Coming Home, page 3
“Wow. That’s fantastic.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“We should celebrate,” Quinn said. “Are you free tomorrow?”
“Yeah. How about dinner?”
“Perfect.” Quinn slung her mat over her back, hoping to catch Emily on her way out after she’d said goodbye to Maya, but she was gone. Just three people were left talking, and there was no sign of Emily even when Quinn slid on her winter coat and stepped out into the freezing night air, her breath evaporating in a puff of white smoke.
Quinn didn’t even know what she would have said to Emily, but the feeling of regret lingered as she made the short walk to her car. The snow had sprinkled the streets that afternoon with a soft white blanket, now illuminated by glimmering stars and glowing street lamps.
It was a quiet, peaceful night. The only sound was the gentle crunch of snow underfoot and the cheerful beep of her car unlocking. The air was crisp but not too cold, and it felt cozy standing still on such a tranquil winter evening, her body still warm after the class.
There weren’t many people out on this weekday night, so she paused to appreciate the beauty of her surroundings, knowing it was only going to get busier each day as they got closer and closer to Christmas.
7
Emily sat across from her older sister at a café that was new since the last time she was back home. Rebecca raved about it, so she had no problem agreeing to meet her here, knowing they’d have less than an hour to catch up before she had to get back to work, and this café was right around the corner from her practice.
The sunlight spilled through the windows onto their shared table. All that remained of yesterday’s snow on the sidewalks was a few scattered patches here and there. The smell of freshly brewed coffee drifted up from a nearby carafe as they looked over laminated menus and both ordered club sandwiches.
“So, how’s it going at the cabin so far?” Rebecca asked with her hands clasped on the table in front her. “If you need help with anything, just ask. Zach said he’d help on weekends too.” Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail today.
“Thanks.” Emily blinked. Rebecca was always so much more practical and straightforward than Emily ever was. It was probably a good trait to have as a doctor. Being able to clearly and quickly say what needed to be said. “Well, Dad’s actually been really eager to help,” Emily said as their waiter brought them two coffees. “You’re not upset? You know…”
“No, I don’t know.” Rebecca stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
“With me inheriting the cabin outright.”
Rebecca shook her head matter-of-factly. “No. Not at all. You were always his favorite. Out of all the cousins. And you know, you’re renting an apartment in New York. Zach and I built a house. It makes sense that he wanted you to have it. To have somewhere closer to home.”
Emily nodded. “I just don’t want there to be any hard feelings.”
“There’s none, Em. I promise you.”
“Okay.” Emily drummed her fingers against the table. “I could use your interior design skills though. My apartment came furnished. There’s beautiful art on the walls. I have never made those kinds of decisions before, and I wouldn’t know where to begin with a cabin.”
“Let’s go to the furniture store together. There’s one outside of town, but if you’re willing to spend a bit of money, there’s a better place about an hour away. Real rustic, handmade furniture. Leather goods. It’s a nice place.”
“Yeah. That sounds good.”
Their club sandwiches arrived a few minutes later, and both of them were too hungry to talk, happy to eat in silence.
They had a strange relationship. Emily had always looked up to her older sister, but with seven years between them, it meant that by the time Emily had turned twelve, Rebecca had already left for college.
Before that, she’d had plenty of memories of them playing catch outside or going for hikes through the woods behind their house, playing some kind of imaginary game. But that all stopped when Rebecca went to college, and with medical school, by the time she was done, Emily was getting ready to leave too.
It would be nice this month to finally spend time with her sister again.
“Thanks for telling me about that yoga class last night,” Emily said. “I think I would have been a lot stiffer today if I hadn’t gone. And I think I needed the distraction.”
Rebecca finished her sandwich. “Try not to treat this cabin like a work project. Take your time with it.”
“I’m only here for a month.”
“And why does it have to be wrapped up by then?”
Emily shrugged. “I don’t want it to be left empty for weeks. I assume I’ll rent it out. And it would be good to have it ready to do that in the New Year. I can do that part remotely.”
“Hm. True.” Rebecca held her gaze. “All I’m saying is don’t put any unnecessary pressure on yourself. I know you work really hard in New York. Maybe, try and see this renovation as a fun thing. A hobby.”
“I know.” Emily nodded. She did have a tendency to go all in when she was working on something, and her sister knew her well enough to see that the same thing could happen here.
“I’m glad you went to that class. Maya is so good.”
“Yeah. I used to go two or three times a week a few years ago, but I guess I just got busy with work, and I let it slide.”
“You have to look after yourself.”
“Yeah. I know.” Emily inhaled a deep breath. It was advice she knew she needed to hear. “What’s Maya’s story?” The question was out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop herself. She couldn’t shake the image of Quinn wrapping her arms around Maya last night after class. They could be friends. That was probably all it was, but she might as well find out from someone who knew just about everyone in this town.
Rebecca’s eyebrows rose. “What do you mean?”
“Is she gay?”
Rebecca laughed. “I see your thing for older women is alive and well.”
Emily tilted her head, still waiting for an answer, not particularly caring if her sister had the wrong idea. “Is she?”
“I honestly don’t know, but aren’t you supposed to be able to tell?”
“Never mind,” Emily said, glancing down at her watch, knowing Rebecca would have to go any minute.
“Are you free Saturday? I know you’ll be working on the cabin, but I was hoping to steal you for a couple of hours. I’m a few people down this week.”
“Oh.” Emily stood up and slid on her jacket, leaving a few dollar bills on the table. She’d completely forgotten that Rebecca spent her Saturdays running a meal delivery service for the elderly in their community. “Yeah. Definitely.”
“You’re sure?”
Emily nodded as they went up to the counter to pay. “This week is all about making decisions, and then I’ll be letting the professionals in. I’m going to need new carpets. The kitchen is getting a full remodel. So, yeah by Saturday, I should be free.”
“Thanks.” Rebecca waved her off when she tried to pay. “Are you really around for a whole month?” she asked as they left, the cold air hitting them as they stepped outside.
“Yep. Boss’s orders.”
“It’ll be nice having you around this year,” Rebecca said, wrapping her scarf around her neck as they headed towards their cars.
“Yeah. It will.” Emily stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. It was the same tone her mother had used. There was no judgment there. Rebecca wasn’t trying to make her feel bad for all the years she wasn’t around, but it still felt that way. It just reminded Emily of all the times she could have been here, and she’d chosen not to.
“Do you want to do that furniture shopping after I close up?” Rebecca asked.
“Yeah. Sure.”
“You might see something that will end up being a centerpiece almost. The color of the carpets, the walls… It could all end up working around this perfect couch or coffee table.” Rebecca shook her head. “Sorry, I get carried away.”
“Don’t apologize. That’s why I asked you. I know you love it, and you’re really good at it too.”
“Thanks. See you later,” Rebecca said, giving her a quick hug before getting in her car.
Emily found her shades in her bag and put them on as she got in her own car, the afternoon sun strong as she pulled out onto the street, taking that familiar winding road back to the cabin.
8
Quinn entered the community center on Saturday afternoon. As she looked around the entrance hall, she noticed the festive decorations sprinkled throughout the space. Strings of colored lights twinkled, tinsel and garlands glimmered in the light, and a small Christmas tree sat in one corner adorned with ornaments and multi-colored lights. Paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling above her head.
Quinn surveyed the festive scenes with admiration as she prepared to help out with their weekly meal delivery service for local seniors. She’d volunteered here most Saturdays, delivering meals to those who needed it most.
“Hey,” Rebecca said, kicking open one of the double doors that led to the main part of the community center, her arms full of bags. “Can you take some of these for me, please?”
“Sure.” Quinn strode towards her, taking some of the toys and clothes from her arms. “Where do you want me this week? Wrapping these?”
They brought the presents into a back room, another pile already stacked in the corner and three young women were unrolling wrapping paper and lining up the gifts, still figuring out their system it seemed. They added their bags to the collection.
“No,” Rebecca said as she stood up. “I’ve got that under control.” She led them back out, stopping to point a volunteer Quinn didn’t recognize to the kitchen.
“New faces,” Quinn commented. “That’s good. You can never have too many.”
“Oh, I know, but we’re still short-handed this week.” Rebecca stopped in the office on the way to the kitchen, grabbing a clipboard with a few sheets of paper attached to it.
Quinn kept coming back every week, because she could see how much of an impact their efforts had on the community, and Rebecca was the perfect woman to be in charge. She was the local doctor, although not Quinn’s. She’d kept the one she had by the college.
But Quinn had liked Rebecca from the start, when she’d began volunteering probably four or five years ago now. She was in her early forties, and she was the one who suggested Quinn try going to the yoga class in town even though Quinn had been certain she wouldn’t be able, her body too old for that much contortion. Rebecca had been right though. Quinn always felt better the weeks that she went.
“No Zach today?” Quinn asked, knowing Rebecca’s husband was usually pretty reliable.
“Man flu.”
“Oh. I hope he’s not too bad with it.”
Rebecca gave her a bit of a smile. “It’s like clockwork. Every single year. I usually manage to avoid it though. He’ll be fine in a few days.” She glanced down at the clipboard. “How do you feel about doing deliveries this week?”
“Good. Yeah, that’s no problem.”
“I managed to recruit my sister.” Rebecca tucked the clipboard under her arm as they made their way down the hall towards the kitchen. “If she shows up,” she said, checking her watch.
Quinn wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she just followed Rebecca into the kitchen, containers of food stacked and ready to be loaded into cars. That was the first time Rebecca had mentioned having a sister which was kind of odd considering that she’d often talk about her parents and her husband.
Quinn knew her parents too. They were a lovely couple, Marie and Richard, and over the years Quinn kept bumping into one or both of them around town. She couldn’t recall either of them mentioning another daughter, but then again, they’d never really chatted for more than a few minutes. She’d wanted to make to it Marie’s father’s funeral, but she’d been away at a conference and wasn’t back in time to attend.
“Is she unreliable?” Quinn asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Not necessarily.” Rebecca scanned the kitchen, seemingly happy enough with the way things were running. “Maybe you can drive? Send her trudging through the snow with the meals,” she suggested with a smirk.
Quinn chuckled. “Do you two not get along?”
“No. We do. But she knows how punctual I am, and how I like others to be too when they’re meeting me. She shouldn’t be fifteen minutes late. Plus, you know all those names and addresses. She’d be putting some of them into the maps app on her phone. Trust me. It’ll be more efficient if you take charge and drive.”
“Okay.” Quinn turned when the door banged shut behind her, her eyes widening when she saw Emily standing there, a black slouchy beanie covering her dark brown hair.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Emily said, coming over to join them. Her steps faltered for just a second, and Quinn had to guess that Emily was just as surprised to see her here as she was. “Guess, I missed the cooking part,” Emily said with a ghost of a smile.
Quinn’s heart was beating a little too fast. This was what small-town life was like. Why did it surprise her that she kept seeing Emily?
And why did it still feel… Awkward wasn’t the word. Strange? Like Quinn was still in a position of authority even though she definitely wasn’t. But it was hard to shake their previous student-teacher relationship.
Rebecca’s eyes were on Emily. “You’re on deliveries.” She handed the clipboard to Quinn next. “And Quinn will be driving. Emily, this is Quinn. Quinn, this is Emily. My sister.”
Someone called Rebecca over from the back of the kitchen, and Quinn was left staring at Emily, her mind playing catchup. Emily was Rebecca’s sister? How did she not know this?
“Hi,” Emily said with a smile, and whether she’d intended for it to be or not, it was a charming one, one that made Quinn’s heart flutter.
9
Emily looked out the passenger window as they drove by her grandfather’s cabin, forgetting for a moment that Quinn was beside her. They’d delivered four meals so far, and their conversation had been light between stops, talking about the weather or a particular part of town and what it had been like when Emily was younger.
Now though, Emily couldn’t focus on anything except the fact that her grandfather wasn’t there to receive a meal. He’d been on the list for years. Even though he’d been independent and living alone in his eighties, he liked the company and the conversation he could have with a volunteer who came to his door with a hot meal each weekend.
Even though Emily had been back home for a week, and she’d been in and out of the cabin every day since she’d received the keys on Tuesday, the feeling of loss overwhelmed her now, and she found herself swallowing down the lump in her throat.
“I’m sorry,” Quinn said softly, the car slowing slightly as they went by the cabin.
Emily turned as they rounded the corner, putting the cabin out of sight again. “Hm?”
“I’m sorry about your grandfather.”
Emily just stared at Quinn, almost as if she’d spoken in a different language. How did she know?
Quinn glanced over at her before she turned back onto the main road. “You couldn’t have forgotten how small-town life goes in the years you’ve been away.”
Emily looked straight ahead, putting two and two together now. “Apparently, I have.”
“I know your sister. I’d call her a friend even. I know your parents too. And I had intended on going to your grandfather’s funeral, but I was out of town.”
“I had no idea,” Emily said. “And thanks. For saying that.” Her stomach did a little flip-flop at the idea of Quinn knowing her family. It was a completely unexpected revelation, and while it might have left her feeling almost giddy for a second, that feeling was quickly replaced with the familiar one of regret. How much sooner could she have met Quinn again if she’d visited regularly?
Quinn shook her head as they came to a crossroads, and the light turned red. “I had no idea about the connection though. To you, I mean. That Rebecca had a sister that I’d taught. Or that Marie and Richard had another daughter that I knew.”
Emily had not been prepared for any of this today. She thought she might recognize a few of the volunteers, and she had, but seeing Quinn standing beside Rebecca when she’d walked into the kitchen? Emily had tried to cover up her reaction, but it’d been impossible not to stare. She’d been shocked, but it was more than that. Quinn was so incredibly beautiful. It was hard to do anything but stare.
“I’m surprised we hadn’t bumped into each other years ago,” Quinn said as they pulled up to an old-fashioned, New England-style farmhouse with snowdrifts piled up against the white picket fence.
Emily released her seatbelt. “I rarely get back here. That’s probably why.” She held Quinn’s gaze for a second, unable to decipher it, before getting out and carrying a meal up the porch steps, taking her time on the slippy surface.
Quinn joined her just as the door opened and a woman in her eighties was wrapped up in a cardigan, a smile on her face as she waved them inside.
This was only Emily’s fifth house she’d visited, and she could see why Quinn had been doing this for years. It was rewarding, and Emily could see the relationship that Quinn had built with these people. She didn’t always do the deliveries, Quinn had said. The volunteers take turns, and some weeks she would be away, but these people had become friends. Emily could see it in the warmth of their interactions and the friendliness of their conversations.
This woman’s name was Nora, and she was actually ninety years old, which Emily couldn’t believe. Not only did she not look it, but she was very mobile. There was no walking stick in sight.
When Nora joined them at the kitchen table with a pot of coffee and some homemade cookies, she asked Emily about herself, saying how she didn’t recognize her.
