The idea of someone as intimidating-looking as Liam being a passive driver really got into Blake’s system. One more laugh and Clem caught on, and when the light changed to green both were giggling nonsense.
Blake’s heart softened and squeezed all at once.
Beth should have been able to hear it too.
That ache bloomed.
Blake had never regretted her decision to leave Seven Roads years ago. She hadn’t regretted her choices after that either. Each step she had taken after crossing the town limits line was done with confidence and pride. Even the missteps. They had been hers and she had embraced them all.
She had created an unmovable foundation for her future.
It was only after coming back that she realized there had always been a crack that ran through it.
Beth.
The golden child. The baby of the family. The little sister who had made all the right choices in the eyes of their father while Blake had done everything wrong.
That’s how she had seen Beth in her mind, even if she had convinced herself that she hadn’t.
Beth, though, had never once said a word against her. She had supported each choice Blake had made, forced her to endure phone calls and video chats at least once a month, and had always kept her updated on her life. She had also always asked for updates from Blake’s.
Their mother had left them. Their father had let Blake go.
Beth?
She had held on as best she could until she had been forced to leave too.
It wasn’t until Blake was sitting in an attorney’s office, holding a small note written in her sister’s silly little handwriting that Blake had finally found the crack in her life. The one that would now forever be filled with regret.
If you’re reading this, then I guess something not-so-great happened to me,the note had begun.So let’s skip the sad part and get to the nice. I love you, Blakey. Let my kids love you too. Take care of each other. And make sure to eat something yummy. Love, your sister, Beth.
Regret. Grief. Immense sadness. Total love.
Just under fifty words in total and Blake felt everything all at once.
She was living in Beth’s home, raising her children a week later.
Now, she knew Clem had a passion for ranch dressing that rivaled most epic love stories. That Bruce kicked his feet a little when he was content. That Clem didn’t talk at all while watching TV but would sing the intro songs loudly and with delight as soon as the screen went dark. That Bruce happy-danced when his sister started her singing and became even louder when Lola joined in.
Blake had learned a lot of little things since she’d come home.
The biggest thing?
She missed her sister something fierce.
“Hey, Clem?” Blake said, clearing her throat to stave off tears she knew would come if she kept on with her current thoughts. Instead, she went to a happier memory. “Let me tell you about something your mama used to eat that ran me up the wall when we were kids.”
They were moving along the access road that eventually would take them to the side of the diner. The lighting along the road consisted of exactly one outdated streetlamp. It left an orange glow in the dark across Clem’s curious expression as Blake glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
The headlights coming up fast behind them cut through that glow with startling quickness.
Blake pressed the gas pedal down hard.
It was the only reason the approaching vehicle didn’t rear-end them.
Adrenaline flooded her system, but Blake reserved her gut reaction to curse the driver. It was surely an accident. The driver probably wasn’t paying attention. The alarms in her head going off had nothing to do with some kind of ongoing danger.
Why would there be any here in Seven Roads, after all?
