Page 81 of Swept Away
I ponder for a moment before I speak again.
“I met someone a while ago, and that person thought a young woman about my age lived in this house. He also thought they could be related. More like members of the same family…” I continue, amazed at how direct I am with a woman I just met.
She shakes her head.
“It must be a mistake. This house belonged to my grandfather, and the last girl who lived in this house was me, briefly, when I was five. And I’m not your age. I could probably be your mother,” she says, flashing a warm smile. “Anyway…” she adds, signaling that she is ready to wrap up our conversation. “We’ll be here for a few more days. We could go out for coffee and chat more about this.”
“Yeah… Sure. We can do that. Thanks for the cat,” I say, lifting Gizmo while she waves at both of us and makes the trip back.
My eyes are still trained on the door she’s vanished through as I think about what Mason said.
What was he talking about?
Could he be that wrong?
Did he have the wrong address? Or did he invent the whole story so he could talk to me?
It makes no sense to me.
Eventually, I spin around and enter the building, convinced I might never find out what the story about his stepsister was really all about.
GEMMA
The house smellslike broiled tomatoes and spices, and Gizmo sleeps on a pillow by the window as I indulge in the delicious food I cooked for myself while scrolling through social media.
A notification pops up on my screen as a payment has just been deposited into my account.
My favorite kind of notifications.
I put the phone down, eat my food, and then drink water from the bottle.
I’m next to the refrigerator, my hand on an ice cream container, when my phone rings.
“Of course…” I murmur, taking my hand away from the dessert and moving back to the table.
My aunt’s name flashes across the screen, putting a smile on my face.
“Hey,” I say as soon as I take the call. “Is everything all right?” I add just as quickly, sliding back into my seat.
We talked on the phone right after my mother called me, and talking to her twice in the same week is a little bit unusual.
“Yes. Everything is fine. What are you doing today?” she asks, just as fast.
“Uh…Why are you asking?”
A smile tugs at my lips while she stays silent on the line.
“I was wondering…” she finally says, a smile warming her voice.
“Please don’t tell me this is about my birthday.”
“It kind of is…?”
“What?”
“Yeah. Well, this is supposed to be a surprise party, but there’s no way I could get you to come to my place without telling you what’s all about. So, sorry for spoiling it for you, but we have a gathering at my place tonight, and you’re the guest of honor.”
A wave of warmth rises in me.
