“Chicken ossu buco and thanks.” Brenna raised her gaze, still wary of interaction with her sister. “Is Mom okay? She went to bed awfully early.”
“I think so—nothing a good night of sleep won’t cure.” Beth stared toward the steps. “She overdid it today, although I kept telling her to slow down.”
“How much do you have left to pack?”
“All that’s left is the kitchen. We’re going back Thursday to finish.” Lips trembling, Beth pulled a tissue from the box on the end table.
“I can help and give Mom the day to rest.” She held her breath, waiting for the scathing comeback Beth was sure to respond with.
“Really? You’d do that?”
“Sure, why not?” She stifled the yawn that overcame her. “We might not always get along, but you’re still my sister.”
“It hasn’t felt that way in a long time.” Beth sniffled and dabbed her eyes.
Here we go.“I’m sorry. Everyone grieves differently and I know I should have found a healthier way other than escaping, but I can’t change the past.”
“I lost Dad, too, but losing you was harder in a way. Dad didn’t choose to leave us—you did.”
She had no viable explanation, but for the first time, she saw past her sister’s hardness and felt her pain. Brenna left the armchair and crossed the room to sit beside Beth. “I’m here now.”
“Until you get bored or the memories are too hard?”
The question hit her in the gut. “Can I tell you a secret? But you have to promise not to tell Mom.”
Beth tilted her head to a slight angle and her forehead crinkled. “I promise?”
“I mean it. I don’t want to get Mom’s hopes up until I make a decision.”
“On what?”
Brenna drew in a long breath of air and let it out slowly. “If I can work it out with my boss, I might move home.”
“Really?” Beth sat up straight. “That would be great.”
“You think so? I wasn’t sure how’d you feel about it.”
“This divorce has taken everything out of me. My entire life fell out from under me, and I’m left to put it back together without all the pieces.” Beth pulled an afghan off the back of the loveseat and draped it over her lap. “I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you this last week. To be honest, I’ve been battling bitterness and jealousy, but I need my sister. I can’t get through this without you and Mom by my side.”
“I’m sorry, too. I didn’t know you and Hayes were having problems, but I also didn’t make an effort to know.”
Beth’s jaw tightened. “We weren’t having problems, not that I knew of until I discovered his affair.”
“His what?” Brenna’s mouth gaped. She’d never been crazy about her brother-in-law but hadn’t considered him capable of cheating.
“I caught him in a year-long affair. With his assistant.” Beth rolled her eyes. “How pedestrian.”
“My goodness, I had no idea.”
“No one except Mom does.” A combination of growl and groan came out of Beth’s mouth. “His family wouldn’t believe me even if I did tell them, or they’d find a way to blame it on me.”
She scooted over to give Beth a hug. “I’m so sorry. I sound like a broken record, but I really am. You don’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“No, I don’t, but it took me a few months to realize that. Once I moved past the initial hurt and anger, I made him enter marriage counseling with me, but that was a joke.” Beth smirked, but the pain didn’t leave her eyes. “He’d tell the counselor what she wanted to hear, but never had any intentions of ending the affair.”
Her sister’s pain weighed heavy on her heart. “He’s a scumbag.”
Beth’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “We finally agree on something.”
“Wonders never cease.”
Both broke out in laughter. With each giggle, the strain of their relationship faded into oblivion.
Once they calmed down, Beth locked eyes with her. “It’s good to have you back, Brenna. Even if you decide to stay in New York, I’ll support your decision—if you promise not to pull away from us again.”
“Easiest promise I’ve ever made.” She squeezed Beth’s hands. “I’ve learned I can’t run from the memories, and that I’m better off embracing them. And more importantly—family means everything and life’s too short to neglect them for any reason.”
