Page 95 of The Wish List
“I thought you were at Shauna’s, Mom. Do you want to go to Garrett and Lily’s open house with me? I’m sure you’re invited.”
May shook her head. “I’m tired. Twins are cute but a handful.” Her gaze took in Freya from head to toe, and the corners of her mouth drew down.
“Go ahead.” Freya lifted her arms in supplication. “Tell me how awful I am for wearing this dress to a party with your friends and neighbors. I’m sure you want to.”
“You are beautiful,” May said softly. “You live life on your terms, Frey. I’m proud.”
Trinity’s eyes sparkled, and she gave Freya a definite I-told-you-so nod. “You need to read Mom’s book,” Trinity said. “You and Beth both. It’s not what you think.”
May nodded. “Things have changed. I didn’t mean to be a bad mom. It’s not too late if you give me another chance.”
Freya crossed her arms over her chest like she could block out the yearning she had for her mother’s love and acceptance. Hadn’t she learned not to rely on anyone? “What’s going on? Is this because you want Beth to go with you on tour and me to stay with Trinity because—”
“I don’t need you to stay,” Trinity interrupted. “I’ll figure it out.”
Freya didn’t take her eyes off of May.
“I changed before the stroke, but it made me realize...” May shook her head. “I want to have this conversation with Beth, too. I called her and texted, but she won’t answer.”
“I think Beth needs a break, Mom.” It was strange for Freya to find herself defending her older sister.
“I know,” May agreed, which felt even stranger.
Freya glanced at her watch. “I need to go, or I’m going to miss the party. If either of you wants to come with—”
“We can start over,” May said, her tone beseeching.
“I can’t do this right now, Mom. Get Beth to agree to meet and then we’ll all talk.”
“Will you at least agree to read the new section of Mom’s book?” Trinity asked. “I’m going to drop off a copy to Beth today as well.”
Sweet Trinity, lobbying for peace in their family. Freya nodded and tried not to notice her mother’s sigh of relief at her acquiescence. Why in the world were a few updated pages of prose so important?
“Don’t forget Thomas is being baptized on Sunday,” Trinity continued quickly, then dropped a gentle kiss on the baby’s head. “We can talk then—all of us together again.”
“It will have to be a short conversation. This morning I scheduled a flight to Vegas Sunday night. I’ve agreed to a paid appearance at one of the clubs on New Year’s Eve.”
May pressed a hand to her chest like she had trouble catching her breath. “You’re leaving?”
“Trinity just said she didn’t need help.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to stay,” Trinity countered.
“I can always come back for a visit. There isn’t anything for me in this town. I don’t belong here.” Both her mother and Trinity looked like they wanted to argue, but neither of them did.
“It’s your choice,” May murmured.
Freya wasn’t sure what she expected. If her mother begged anyone to stay, it would be Beth. Beth was always the most dependable daughter, but Freya made herself expendable on purpose. She had no one else to blame.
“Put the book in my bedroom,” she told Trinity. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She walked out of the house, unsure why she was bothering to go to this party when she’d decided to leave Magnolia.
In her heart, she knew it was because Greer would be there, and she wanted to see him despite knowing she shouldn’t.
She hadn’t returned his recent texts or answered his calls. He’d stopped by the house yesterday, but Freya had retreated to her bedroom like a coward instead of facing him.
Maybe she wanted to publicly prove to them both that they were not a good fit. Her mother had told her that Greer would be heading back to Boston after the first of the year because Garrett had pushed through his bout of writer’s block. All that Christmas cheer and manual labor worked wonders. It had for Freya. She’d polished her manuscript until it glowed like the North Star but still refused to consider submitting it to an editor or allowing her mom to share it with Greer.
The business of putting herself out there as a celebrity was enough of a challenge these days when something as simple as a different type of dress made her a target for social media trolling. The thought of sharing her creativity and being judged for it was more than she could bear.
