Page 109 of Lavender Lake
“Talk,” I repeated.
“Yeah. We didn’t get a chance to talk yesterday about”—she paused—“me staying here.”
“You’re not going away. Are you?”
It wasn’t an accusation, but a question that came from a deep-seated place of childhood trauma after losing my mother.
But it wasn’t just about me. My father had lost his wife.
And now he was in bed, recovering from brain surgery, and the last thing I wanted for him was a fair-weathered woman that would run when things got hard.
Her smile slid off her face. “No, Salem. I’m not going away.”
We stared at one another for a long moment. Something passed between us. Some sort of understanding.
“Do you want to get lunch?” I asked.
Her smile appeared again, like sunshine after the rain. “Love to. You mind if we go somewhere that’s not in town?”
“There’s a decent bistro in Silver Springs. Does that work?”
“That’s perfect.”
Nodding, I turned and left the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I changed into jeans and a loose shirt, and then poked my head into my dad’s room. He was asleep with Jane’s cat curled up on the bed next to him.
I had no desire to wake him, so I quietly closed the door. I had a few hours to kill before lunch with Jane so I went to Hadley and Declan’s cabin, but Hadley wasn’t there. I texted her, but when she didn’t reply right away, I got into the side-by-side and drove out to the build site.
The crew was walking around a level lot with freshly packed dirt and wooden stakes with brightly colored rope outlining what would soon be a home. John and two of his sons were in a conversation when I pulled up and parked.
“Hey, Salem!” Harlan called out, jogging over to me the moment I got out of the side-by-side.
“Hi, Harlan.”
“You remembered my name. I’m flattered,” he teased.
Not even his bright smile or willingness to flirt made my heart lift, but I forced a smile that I hoped didn’t show how defeated I really was.
“How are things?” I asked.
“Good. Moving along. We staked the house out and now we’re finalizing orientation and checking for water drainage issues before we go further. If everything checks out, tomorrow we’ll begin digging the foundation, and in a few days, we’ll begin setting rebar and pouring concrete.”
“Exciting,” I murmured.
“Yeah. So hey, I was wondering—you know the town . . .”
“Uh huh.”
“Would you want to show me around?”
“Oh. Harlan, look?—”
“Say no more.” He grinned. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Have you seen my sister?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “She’s having tea with my mom in the doublewide.”
The door to the doublewide opened and Tempest hopped down the steps as Hadley stood in the doorway.
