Page 102 of Rescued Heart

Home.

Her fingers shook as she swiped to answer. “Hello?”

Please, let them not have called by mistake.

“Hey, Bee.”

Bianca fell back against the couch cushion. Her sister was calling from her parents’ house. “Hey, Madeline.”

Madeline cleared her throat. “How are you doing?”

Bianca stared up at the ceiling of her trailer. “I’m…okay. How’s…everyone?” Her heart thumped. Once. Twice. Still no answer. “Maddy?”

A sniff snuck over the phone’s speaker.

Bianca sprang up off the coach. “What’s wrong? Is it Grandma? Mom? Dad?”

Please, Lord, don’t take them from me before we get things fixed.

She ran to her purse and threw it over her shoulder. What else would she need to head home? “I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in…” How long would it take her to drive home? Fly? Not quick enough.

Finally, her sister said, “No, Bianca. It’s nothing like that. It’s…”

Another sniff.

Bianca leaned against the trailer’s tiny island. “Talk to me, Madeline. You’re scaring me.”

“We had a big fight.” Her sister’s words echoed over the phone.

Bianca slinked back over to the coach and sat down on the edge. “You and Zeke?” Had one of them called off their wedding?

A ragged breath, and then her sister’s voice whispered, “Me and Dad. He said…I didn’t need the Old Vineyard for my wedding. He’s right. I don’t. I love Zeke no matter where we get married. But we chose our wedding date specifically for when the Old Vineyard had an availability. We waited extra months for it. You know that place was my dream. Always. Mom promised they’d pay for it. They paid the first deposit, but that was before the house…and now the second deposit is due. Dad said they weren’t going to pay. Zeke and I used all our savings to buy the sweetest little house. Do you remember Mrs. Keeper’s old house? The one with the heart shutters?” A hiccup proceeded to a groan. “I’d marry Zeke in rags at the courthouse, but…you know what it’s like to follow your dreams. I just wanted someone in our family to actually keep their promises.”

Bianca rubbed her knuckles along her forehead. “I do know what it’s like to follow your dreams.” The dreams that she wasn’t sure were worth it anymore.

She wanted a better happily ever after for her sister. “What if I cover the vineyard?”

It wasn’t like she had to give any of her movie money to Eddie anymore. She massaged her temples. “I’ll have to put the deposit on my credit card.” But it would work. It had to work.

“Oh, Bee, you’re the best. I promise Zeke and I will pay you back. I told Mom you’d help, but Dad overheard, and that’s when the fight escalated. He said not to call and bother you.”

Bianca fisted her hands. “You’re not bothering me. But if I pay…I want to come to the wedding.”

She pressed her lips together. Why had she made the money an ultimatum? She needed to stop making deals.

Bianca’s heart thumped for far too many heartbeats before her sister whispered, “I’ve always wanted you there, but…even if you aren’t letting us borrow?—”

“Not borrow.” Bianca traced the stitching on the arm of her couch. “It’ll be your wedding gift.”

“Do you have to film that day? It’s almost nine months away. Wouldn’t you need to hire more security?”

Bianca inhaled through her nose and out through her mouth. “I’ll try to stay in the back so as not to cause an issue with anyone.”

One more sniff. “It wasn’t fair for Dad to blame you for his other job loss.”

Bianca sat up straighter. “Other? I thought he only supposedly lost his promotion.”

Madeline sighed. “Last month, he was laid off.”

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