Page 76 of The Last Lavender Sister

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Tyler asked, appearing in the doorway, hand on her hip.

“I guess I do,” Aster said, pulling herself out of the weighted moment and into the present. “I’m off. Want to come?”

“No. I think this journey is just for you.”

She hugged Tyler as she passed and held on for a beat. “Thank you.”

“Anything for my favorite duo.”

Not surprisingly with a storm threatening and drops hitting on and off, the playground was mostly empty when Aster arrived just a handful of minutes later. A determined mother pushed a toddler in a swing, but the jungle gym, the basketball hoop, and the walking trails had been abandoned. The slide, however, pulled Aster’s focus. Yep, someone sat at the very top with a splash of blond hair. Her heart sped up, and she started walking, a million opening sentences auditioned. As she got closer, it was clear to her that this was not, in fact, Brynn. But perhaps another messenger?

“Well, hey there,” the very familiar voice said, whirling around.

Aster laughed at her good friend and former employee. “Tori. You got roped into this, too?” She squinted. “What in the world is going on with your hair?” Her red locks were missing in action, replaced by the blond that had faked Aster out.

Tori ran a hand down the blond hair. “Bought it just this morning in preparation for my role. Like it?”

“You’re a striking blonde. Just a little jarring.”

“Gotta dress the part to further the mission. I have a note for you.”

“I wondered if you might.”

Tori slid down the slide, popped up, and presented a pink note. “I also dropped off a fresh dozen for you at your place. Piggly Wiggly day. I know how much you miss it.”

“You really did that?” Aster beamed. “You just made my day.”

“No need to exaggerate. We know who really deserves that credit. Give her a chance. She’s one of the rare ones,” Tori said, squeezed her arm as she passed, and flitted off like a little blond delivery fairy who’d just clocked out.

Brynn was certainly rare. Taking her time, full of thoughts and feelings that battled and churned, Aster found a spot on a swing and unfolded the note, sinking into swirly script like a warm blanket.

You once knocked me on my head on this playground. I saw the grown-up side of you, and it drove me absolutely crazy. You made me question everything I thought I knew about life, love, and what it was I wanted for myself. I still think about wearing your jacket that night and how close to you I felt. This place will always be special to me. I relive that night often. A true favorite. Meet me at the dog park?

Aster folded up the note and placed it in her pocket with the others. She’d saved every letter Brynn had ever sent her. Even in her anger, she hadn’t found the strength to throw them away. Those words still meant so much to her, and now she would add these notes to the collection. As she ran her thumb over the stack in her jacket pocket, she was hit with a burst of energy. She was eager to get to the dog park and see what waited for her next, hoping that this time it might be the woman herself. She needed to see Brynn, to look her in the eyes and see for herself.

She walked quickly to the dog park on the west side of town as the last little bit of daylight held on. The raindrops were on pause, but the clouds still loomed dark and foreboding overhead. She watched a bolt of lightning dance across a cloud as she rounded the corner. Sitting side by side on the bench she often shared with Brynn were Marigold and Violet. They were shoulder to shoulder, drinking warm coffees from Lick Luster, who’d opened a coffee bar in the back. In the play area, she saw Pickles and Dill mixing it up.

She inclined her head. “How in the world did you get my dog?”

Marigold grinned proudly. “I stole him. I’m the best kind of ninja. You should have seen me.”

Violet shook her head. “You gave us the spare key to your house, goofball.”

Right. She’d forgotten that part.

“And little Dill wanted to be part of the fun today. He’s giving his mama some sass.”

Aster grinned at her guy. “He’s always had a little too much confidence.”

They nodded in near unison at what had to be a joint thought. “Sage,” they all said, followed by a laugh.

“This is for you,” Marigold said, presenting the pink note as if it was fragile, a valuable. “And Aster? We like Brynn a whole lot, but we love you more than anything.” Violet nodded her agreement. “We support you every step of the way. Whatever your future happens to be, we have your back. Team Aster over here. Hell or high water.” Aster’s eyes instantly filled with tears, and a lump arrived in her throat because those words sounded very much like her mom, whom she missed so badly it nearly killed her. But the new understanding that her sisters were here for her, to step in and be her cheerleaders, was a truly happy thought to take in.

“You guys are great,” Aster choked out. “And I think I really needed it this week.” She didn’t have her kitchen chats with her mother, or the hugs that always propped her back up when things got tough.

“We don’t have a choice. We all have big shoes to fill now,” Violet said, her own eyes red-rimmed with emotion. “But we’re going to be each other’s rocks and fill them.”

Aster nodded, truly feeling their love as well as relief. She was so very relieved to know they were there.

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