Mom forces a smile. “Chase, sweetheart, you’re not going to like this at first.”
I furrow my brow, confused. “Like what?”
Aunt Terri takes a deep breath. “It might be time to sell the lake house, Chase.”
Everything goes in slow motion for a minute. I try to process her words, but they just don’t make any damn sense. “Sell the lake house? But it’s been in the family for generations. And Mom lives here.”
Mom reaches out across the table to take my hands. Her touch is comforting, but it sinks me into the reality of the moment too. “I’ll move into your Aunt Terri’s house,” she offers softly.
I look between her and my aunt. “I know you’re staying there together now, but will it really be big enough for you both long-term?” I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
“That’s the other thing,” Aunt Terri says. “I’ve decided to move.”
“To move!” I say, almost yelling it.
“Albany!” Uncle Ray says, pleased. “An adventure!”
“You’re moving to Albany?” I look around at my family, suddenly feeling betrayed and abandoned. “And you all knew this?”
Uncle Ray frowns. “Honestly, I almost forgot that you didn’t,” he mumbles. “Glad I didn’t say something already.”
“My health is stable now,” Aunt Terri explains. “And frankly, I’m ready for a new chapter. Selling the house will help finance the move and make it possible.”
“The cushion would be great for all of us,” Mom says. “And the shop could use a few updates too.”
I scratch my beard, searching for an excuse and trying not to feel ambushed. “But you don’t know anyone in Albany, Aunt Terri. And we could make some good money just renting out the rooms. We don’t have to sell Grandma’s house. That doesn’t even make sense.”
Uncle Ray points at me with the bird. “You know what I say, Chase. An adventure is always a good idea, andchangeis just another word foropportunity.”
Words escape me. Selling the lake house is bad enough, but they’re telling me that Aunt Terri is going to move away too?
“What if you don’t like the city?” I ask weakly.
“Then I’ll try another one,” Aunt Terri answers. “I’m going to wait until the fall to move, but I know I’m ready to go.”
My heart breaks. “Oh.”
Mom slides the papers across the table, offering them to me. “I know it’s a lot to process, Chase. But it honestly does make the most sense. We can get a nice price for the lake house, enough cash to make all our lives more comfortable.” She lightly clears her throat. “We do want your blessing, though.”
That’s when it dawns on me. These three siblings are the ones who really own the house, and they don’t need me or any of the kids to sign off before selling it. They’re being nice and including me, but I don’t get the impression I’ll be able to change their minds.
“My blessing.”
I turn to my aunt. She gives me a hopeful look. My mind flashes back to the years she spent battling cancer, when her life seemed like it was on hold. I don’t want to deny her anything, but the idea of watching her move away wrecks me.
“Take your time with it,” Aunt Terri says. “I don’t want to rush you.”
I swallow. “I am happy for you, Aunt Terri. I’m just…” I trail off, looking out the window at the lake. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss all of you,” she says.
Somehow, the conversation continues despite the fog of confusion that’s settled over me. I do my best to act like a team player, although I know I’m not hiding anything from my family. There’s a reason they put off telling me about this until they were certain.
Aunt Terri’s presence around town, the lake house, summers fishing off the dock—all that had seemed as permanent as the mountains. To think that those things might come to an end shakes me to the core.
Everyone takes off around the same time, wandering out to the big gravel driveway. I force a smile and make plans to have family dinner in a couple of nights, and before they take off, Mom catches me by my truck.
“You going to be okay, sweetheart?”
