Last One Home (26 page)

Nichole was agog. She turned a full circle, gazing at their lush surroundings. The lobby was luxurious and inviting, with marble floors and pillars and deep-cushioned chairs and sofas.

Standing at the front desk, Nichole and Laurie signed themselves in. Within a matter of minutes they were handed their room keys and personally escorted to the elevator.

“This is unbelievable,” Laurie whispered, as they arrived at their room. She plopped down on the bed, her arms spread-eagled as she was nearly buried in the lush white bedding.

“It’s even better than what I expected,” Nichole agreed. She walked to the window and looked out over the view of the expansive swimming pool with its Caribbean-colored water. The area surrounding the pool was a thick green lawn with small white tents set up as areas of shade. Several sun worshippers took advantage of a refreshing dip in the water, cooling themselves off from the heat.

“Let’s go down to the pool,” Nichole suggested. She’d call Jake and let him know that they’d arrived safely. Later, she’d check on Owen, too, and see how Leanne was faring. Nichole didn’t want Leanne to feel she took her generosity for granted. She wanted Leanne to know how much she appreciated her willingness
to look after Owen. Although Nichole was reluctant to admit it, it felt incredibly strange to be away from her son. They were together 24/7 and he’d become her entire world.

As soon as they unpacked their suitcases and changed into their swimsuits, they were out the door. First thing the next morning, their spa time would start, and Nichole could barely wait. Her goal was to get a good start on chipping away at this baby fat—she really wanted to get rid of it before she got pregnant a second time.

They ordered lemon drops, which were the perfect complement to their afternoon. They lazed out by the pool, dipping in to cool off, and later retreated to one of the cabanas with two padded lounge chairs. Laurie napped, and while her friend dozed Nichole reached for her phone and called her husband. Jake answered right away.

“Hello, my darling,” she said, her heart bursting with love and appreciation for her husband.

“Hi, sweetheart. I take it you’ve arrived safe and sound.”

“We did. The sign at the airport said it was ninety-eight degrees, but it hardly feels that warm.”

“Low humidity,” Jake said.

“Laurie and I are by the pool with our drinks. This feels so decadent; you shouldn’t spoil me this way, Jake.”

“You, my beautiful wife, deserve to be spoiled.”

Nichole smiled.

“Okay, sweetheart. Listen, I’d better get back to work. Will you call me tonight?” Jake asked. He sounded distracted.

“Of course. You aren’t going to be working late again, are you?”

Jake expelled a long sigh. “I might not have a choice. You know what it’s like here at the winery, with the spring release.”

Nichole did. “Don’t work too hard.” Her husband gave a hundred and ten percent at his job.

“Bye, my love,” she whispered, before disconnecting.

As she hung up, her phone pinged with a text message. It was from her sister, Karen. She read the few words and frowned.

“Trouble?” Laurie asked Nichole.

“It’s my sister. She asked if I’d called Cassie yet. We’ve talked a couple times since Karen saw Cassie, and she’s been encouraging me to get in touch with her.” Nichole had been putting it off. She wasn’t sure why, other than the fact that she didn’t know what to say. Her memories of Cassie were tainted by that last dreadful summer when it seemed their entire family had imploded because of her. Nichole had been only fourteen at the time.

What she’d never told anyone, not even Karen, was that Nichole had found Cassie’s journal and read it. She’d found the entry in which Cassie wrote that Duke had made love to her for the first time. She’d said how badly it had hurt, but that it was better the second time. Then she’d read a later entry where Cassie had written that she feared she was pregnant. When she returned the book, she must have put it in the wrong place, because Cassie knew someone had moved it.

And she knew who’d read it, too. The look she gave Nichole said as much: a look of disgust and anger that cut Nichole to the quick.

It was the very next night that Cassie ran away with Duke.

Nichole’s throat tightened. She’d never said a word to anyone else for fear she was the one who’d caused Cassie to leave. And she’d always been hurt that Cassie didn’t trust her enough to not tell their parents. Cassie had left a note saying she was pregnant, so in the end, Nichole never had to say anything about the journal. Her parents and sister never knew it had been no surprise to her.

Nichole looked up and noticed Laurie studying her. “You okay?”

“Sorry … I was. What were we talking about?” She knew exactly what the topic had been.

“Your sister. Karen wanted you to call Cassie, but why doesn’t Cassie contact you?”

“Good question.” When she first moved to Seattle, Cassie had reached out to Nichole. The conversation had been brief and tense. Nichole hadn’t known what to say and it seemed Cassie didn’t, either. Cassie had congratulated her on being a new mother, and soon afterward the conversation had dwindled to an embarrassed silence as they each searched for some way to connect. Nichole had felt that if she asked Cassie any questions about her life now, Cassie would cut her off again. At the same time she had too much pride to show a lot of interest in the sister who’d not bothered to stay in touch for years. They hadn’t talked since.

Laurie asked a couple more questions, which Nichole answered with one-word replies. She didn’t want to talk about Cassie, didn’t want to dredge up the past, especially when it was so unpleasant.

After several futile attempts at conversation, Laurie brought out her e-reader. Nichole reclined the lounger and decided to nap—her day had started early and she was tired. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander, but her thoughts went straight to Cassie.

Cassie had been with her when Nichole, at age ten, had gotten badly cut when she fell through the sliding glass door. She could still remember it vividly—once she saw the amount of blood, Nichole had panicked. Cassie had been calm and reassuring, taking care of everything, including calling the paramedics. Afterward, at the hospital, once Nichole had been stitched up, Cassie had started to shake and had tears in her eyes as she confessed how frightened she’d been. Nichole would never have guessed it.

It was Cassie who’d helped her understand geometry, too. Her
sister had patiently sat at her side and explained it in a way that made sense, far better than their math teacher ever had. It was Karen who’d taught her about makeup, but Cassie was the one who helped her put together cool outfits. She also helped her do her hair.

The memories unsettled her and Nichole sat up, intent on putting Cassie out of her mind. It was now after Owen’s nap time—she’d call her mother-in-law.

Leanne answered on the second ring. She sounded a bit breathless, as if she’d been chasing after her grandson. “Is Owen wearing you out?” Nichole asked, concerned.

“I prefer to think he’s keeping me young,” Leanne told her with a soft laugh.

“I bet after a day with Owen you’re wondering why I need to lose weight. You’d think I’d be as skinny as a toothpick,” Nichole joked. “But I want to lose these ridiculous five pounds before Jake and I have a second baby.”

“You’re going to try to get pregnant again soon?” Leanne asked, not bothering to hide her delight.

“We’ve talked about it.” She wasn’t sure she should have said anything just yet—it was really Jake’s place to share this with his family. Nichole liked her in-laws, but she hadn’t bonded with them the way she would have liked. Leanne was nice but oblivious—Jake’s father had run around on her for years. Nichole and Jake hadn’t been dating long when she’d first heard the rumors.

“Another grandbaby would be wonderful,” said Leanne.

Nichole hoped for a girl, because Jake and she intended on having only two. Having the two close like this was a necessity; if she was going to be home full-time when her children were little, she wanted to have them close in age, so she could go back to work before too much time had passed. Her degree was in French literature, which hadn’t proved to be much of an employable
skill, but Nichole was determined to find a way to make use of it. She loved all things French. She wasn’t sure how to do that just yet, but she’d figure it out.

They ended the call and Nichole reached for her own e-reader, although she wasn’t sure it would hold her attention. Laurie lounged next to her, reading as well. This was the sign of a strong friendship, Nichole thought. They were content to be together without having to chat the whole time.

Nichole’s phone dinged with another text message. She reached for it and sighed with exasperation. “Karen again,” she announced, before Laurie could ask. “She’s waiting for an answer.”

“She’s going to be a pest until you call Cassie, so just do it,” Laurie advised.

Her friend was right. Karen wasn’t going to let up until Nichole reached out to Cassie. She needed to put aside her dread and just do it, like Laurie advised, so she could enjoy her vacation.

Karen had included Cassie’s cell number with the text, which saved Nichole the hassle of finding it. Her hand shook slightly as she pressed the button that would connect her with her sister. While the phone rang, she rummaged through her brain, searching for how best to start the conversation.

“Hello.” Cassie sounded hesitant, unsure. Nichole wondered if her number was saved in her sister’s phone, and if her name had popped up.

Nichole barely remembered the sound of her sister’s voice. It was hard to believe this was Cassie, her own flesh and blood.

“Cassie, it’s Nichole.”

“Nichole.” Right away Cassie’s voice elevated with glad excitement. “Oh Nichole, it’s so good to hear from you.”

“You, too, Cassie,” she said, and genuinely meant it. She immediately felt bad. She should have made the effort to connect with her sister long before now. Already her mind was full of all the things she wanted to tell her, to explain.

“The last time we talked,” Cassie continued, “it sounded like you’d rather I didn’t bother you.”

“I’m sorry … it was a shock hearing from you,” Nichole said, making up a weak excuse and then feeling sorry she had. It shouldn’t be this difficult to tell the truth.

“I know. I would have called again, but I assumed you’d rather not hear from me.”

Unfortunately, Cassie was right. “It was a few months after Mom died and I wasn’t myself.” Again, a half-truth.

Cassie’s voice dipped. “I know. I wasn’t myself, either.”

Nichole was afraid her voice was about to betray her. She yearned to say more but was worried the words wouldn’t be able to make it past the lump in her throat.

“I know you and Karen were upset with me that I couldn’t be at Mom’s funeral. I would have given anything I owned to be with you, but it was impossible.”

“None of that matters now,” Nichole whispered. Because she was afraid to say anything more about their mother or their last conversation, she quickly changed the subject. “Karen said you were over to the house last weekend.”

“A friend drove me and we collected Mom and Dad’s furniture. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. I had no idea you still had the piano. I was sure Mom would have sold it long ago.”

“Dad wouldn’t let her,” Nichole told her. “He was convinced you’d come back one day.”

Her words were met with a sudden, abrupt silence, and then it sounded as if Cassie had stopped breathing.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Nichole whispered. She’d known her calling Cassie would be a bad idea. She was going about this all wrong, saying the wrong things, upsetting this tentative start between the sisters. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s all right,” Cassie said. She seemed to have found
her composure. “I just want you to know how grateful I am to have it.”

What Nichole said was true. Their father refused to sell the piano with the hope that one day Cassie would return home. He never seemed to give up on her, even though her leaving had devastated him. Before he died, he let both Karen and Nichole know that he’d forgiven Cassie for running away with Duke. In fact, he blamed himself that there’d been no contact through the years. Nothing anyone said could convince him otherwise. But Nichole would never tell Cassie this—she couldn’t lay that on her sister.

“It was good to see Karen and Garth.” Cassie, too, seemed determined to turn the conversation to more pleasant topics. “Lily and Buddy were away for the afternoon. Hopefully, they’ll be there next time and Amiee will meet her cousins. How are Jake and Owen?”

“Great. I’m with a friend this weekend, so Owen is with Jake’s mom.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Anything exciting happening with you?” Nichole asked, struggling to keep the conversation going.

“Well, I’m going to a hoedown on Saturday.”

“A what?”

Cassie laughed. “I know it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? It’s a charity event for Habitat for Humanity. I’m working it … did Karen tell you that I’m getting a house through Habitat? Amiee and I are going to have our very own home for the first time in her life. Every time I think about how much my life has changed in the last few years I get goose bumps. It just doesn’t seem real that I should be this fortunate.”

Nichole hardly knew how to respond. “You sound happy.”

“I am, oh Nichole, I am happy, and hearing from you doubles my joy. Thank you for calling. It means the world to me.”

A lump in Nichole’s throat grew to the size of a golf ball. “I should have reached out much sooner. I won’t wait so long next time.” She had a dozen questions she wanted to ask, but she feared it would destroy this fragile thread that felt so tentative. How was it that after all this time Cassie would come out of her marriage with so little? Although Cassie had never come out and said it, Nichole had the feeling Duke hadn’t been the husband Cassie deserved.

“Can I … would it be all right if I called you next?” Cassie asked.

“Yes, of course. Please do.”

“Bye, now.”

“Bye.” Nichole ended the call to find Laurie closely watching her.