Hadley shoved the car into Park and grabbed her purse to get to the letter and packet beneath it on the seat.
My dearest Hadley,
I hope my gift is a blessing to you in a time of heartbreak.Yes, I know about you and Kyle.When Adam updated my will, he discovered the news.
I can only imagine your upset and think you didn’t tell us—me—because you’d hoped to reconcile.I pray there was never a time when you thought you couldn’t tell us anything, but rather wanted to spare us the pain knowing we might never look at Kyle the same way again.Dear girl, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and don’t you forget it!
I hope it gives you peace to know you have a roof over your head, money in the bank, and a life yet to be lived.Don’t let the hurt break you, darling.Make the house your home, do with it what you must, and forge ahead knowing, one way or another, it has weathered many storms and will keep you safe.
My love for eternity,
Nan
Hadley wiped away tears and sat there.Only Nan would’ve been able to keep her mouth shut all this time.Well, Nan and Adam, whose business it was to keep such things confidential.
There had been so many times, so many phone calls when Hadley had wanted to open up and talk, but she hadn’t wanted to upset Nan at her age.
Now she hated that she’d missed out on Nan’s wisdom and the comfort she would’ve offered.“I’m so sorry, Nan,” she whispered, voice quivering.“You have no idea how sorry.”
After a few minutes of sniffling and staring at the traffic flying by, Hadley pulled out her phone to check her messages, seeing several from the kids.Her older, Max, told her he’d dropped a class but signed up for another to maintain his credits, while her baby, Abby, complained about her roommates.
Hadley sent short messages in return of encouragement and love, but when she started to set the phone aside, she found herself telling Abby she was too tired to drive back and had decided to stay on for a few days.She then copied and pasted the same message to Max.
Her parents would be thrilled, though disappointed that she hadn’t made her decision earlier and attended dinner.
But it couldn’t be helped.Especially when she wasn’t in the mood for social pleasantries.She would text later and let them know.
Hadley didn’t mention inheriting the property to the kids, knowing full well the news would be relayed to Kyle.She wasn’t sure why she didn’t want him to be aware of the gift, but considering her shock, she just felt she needed some time to mull things over before everyone bombarded her with their opinions on what she should do.Kyle included.
Their relationship was strained in every possible way.Contact was kept to a minimum and mostly via text these days, and getting through Ab’s graduation a few months ago had been a nightmare, with Abby actually telling Hadley not to attend because she wanted Kyle and the mistress there because the girlfriend wasn’t welcome at the graduation party Hadley had planned afterwards.
The rejection from her daughter had broken what was left of her shattered heart, and Hadley had spent the time watching the online stream and prepping for a party that no longer held any of the joy it should have.
A horn blared from the road as a truck cut off another vehicle in front of her, jerking Hadley from the dark path her thoughts had taken.She shook her head to clear it and glanced around to get an idea of where she sat.
Since she hadn’t planned to stay, she needed to pick up some things.Wearing anything of Nan’s might have been comforting but was out of the question considering their body size and height difference.
Hadley gained her bearings and drove to a local discount store.It didn’t take her long to find a couple pairs of shorts and T-shirts, tank tops, pj’s, and even a pair of comfortable flip-flops.
Her next stop was a grocery store, where she gathered toiletries and makeup.She also picked up a bottle of wine—and a bottle of champagne.
Inheriting a beach house deserved a little celebration, right?After a good night’s sleep, maybe she’d call and see if any of the cousins would be available to join her for a real celebration.Why not?
“Do you need help finding something?”
Hadley blinked at the question, only then realizing she hadn’t moved out of the alcohol section and had garnered the attention of a grocery employee.“Yeah, actually.I’m celebrating.”
“Wonderful!What can I do to help?”
The answer came to her in an instant.“Where’s your best chocolate?”
By the time Hadley made it back to Nan’s home, the sun had gone down and the lights along the boardwalk glowed with warm familiarity.She paused a moment to stare out at the sight of the moon shining on the water, her heart pinching from the pain of being here, now, alone.
She knew she couldn’t live a life of regrets, but if only she’d talked to Nan…come to visit instead of staying away to hide the shame she felt at the failure of her marriage…
Shaking her head, Hadley loaded up the many bags and fished through her key ring, looking for the house key as she made her way to the door.
“Can I help you with something?”