“Sorry,” she mutters. “I’m just really ticked off.”
“Beth,” I say, turning toward her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m used to it,” Beth replies, still seated—cool, calm, and collected, not a single flinch.
I pull out my phone to call Cal.
“I think he’s already on his flight home,” Beth says gently. “I talked to Mom earlier. She said Nate was heading to the airport to pick him up.”
Tina lets out a frustrated sigh. “She’s her mother,” she says, like she’s reminding herself as much as me. “She had every right to take her. There was nothing we could do.”
“You’re right,” I admit, even though the words feel like sand in my mouth. “How did she even know Hannah was here?”
“I have no idea,” Tina says, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“Maybe she called Mom,” Beth offers. “And Mom mentioned Hannah was here with us. I mean, with Cal out of town, she’d normally be at my house.”
“Meghan has no idea I’m Cal’s neighbor,” I say, letting that little truth nugget settle over me.
“No, she doesn’t,” Tina replies. “The death stare she gave me wasn’t about Hannah. It was pure jealousy. She thoughtIwas the one involved with Cal. What a piece of work she is.”
I glance at Beth, who’s still quiet but watching us intently.
“I know Meghan," she says. "And I know she’s never liked me. I just never knew why.”
“What the heck is wrong with that woman?” Tina chimes in. “The fact that she felt threatened by a fourteen-year-old is beyond me. It’s like she knew you’d have Cal’s heart one day—and if she’s not careful, Hannah’s too.”
“I don’t have anything,” I whisper, more to myself than anyone else. I can’t lie to myself by letting my heart get pulled into a fairytale that will never have a happily ever after.
“You have me!” Beth exclaims, jumping to her feet and throwing her arms around me. I hug her back, letting myself sink into the memory of what we once were. My little sister. My whole world. Us holding each other because, for a long time, we were all we had.
Before I can fully process the moment, Tina wraps her arms around us both. “You have me too!”
***
Tina offers to take Beth home on her way to work, so after they leave, I start picking up the remnants of the birthday party we threw for her.
Empty gift bags, tissue paper scattered across the floor, and Chinese food containers still open on the coffee table. Purple and pink balloons hover in the corners, including one oversized butterfly balloon that readsHappy 15th Birthday.
I gather them up and take them to her room. She said she had the perfect spot on the wall for the big balloon, so she left them here.
I boxed up the leftover coconut cake I made her, and she took it home to share with her mom and dad.
As a birthday gift, I made copies of the only photos I have of us from when we were little and placed them in a white frame with delicate butterfly accents.
She cried when she opened it.
And in that moment, I knew: no matter how happy the Callahans made her over the last ten years, she still missed me.
I had planned to take Hannah to the park and be home in time to cook dinner for her and Cal. But now, with everyone gone, I’m left alone with my thoughts—and all I can think about is Cal and his win at the convention.
He’s probably still riding that high, still feeling proud and accomplished.
And the second he walks in and sees Hannah’s not here, that feeling is going to vanish.
I sent him a text to congratulate him after Johanna called Beth to let her know he’d won an award. He didn’t respond. Not even a thank you.
The last time he and I really talked was weeks ago, when I hurt my ankle. I haven’t seen him out on the trail. He hasn’t tried to call or visit, except when we made the plans for me to watch Hannah.
