Page 5 of The Last Lavender Sister

After mulling over Tyler’s proposition for a mere twenty-four hours, Brynn accepted. Now it was time to quickly make plans and get herself to Kansas. She’d heard Tyler speak fondly of her hometown for years but couldn’t find it on a map if she tried. And since the call, she had. Twice.

She’d get to know it soon enough, though. Her bags were now packed, a storage company was coming for the rest of her belongings, and her flight to Wichita took off in two hours. She’d miss Chicago and her favorite cup of coffee from Overflow’s down the street, but she had to be honest. She was lonely, shattered, and not at all herself. She needed a change, a chance to catch her breath and pick herself back up. Then she could return home a stronger version of herself, ready to take on the difficulties of life again. Because quite honestly, the woman in the mirror—blond hair pulled up in a poorly executed ponytail, yoga pants that had seen better days, and green eyes that had lost their spark—was unrecognizable. She touched her hair, pulled the rubber band out, and watched it fall to her shoulders. She sighed.

Yeah, time for a change.

“Make it a double,” she said dully to her empty house.

An adventure awaited, and she for one was ready to hop on board that plane and get a new chapter of her life started.

* * *

“This place is crowded,” Aster murmured to Sage as they shouldered their way inside Larry’s.Crowds. Her stomach sank at all the future small talk ahead. The normally sleepy bar was bustling with folks standing in groups, leaving not much room to maneuver. Apparently, the whole town had crammed itself into Larry’s for a beer and a hug from their favorite veterinarian. Country music played loudly from the throwback jukebox in the corner, Larry’s pride and joy. He refused to update the place, and it still matched photos on the walls from the eighties. The one room establishment was shaped like a rectangle that stretched from front to back with the beat-up bar along the wall onthe right, a pair of dimly lit restrooms at the back, and a hodgepodge of somewhat stable tables and chairs throughout the middle.

“Damn. People love Tyler,” Sage said, his jaw a little tighter than she was used to seeing. Mm-hmm.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you. You’re just too boneheaded to appreciate her, and now she’s leaving. Is this your fault?” She eyed him.

“Of course not, and I do appreciate her. It’s not like I want her to leave. Hell, it’s the opposite.”

“Have you told her that?” Aster asked.

“Who, me?”

Tyler had snuck up on them, and damn if she didn’t look like a million bucks. Entirely by design, Aster was sure. A navy and white polka dotted top with off the shoulder sleeves. Slim jeans and a killer pair of brown heels that gave her five-foot-three frame a generous boost that brought her eye-to-eye with Aster. Her brown hair was in a ponytail, and her matching eyes were done the hell up. Lashes for days.Nice work, Tyler.

“Exactly you,” Aster said and received the hug Tyler offered. “I can’t believe you’re leaving.” She stared hard at her friend. “Take me with you.” She half meant it.

Tyler grinned and her eyes crinkled. “You’re in. Show up at six a.m. tomorrow morning, and I’ll tuck you into my suitcase. I could use a little sister like you to cheer me on. I’ve heard rumors about this program. The classes are supposed to be fast paced and insanely difficult.”

“But you’re the smartest person I know,” Aster said, rocking on her heels, still not entirely comfortable at a large gathering. She’d warm up soon.

“You mean next to you, the town whiz kid?” Aster demurred at the reference to her successful days in school. While people could be hard for her, academia had not been. She missed it.

“Tyler, no,” Aster said. “You’re going to do great in Chicago. I just know it. Please come back, though. Without you here…” The sentimentality of this event was not in her comfort zone, so she kept it light. “I’ll probably end up talking to a brick wall on Fifth Street, asking it for friendship.”

“You’re gonna be just fine,” Tyler said, pulling Aster in for a half hug.

“We’re all proud of you,” Sage said, standing there forgotten. “You’re gonna knock ’em on their heads.”

Tyler’s eyes flicked to him. Her smile cooled, and she nodded conservatively. “Thank you, Sage. I appreciate that.”

“Anytime.”

Aster watched in mystification. These two were off. She wasn’t sure what had transpired between them, but something had clobbered their easygoing best-friend-I-might-sleep-with mojo. Sage and Tyler were like peanut butter and jelly. The people standing in front of her were miles apart. It was sad in so many ways.

Sage shifted his weight, and then did it again.Look at that.He was uncomfortable, which Aster knew to be rare. He flicked his head at the bar. “Gonna grab a brew.”

“Enjoy,” Tyler said a little too distantly.

Once they were alone, she leaped for Tyler’s hand, one of the few people she felt comfortable enough grabbing. “Everything okay? You two are freaking me out.”

“We’re gonna be fine. But sometimes people outgrow each other,” Tyler said, but her inflection was flat, lifeless. “But I would never speak poorly of Sage, especially to his little sister. That’s a promise.”

Aster leaned forward, determined. Concern flared. “Maybe you should rethink that strategy, so I can knock him in his head if he’s wronged you.”

Tyler tossed an arm around Aster’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “You’ve always been such a sweet person, Aster. You take care of him for me. Promise me?”

“I’ll try. He’s a lot. Drinks milk out of the carton.”

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