“Well, Marie was a real peach,” I sighed, as I turned down the road that led to my house.
Normally, I would have given her a piece of my mind, but she wasn’t worth it. The likelihood of our paths crossing again were slim to none.
My stomach rumbled and I remembered the delicious cinnamon swirl bread I’d left at Wyatt’s place. We both had these past lives that were always right there lurking in the shadows—reminders.
We both had families that were an extension of our former lives tied to those we loved. Cancer took Carter’s mom from us five years ago. His sister, Shelby, was a secretary at a car dealership in Butte and I received the occasional email from her. She sent Luke a card and some cash for his birthday. Carter’s father was diagnosed with dementia just before Carter and Logan passed away. Last time we had visited him he didn’t know who we were.
I parked the truck and ran up the stairs. After a quick shower, I changed my clothes and then I hopped in my truck to visit Carter’s family.
“Hi there, Hannah,” Shelby said, as she greeted me at the front door. Her long dark hair piled on top of her head, and she looked much younger than her thirty-two years.
“Hi, Shelby. How you doing?”
“I’m fine. Come on in. I just made some iced tea.”
She held the rickety screen door open for me as I crossed the threshold. A flood of memories came back as my feet shuffled across the green linoleum. It was like stepping into a time warp. Pictures of the family and old barns lined the paneling walls. The wooden bookshelf still sat in the corner with the trinkets of glass hats and baskets. In the rocker watching an old episode of Andy Griffith sat Carter Sr.
Saying nothing, his gaze met mine. Carter’s skin was ashen, his lips were thin and his beard was full and white, not quite Santa Clause.
“So, Hannah, what brings you by?” She set a glass of iced tea in front of me.
“Oh, nothing special,” I said, wrapping my hands around the glass. “I just was thinking it had been a while and that it would be nice to see you both.”
“You could have called,” she pointed out.
I nodded, before taking a drink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think, I just kinda drove.” My gaze swung to the living room. “How’s he doing?”
“He has his good days and bad days,” she began. “Today is a good day, he knows who I am. He hasn’t had any outbursts or tried to set the house on fire.”
My brows pinched together. “Set the house on fire?”
“He accidentally turned the stove on one afternoon. He thought the dishtowel was a pan,” she explained. “How’s Luke? Sorry that we couldn’t make it to his birthday party.”
“Luke’s good and he’s made new friends at school. He’s doing well in all his classes, so far.”
She smiled. “That’s good to hear. Hey, I uh, liked the Russian sage you planted at the graves, it’s really pretty.”
I smiled over the rim of my glass. “Thank you.”
Over the next hour small talk mixed with comfortable silence. The sounds of low chuckling from the living room, along with the tail of the cat clock ticking back and forth and the rain pummeling against the windows filled in the quiet moments.
“Are you dating anyone?” she asked pointedly, before refilling my iced tea.
“Are you?” I countered.
A slow smile painted her lips. “Maybe I am.” Her brown eyes lifted to mine. I recognized those eyes. “It’s kind of hard with Dad, but my new raise should cover in-home care.”
“In-home care,” I repeated. “That will be nice.”
“Tammy, Tammy,” he hollered from the living room. “When’s dinner gonna be ready?”
Tammy was Shelby and Carter’s mom. I pushed up from my seat at the table taking my cue to leave. Honestly, I was glad to be leaving. Too many ghosts. Too many memories.
“In two hours,” Shelby called back. “Remember, we eat at six o’clock every night.”
He mumbled something incoherent that made Shelby laugh.
She walked me to the front door. “Hannah, you don’t need to check up on us,” she said, stepping onto the porch. “Carter hated this place. Hated how Dad lost all the money for the ranch and all the boozin’ and womanizing. Dad was a miserable old man. Now, he’s nice as pie, but somedays he doesn’t know if he’s coming or going. I don’t know if that’s karma or what.”
Tension rolled off my shoulders. I looked back at her. “Well, don’t forget that you’re Luke’s aunt so you’re always welcome to be a part of his life.”
She swiped a tear from her eye. “I’ll sure try.” Her voice was barely audible.
We said our goodbyes and Shelby walked back inside as soon as I put the truck in reverse. A double rainbow appeared in the sky as I drove home that afternoon. I took that as a sign. Of what exactly I didn’t know, but somehow I knew that Carter was letting me know it was okay to let go.