to move toward the family room in the back of the house. That voice … who was it? And then I realized who it was and stopped dead in my tracks as my eyes landed on a woman I hadn’t seen in seven years.

“Get the fuck out of this house.” The words just tumbled from my mouth without a second thought. “Right now.”

“Calm down, Cami,” Valerie said in a soothing tone. As soon as she saw me, she shot up from the couch and quickly approached. She lightly grasped my arm, but I pulled it away quickly.

“What’s she doing here?”

Valerie motioned for me to walk farther into the kitchen and kept sneaking glances toward the family room as if she was concerned with how our mother would react to my harshness.

“Tim Grayson contacted her. He told her that dad was sick.”

“So what? She came to help? Or does she want something?”

“I don’t know why she’s here,” Valerie said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Well then, let’s find out.” I marched back toward the living room where my mother, who could almost be my twin with her lithe frame and wild curls, sat patiently. “Why are you here?” She seemed surprised by my demand and looked at Valerie for some kind of encouragement.

“Camille, your father is sick. I would never expect you to take on such a burden alone.”

“Bullshit. You would have never known if Tim Grayson hadn’t contacted you. So why are you here?”

“I just told you, Camille. As soon as I found out your father was sick, I dropped everything to come here.”

“We don’t need your help,” I argued although it seemed pointless because I felt like I was only fighting with myself. “Please leave.”

The front door opened and then closed, temporarily distracting me. Seconds later, Garrett appeared in the doorway. “Cami, I’ve been looking for you,” he said absently until his eyes landed on my wild, angry face and Valerie’s bewildered expression. “What’s going on?”

“My mother’s back! Isn’t it wonderful?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Garrett dragged a hand across his face before he muttered, “Well, fuck.” But he didn’t look surprised or even shocked. Instead, he looked like he knew.

“Did you know about this?” My voice was incredibly shrill, and my anger only increased because it felt like everyone I loved was in on some cruel joke.

Garrett sighed loudly. “Your father told me yesterday. I didn’t think she was going to show up so soon.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because he asked me to keep it a secret. He wasn’t sure when Tim contacted your mother, but he wanted to prepare me for when she showed up.”

“You’re keeping secrets from me? What else don’t I know?” I knew I was acting like nothing more than a spoiled brat, but all that mattered was my own indignation.

“Cami, he’s dying. I would do pretty much anything he asked of me.”

“I can’t believe this is even happening right now.” I stormed from the family room to the patio doors and thrust them open. A cold, windy blast of air smacked me right in the face as I stepped outside and headed toward the dock.

Within moments, Garrett was there beside me. “Please don’t be mad at me, Cami.”

“I’m not,” I admitted softly. “I’m mad at her. And Valerie. She’s acting like nothing’s happened.”

“I think Valerie is just overwhelmed taking care of your father.”

“But I’m here too!” I pressed a finger into the middle of my chest. “I’ve been here the entire time! I gave up everything to be here and help her.”

Garrett placed an arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer. “I know you did. And so does Val. You both need help.”

“We will have help. We’ve got hospice care set up for him. We’re taking care of everything.”

“But wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else carry your burden for a while?”

My head sagged forward. “She doesn’t deserve that honor.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Let’s just go.” I slipped out of his embrace and stood. Absently, I brushed the back of my shorts before walking down the length of the dock. Garrett caught up with me easily, and our hands locked together. We walked around the house toward the guest house. I had no idea where I wanted to go, but I knew that I couldn’t stay a minute longer with my mom a stone’s throw away.