He nodded. “Hates it. With a passion. Like she loved our fathers and wanted them and their life, but not this part of their life.” He looked over at me. “You’ve been reading her journals. Any sense of why?”
“I… I’ve only read her first impressions and now she is visiting here again on vacation. Your grandmother didn’t like her. And a lot of the locals treated her badly because she took your grandfathers. There was a presumption that they would marry another woman. I think it was devastating.”
Rosalind shook her head. “There is always that presumption here. Everyone thinks they know. They count on things that are none of their business. Or, I should say they behave that way on the other side of the lake. Our neighbors aren’t doing that.” She sighed. “They might have kidnapped our son and killed two other kids. But sure they don’t assume where their kids will get married.”
Kit rocked back on his feet. “And she is here, where she hated it.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mom. We have to be here right now. We all have to be. But I hate it for you, and I am sorry.”
I didn’t see any sign that Dina heard him. But Rosalind did. She rose and crossed to him, putting her arms around him. “She just wanted to be where we all were. No way is Dina upset about being here right now.”
Phoenix walked over to me. “I think… I think you need to come outside right now, Red. Guys, come on. We have something to do outside.”
I blinked. “We do?”
Kit looked over his shoulder. “Something we need to be concerned with?”
“Not this. No.” He shook his head. “Stay here.”
I really had absolutely no idea where we were going. None whatsoever. What could require us to go outside?
Without a word, I followed him outside. My guys were with me, and it wasn’t until we got outside that I realized what had happened. Although it took me a second too long because the gust of cold that slammed into my face and naked head, stealing my breath for a second. But then I saw it. Sam stood in the driveway with his two brothers, and in the center of them was Sally.
I caught my breath. “Sally?” I practically shouted. She rushed to me, putting her arms around me.
“I saw the picture you sent me, and I put it in the search engine. It said you were here. So I dumped the phone, I bought a ticket, and I walked.” We were twins with our shaved heads. She held onto me like I was a lifeline. “And I was walking. I really had no idea how to find you. This place is huge but they saw me and stopped. Maybe I was stupid, but I got in their car.”
It was kind of stupid to do that, but that was okay… they were nice. “They’re safe.”
“Right. They stopped to see if I was okay. They were the second car to do that. The first one kind of creeped me out. They stared at me like I was a sandwich, and I told them to fuck off. But these guys were polite. They said they knew you, that you lived next door to them, and I took a chance.” Her voice hitched. “I am so fucked Alatheia. I have nowhere and no one.”
That was not true. She had me. But damn the timing for this really, really sucked. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
“Thank you.” She closed her eyes. “I’d give him the money to leave me alone.”
I knew she would. I had the same thoughts myself. More than once.
“Alatheia,” Jeremy spoke my name. “It’s cold. Let’s go inside the house.”
He was right. I took her arm and led her into the smaller house. What was I going to do with Sally right now? Granny might die any moment—which made my chest tight to even think about—and I had almost been kidnapped earlier in the day. We were living in a private place that I had exposed by sending one picture, and yet I couldn’t regret that if it made her safe. I really had no idea what to do. None.
We stepped inside and she looked around. “This is beautiful.”
Sam, Carl and Jadon all followed us inside. Sam and Phoenix spoke by the door, the former nodding his head a lot.
“Can I stay? I mean, will your boyfriend mind?” She looked at Barrett. Interesting. Why did she think it was him? “I saw you carry her out. You’re her boyfriend, right? ”
He cleared his throat. “Yes. I am.”
“It’s not a good time here, ” Jadon said to her. “I didn’t realize, but their grandmother is dying next door in the big house. Sally is welcome to stay with us. We have a guest house.” Their smaller house that appeared vacant. “She would be welcome. Right next door. Can see you anytime.”
Her face fell. “I didn’t realize that someone was dying. I am so sorry. My timing always sucks.”
“It doesn’t. You’re a ballerina. Your timing is near perfection.”
She laughed, and that made me smile. I had never seen Sally so low. Once again I was reminded she had gone through everything I had but had no one to help her except the person who had done this to her in the first place.
I turned to Jadon. “She’s very important to me.” I said that to him for her benefit as much as anything else.
He nodded. “We’ll take good care of her. Won’t let anything happen to her.”
