Page 140 of Not Your Average Vixen
She found her jacket hanging over the side of the couch and retrieved the envelope from the pocket. Again, she was met with Grandma Dasher’s handwriting. How many times had she watched her grandmother jot a note in a cookbook or write down an order from a client? She loved how her grandmother wrote theDinDasherwhen she signed her name—the gentle loops reminding her of a snowflake dancing in the air.
The sisters settled themselves on the end of the bed as Bridget slid the stationery out of the envelope.
Before unfolding the paper, she met her sister’s gaze. “My letter from gram was about what I needed to do to take care of you. I tried to do everything she’d asked.”
Lori touched the corner of the stationary. “And my letter has a part about taking care of you, Birdie.”
That didn’t make sense.
“Of me? You were only a kid.”
“Grandma knew that. Just read the last paragraph, Birdie,” Lori said, brushing a tear from her cheek.
Bridget willed her hands not to shake. In her grandmother’s last hours, she’d sat with the woman, holding her hand, staying strong and steady. Even at eighteen, she’d understood the circumstances. She was responsible for her sister and didn’t have the luxury of falling apart.
And she hadn’t fallen apart.
But at this moment, she feared the words written on the page might be her undoing.
Carefully, she unfolded the letter and skimmed the words her grandmother had written to Lori.
Work hard.
Listen to Birdie.
You are meant for great things.
I am so proud of you.
But her heart nearly stopped when she came to the last paragraph.
Lori, we both know that Birdie is going to make sure that you’re safe and loved. But here is something you might not know about your sister. She will do all these things to the detriment of herself. She will give and give and never stop. After you’re older and can understand what I’m telling you, it’s up to you to give Birdie permission to let go. My dear Lori, I know with all my heart that you will find love, happiness, and success. But Birdie won’t take the leap to reach for those things for herself until she knows that, without a doubt, you no longer need her as a guardian but are ready to walk beside her as a sister and a friend.
Now, for you, sweet Birdie, when you read these words, please know that it’s time for you to spread your angel wings, set your own course in this world, and soar.
I, along with your mother and father, will always be with you both.
Bridget stared at her grandmother’s message until the blue ballpoint pen loops and lines blurred together.
“Birdie?” Lori said, her voice barely a whisper.
With the weight of her grandmother’s words, Bridget had to come clean to her sister about Soren.
“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you. And you might be disappointed in me.”
Lori took her hand. “You can tell me anything, and there’s nothing you could do to disappoint me.”
“Do you remember that night when I had to stay over in Denver at the hotel?” she began.
Lori gave her a strange look as her brows knit together. “Of course.”
“You should know that the man at the bar—my hotel hottie—the one that I spent the night with.”
Lori leaned in. “Yes, I remember.”
Bridget swallowed hard. It was now or never.
“It was Scooter,” she confessed.
