Chapter 35
Lauren slogged through Christmas feeling numb. She was all set up in her new apartment, which was situated on the third floor of a large brownstone. The neighborhood was charming, the house only two blocks from a nice park where she could walk Graham.
If the windows were a little thin, she could live with that. She would get used to the street noise and wail of sirens again. The floors must’ve been well insulated because she couldn’t hear so much as a peep from her neighbors, whom she’d met only in passing. It was so quiet she often turned on the TV for company.
New Year’s Eve passed with a fizzle. Sydney had tried to talk Lauren into going out with her and Jeff. She’d even offered to find Lauren a date. But the thought of being a third wheel or trying to make conversation with a stranger sounded exhausting. She begged off and spent the evening binge-watchingGilmore Girlsand eating apple pie left over from Christmas.
New Year’s Day came with five inches of snow, but that was okay. She spent the time preparing for her first day at Glitter. She steamed her outfit—a dove-gray Michael Kors suit that flattered her complexion and build. It projected a confident professional appearance, which was exactly what she needed for her big first day.
On arrival at the office her heart shimmied in her chest as Olivia showed her around the twentieth floor of the skyscraper located in theCentral Business District. The offices and lobby were sleek with glass and steel, and everyone was friendly enough, if not exactly warm.
But this wasn’t a family resort—it was a prestigious corporation.
The place was a hive of activity and Lauren was eager to get going. Her office was small, but if she leaned just right, she could see Boston Commons, now covered with snow, and sidewalks where tiny people bustled to and fro.
Lauren sailed through her first day, keeping appointments and making certain the preparations for the upcoming parties Ella had planned were all on track.
Before she knew it, Lauren had weathered her first three weeks and two events relatively unscathed. She loved engaging with new clients—so far she’d scheduled a June fundraiser for Four Paws International, a corporate training event for Fidelity Investments, and a retirement party for the CEO of City Sports. It was a good start and Olivia seemed pleased.
Each day she worked until her stomach growled for dinner—usually around seven—grabbed a quick bite on the way home, then worked from her laptop until almost bedtime. She was determined to impress Olivia.
Staying busy also staved off thoughts of Jonah and the Landrys, who’d recently been buried under nine inches of snow. Because, yes, she checked the resort’s social media regularly for Meg’s updates. It was Lauren’s one guilty pleasure.
But after seeing photos of the resort’s pine trees draped with snow and the frozen lake, hosting a smattering of ice shanties, she felt so homesick she snapped her laptop shut. She dropped a tip on the table and left the restaurant.
All the way home her mind spun with thoughts of Jonah and the resort. What was he doing right now? How many cabins were booked? How had the first booked event at the barn gone Saturday?
Once parked in front of her building, she pressed her palm to her chest where the ache still resided. How long would it take to forget? She almost wished someone could thump her on the head so she could lose all memory of him and the love that often felt like a vise around her heart.
No such luck.
She’d just get home and get back to work. If she was busy planning her future, she couldn’t focus on what she’d left behind.
She exited her car, huddled against the brittle wind, and made her way up the brownstone’s steps. The entry was warm and cozy, even if it did have that musty, old-building smell. She went to the mailboxes, opened the box with her key, and grabbed the bundle—it had been a few days since she’d checked.
When she shut the box one of the pieces fluttered to the ground. As she reached for the postcard advertisement, a sense of déjà vu swept over her.
Then she froze. Because this wasn’t just an uncanny sensation that this had happened before. It was the flash of an actual memory.
The late-August sun beat high overhead as Lauren approached the resort’s mailbox, a full day’s schedule on her mind. Graham sniffed around the edges of the woods, tracking a squirrel or chipmunk. He’d filled out nicely in the month and a half since she’d found him. He’d become her little sidekick, following her everywhere, gazing up at her with admiration.
She was smiling as she reached into the box and retrieved the mail. But as she slid the bundle out, a piece fluttered to the ground. She stooped to pick it up, her gaze sweeping over the personal letter. It was addressed to her and had been forwarded from her Boston address. Her eyes caught on the sender’s name, written in a familiar scrawl.
A cold chill swept down her spine. After twenty-one years of silence, her mother had written her a letter.
Lauren’s hand trembled as her focus locked on the envelope. The return address was Boston. Her mother lived in Boston again? The zip code was a district only fifteen minutes from her apartment.
Fifteen minutes!
The thought made her pulse pound in her temples. What could the woman have to say for herself after all these years? Did she seek forgiveness? Did she think an apology would suffice?
Mentally whirling, Lauren started back down the drive, barely aware of Graham. Her legs wobbled beneath her.
Her mother had written her.
She couldn’t quite digest the thought. She wanted to tear up the letter, unread. Her mother didn’t deserve anything from her.
But the thought of that return address plagued her. Not only was her mother back in Boston, but she knew where Lauren had lived.
