When I entered the little house, I saw the woman and the attorney sitting at the breakfast table, drinking from thick mugs. There was no sign of the gorgeous asshole doctor. Which was probably a good thing because I really didn’t have the energy to face him again so soon.
“Um, hi. Mrs. Banks? Mr. Baptiste?” I began, feeling unsure of myself and hating it. “I’m sorry I ran out of here like that. I promise it won’t happen again.”
The woman’s face softened, and she stood up to approach me. “It’s Goldie, hon. Not Mrs. Banks. And I completely understand why you got overwhelmed. Come here, sweetie.”
Before I could react, the older woman had engulfed me in a bear hug, all squishy boobs and warm floral perfume. The gesture was kind—so very different than the welcome I’d gotten from most everyone else I’d encountered that I could feel tears pricking the back of my eyes again. I squeezed her back before quickly untangling myself from the maternal embrace so I didn’t lose what little control I had over my emotions.
“Thank you,” I mumbled. “I have to admit, ah, I’m not exactly… good with babies. I was hoping you might know of someone who could help—”
“Nonsense,” she said sweetly. “Just because you’re not experienced, doesn’t mean you’re not good with them. I’ll show you everything you need to know and stick around until you’ve gotten the hang of it. How does that sound?”
I stared at her. “That sounds amazing, but why would you do that?”
“Nico, honey, there’s no way for you to remember this, but I’ve known you and Adriana since you two were knee-high to a grasshopper. That girl thought the world of her little brother, and until I find out otherwise, I do too. And I sure as heck think the world of Pippa. So I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you all end up okay. Why don’t you bring your things in from the car, and I’ll show you around before Pippa wakes up from her nap?”
I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat, so I quickly nodded and made my way back out to the rental car to gather my things. By the time I returned inside, I noticed the attorney had spread out some paperwork on the kitchen table and was busy talking on his cell phone.
Goldie showed me around the small home, most of which was one big open room that included a cozy living area with a stacked stone fireplace, the large wooden breakfast table, and a modern kitchen with specialty appliances of some kind. In the back there were two bedrooms. The master was off to the right, and the smaller bedroom, the nursery I assumed, was off to the left. Between the two stood large glass sliding doors to the backyard. My mother’s property had never looked better. The backyard had been landscaped with simple, clean lines and basic shrubbery. Even though it was the end of September, the grass looked freshly mowed, which made me wonder who would look after the property now that she was gone.
Oh right, me.
I set my things down on Adriana’s queen-sized bed and tried not to look at anything in the room. I just wasn’t ready to see my sister’s personal space yet. When I followed Goldie out of the room, I pulled the door closed behind me, as if I could shut out the reminder of not having known the woman my sister had become. I knew there was no way I was going back in that bedroom anytime soon except to grab my bag out of there once everyone left. One look at her personal items and I knew I’d feel the weight of every year I’d missed getting to know her as an adult.
By the time Goldie finished showing me around, the baby still hadn’t woken up, so we joined the attorney at the table. Once he finished his phone call, Honovi began explaining some of the details of the custody situation.
“Wait,” I said, holding my hand up. “What about my mom? Why isn’t she here to take care of the baby?”
Goldie’s soft hand came down on mine, but she let Honovi break the news.
“Nico, your mom passed away several years ago,” he explained in a gentle voice. “She and the sheriff were killed in an automobile accident.”
I looked at him while the news sank in. “Really? When? How long ago?” I wanted him to be wrong. I wanted him to say, No, not really. She’s just on vacation. But I knew he spoke the truth. She would never have left her only grandchild.
Honovi glanced over at Goldie before continuing. “Maybe twelve or thirteen years ago?”
“Wh-what? That long? She’s been gone that long? What about Adriana? What did she do without my mom all that time? Oh my god.” I was babbling, but I didn’t know what else to do. My head was spinning, and a small voice inside me kept chanting, You could have come home, you could have come home and been with her. “Can I see my mom’s grave?”