Page 8 of Fragile Sanctuary

Nora let out a squeak, but Lolli just beamed. “Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite?”

I snorted. Lolli’s favorite changed daily, and it was a constant source of competition between our hodgepodge of found siblings. “You said it was Cope today. He sent you front-row tickets to his next game.”

Lolli drummed her fingers on her lips again. “True. I guess he does win. There’s just something about watching those brawny beefcakes smashing each other into the boards.”

Nora threw up her hands. “I give up.”

A laugh bubbled out of me, and, God, it felt good. The tiny expulsion of air released all the pent-up anxiety that had been stewing for weeks. I could do this. Because with as much as I’d been through, it only made me appreciate the good things in life. And there was so much good.

I wrapped an arm around Nora. “It’s better to just let Lolli have her way.”

“Damned straight,” Lolli said with a nod, making her vast array of necklaces jangle.

Nora simply shook her head and looked toward the small guesthouse to the right of the dilapidated main building. “The movers are already gone?”

I nodded. “Shep let them in this morning when he was here accepting a shipment of lumber. He said it only took them an hour.”

This time, Nora focused her disapproval on me. “You need to settle. Nest.”

I fought the urge to shift, or better yet, bolt. Nora was always on me to make my cottage more of a home. But it had seemed like a waste. It was a rental. Temporary. Why spend all that time and money to fix it up?

Not that money was an issue. My parents had left every single penny of their estate in a trust fund for Emilia and me. Since she was gone, too, all that had fallen to me. But this was the first time I’d touched it. Just thinking about it made me a little nauseous. Using the funds somehow felt like getting pleasure from my family’s deaths.

“Rho,” Nora whispered.

Her face came into focus in front of me, the gentle lines around her eyes and mouth that spoke of easy, frequent smiles. The green irises that held such gentleness. “The only thing they would want is for you to be happy.”

My throat burned as it worked to hold back a sob. “I know. But sometimes being happy feels like the worst betrayal of all.”

Nora pulled me into a tight hug, my ridiculous diamond art gift smooshed between us. “Never. Your happiness honors them. Because they taught you how to find the joy in every single day.”

I took a deep breath and slowly let out the air. As Nora released me, I tipped my face up to the sun. I let the rays beat down on me and remembered dancing through the sprinkler with Emilia on a day just like this one. I remembered plunging my hands into the dirt with my mom to put in new blooms. Remembered my dad chasing Em and me with a water gun. There was so much good here. So many memories to be grateful for.

A callused hand cupped my cheek, and I found Nora’s green eyes again. They shone with pride and a hint of some deeper emotion. “There she is.”

I took Nora’s hand and squeezed. “Come on. Let’s go hang my dick flower.”

2

ANSON

I dumpeda few bottles of bleach and a dozen N95 masks on the hardware store counter. The clatter had the young clerk looking up, her blond hair swishing with the movement. Her gaze went from me to the items and back again. She grinned as she smacked her gum. “Cleanin’ up after a dead body?”

I didn’t laugh. Didn’t respond at all. A few years ago, I would’ve bantered with her, charmed her. Not now. It all felt like a waste of time and energy. Neither of which I had.

The clerk’s cheeks flushed, and she ducked her head, hitting keys on her register.

I was an asshole.

But an asshole was better than the alternative. Better than caring. About anything or anyone. Caring was a recipe for nothing but agony.

“That’ll be fifty-two seventy-five,” she said, her words barely a whisper.

“It’s on the Colson Construction account.” I shoved the items into a plastic bag. It was the least I could do. As much as I tried tofocus on the task at hand, I didn’t miss the slight widening of the clerk’s eyes. Surprise and curiosity.

People knew Colson Construction. The company had a stellar reputation for good work and fair prices. But people knew the owner better. Shepard Colson had an even better reputation than the company did. He was one of those town golden boys.

Given how my brain was trained because of my past life, I couldn’t help but analyze thewhy. Why was Shep so determined to be everything to everyone? To always ride in on his white horse to save the day. I’d put a hell of a lot of money on the idea that it was tied to his abandonment.

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