The Little Lies We Hide, page 14
“Have it your way,” he said.
“What do we do with Dad?” Bradley said to Emily. “He still looks like he’s seen the devil.”
“We need to try to calm him, make him see there is nothing to fear.”
“Let me,” Angel said.
Emily gave her a nod.
“Grandpa,” Angel said and walked toward him. “That’s Uncle Bradley. Your son. He’s been away a while but he’s home now and he’s telling the truth. No one is in your room to steal anything from you. We won’t let anyone hurt you or steal your things. Promise.”
The air in the room was full of quiet tension. Angel glanced at her aunt and uncle. Emily gave her another encouraging nod.
“Remember when I was eleven,” Angel said, “and you and Grandma came to my dance recital? I had a solo part and missed two steps and was so mad with myself, but you stood up when the music stopped and hollered and clapped so loud that I forgot I’d messed up. You were always there for me and we’re all here for you now.”
Henry looked at her a long time before recognition bubbled up in his eyes. “Pretty hard not to believe an angel.”
“I love you, Grandpa,” Angel said and wrapped her arms around him. “I hate it when you go away.”
Henry stroked her hair. “I hate it too.”
* * *
After the others headed back down, Bradley and Emily stayed with Henry until they were sure he was okay, that his hallucinations had passed.
The three of them were sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the antique dresser that had belonged to Great-Grandma Sarah. A frameless mirror hung above it on the wall that had last seen a fresh coat of white paint in the 1950s.
“I miss my Irene,” Henry said and put a hand over his heart. “Right here.”
Emily took his other hand. “We miss Mom too.”
“I wish I could have come home once in a while,” Bradley said.
“She talked about you all the time,” Henry said. “She was so proud of you, having left home so young and having that success. She called you her radio celebrity son to everyone who would listen to her at the bakery. They were always asking her about her celebrity son and she was more than happy to tell them all about you.”
Bradley felt his face heat up. “I was nothing like a celebrity. I announced songs that were played, babbled some nonsenses to fill the gaps, recited traffic reports when I did the afternoon shift.”
“You and Kate turned that station around,” Emily said, the pride in her voice unmistakeable. “You were nineteen when you left, still wet behind the ears, as Dad often said. But you stuck it out. And met the love of your life.”
Bradley looked away.
He did love Kate, but—
Marriage and babies?
Maybe not babies, but a baby. What if he wasn’t cut out to be a dad? And since being back home, he’d seen the mess Cassandra had become. Maybe if he’d stayed . . .
But she had been pregnant with David’s baby. There had been no reason for him to stay. But it was hard not to feel guilty and somewhat responsible. Maybe he just liked to torture himself, run away from happiness.
Run away from things he was afraid of. Was that what he was doing again? Except this time, he had run back home instead of away.
“Kate’s great.”
“I thought she would have come with you.”
“She wanted to come,” he said. “I just didn’t know how things were going to be here so I thought it best if she didn’t.”
“It would be nice to meet her someday.”
“You will,” he said.
“Before the wedding, I hope.”
He smiled awkwardly, and lied. “No wedding anytime soon.”
“She could still come, if she can get away,” Emily said. “Mom’s funeral might not happen until Friday. I still need to call the funeral home.”
“We’re burying Mom in the Forest Creek Cemetery, right?”
“With everyone else,” she said. “She wants to be cremated. There’s lots of room for all of us.”
Henry let out a quiet moan. “She was a good woman.”
“She was a good mom and a better friend,” Emily said. “I’ll really miss her at the bakery.”
Bradley noticed from the reflection in the mirror that all three of them had long silver streaks running down their cheeks. His mom had not been a simple woman, at times harder than his dad. She’d helped all three kids with their homework, made sure chores were done before playtime or TV time, and hadn’t put up with their nonsense.
One thing had always bothered him, though, and maybe he’d just imagined it, but he’d always felt like she’d treated David a little differently, let him get away with a little more than she had with him and Emily. He’d always been envious of that. Just because he was the oldest, she’d loved him a little more.
Which had made it hard for Bradley to tell her everything David did. So, he’d endured the bullying, and learned to resent David a little bit more as time passed.
Resentment was hard to get rid of, even after all these years. Part of him didn’t want to get along with Big Brother. Bradley was still a bit jealous that David had been his mom’s favourite, and her favouritism had played a big part in his running away.
That, and losing Cassandra.
“So,” Emily said. “Big Brother wants to sell the house and the bakery.”
Bradley let out a big sigh. “He says Mom signed over the deed for the bakery when he lent you the money.”
Emily was quiet. “I see. And the house?”
“Sees an opportunity to make a buck,” Bradley said. “He has a point, though. Dad can’t stay here by himself.”
“No, he can’t,” Emily said, looking at her dad. “But he won’t be. I’m going to move in. Makes sense to be close to the bakery anyway.”
“You can’t do both, Em,” he said. “Dad’s only going to need more and more care.”
She looked at her father. “I know. It’s just hard to accept.”
“It is.”
They both looked at Henry. “You okay, Dad?” Bradley said.
“Your great-grandmother had only one wish when she died,” Henry said. “That bakery should stay in the family for as long as there is another generation to run it.”
Bradley wasn’t a lawyer but if Mom had really signed over the deed to David, he didn’t think a whole lot could be done if Big Brother was set on selling the place. “Then we’d better not break Great-Grandma Sarah’s wish.”
SIXTEEN
Cassandra sat on the couch, her glass empty and her head spinning, the bottle calling her but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. She eyed her husband, who was pacing back and forth across the sitting room with the patience of someone who had better things to do than be here supposedly mourning the passing of his mother.
It was difficult not to despise him.
There was a long list of things he’d done to warrant her anger but the one that grated most on her nerves was the way he’d shown so little interest in Angel’s life. They only had the one child, so the least he could have done was spend more time with her, be there for the special moments in her life, show her a little love.
“Did those two fall asleep?” David said after checking his watch for the hundredth time. “I’d really like to settle things.”
“Why? Josée waiting for you?”
“I have a showing at six.”
“Seriously?” she said. “You couldn’t let someone else do it? Your mom just died yesterday.”
David looked at her a very long time and she couldn’t quite tell what the look on his face meant. If she had to guess, he was probably trying to figure a way to make himself appear like he was hurting, but in all the years she’d known him, she had never seen him care enough about anyone to feel any sort of loss. She often wondered what Josée saw in him, especially since the handsome and fit man he’d once been wasn’t who was standing in front of her now.
Well, some men could rock baldness and David was one of those, just like Henry. Unlike his dad, who still remained fit and solid, David should be careful with his weight gain. That and the stress of chasing the next deal could easily bring on a heart attack.
She might despise him, but she didn’t wish him any harm. It was a battle she’d been losing for years, loving and hating him at the same time.
She was ready to let go of both emotions.
Move on.
Start a new life.
“I’m sorry that she died,” he finally said. He paused and she saw him struggle to find what he wanted to say. “But we were never really that close.”
Cassandra felt her face crumble. She couldn’t have heard him right. Maybe she was more drunk than she realized. Irene had always asked about David when she and Angel came over for dinner and he couldn’t join them. Irene had always wanted to know if everything was all right with them—and Cassandra had always felt guilty about lying to her mother-in-law. And it had always surprised her that Irene never noticed, or if she had, she’d never said anything.
“What are you talking about?” Cassandra said. “Your mom always asked about you, wanted to make sure you were all right. She was always disappointed when you didn’t show up for Sunday dinner.”
There was a long pause.
“I learned from my mother.”
Okay, she must be drunk after all because she couldn’t figure out what David was talking about. “You learned what?”
He gave that look that she hated, the one that made her feel small, dumb, and not worth his time. What had she done to make him hate her so much? She had loved him with all of her heart and had thought that he loved her too. She remembered the night that she’d truly fallen in love with him. It was Canada Day and a bunch of them had gone downtown to take in the festivities on Parliament Hill and then watch the fireworks, and that day had been spectacular. David had made her laugh, had made her feel like she was his world, had told her he loved her.
She couldn’t remember the last time he’d made her feel that way or told her he loved her, or the last time they’d kissed with passion. She really didn’t know when exactly their marriage had died.
Too long ago.
Since he wasn’t answering her, she poured a finger of whiskey into her glass and downed it. How many was that? Four? Five? Did it really matter?
She poured another but didn’t touch it.
Her eyes wandered toward the stairs, eager for the others to join them. Being alone with David wasn’t at the top of her list of fun things to do.
* * *
When Angel came into the house to join her parents in the sitting room, a spear of sunshine passed through the front window as the sun moved from behind a cloud. Instantly, Cassandra’s dark mood was pushed aside.
Angel had always been her sunshine, the light that made her life bearable.
“Is Lilly all right?” Cassandra said. “Guess it wasn’t a good idea to bring her today.”
Angel sat beside her mother. “I just wanted to have a friend with me, you know? Help me keep it together. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“No one did.”
“And it’s all my fault, I suppose,” David said.
“Please, Dad,” Angel said. “Put the guns away. For Grandma’s sake.”
He looked away.
“That was great how you got to Grandpa,” Cassandra said. “I know this is hard on you.”
“It sucks,” Angel said. “I feel so sad seeing him like that. It’s not fair.”
“I know.”
“I remember when I was six and he took me to the Forest Creek Fair because Dad was busy as always and you’d gotten sick. Grandma and Aunt Emily were at the bakery because the Fair was always great for business.”
Cassandra ran a hand down Angel’s long hair. It was so soft and gorgeous. Her hair had been like that too at that age, but over time it had gotten shorter. It now barely touched her shoulders.
“I loved the car derby. It was loud, but Grandpa would talk into his hands like he was the announcer and it made me laugh so hard. He’d come on the rides with me and scream louder than me. He’d buy me cotton candy and ice cream.”
“All the important fair food groups.”
Angel nodded. “Yep.”
“Those were good days,” Cassandra said.
Angel was silent for a moment. “And now Grandma is gone and Grandpa . . . I know I’m eighteen but I’ve always liked hanging out here with them. I always had a good time. They were fun.”
David snorted but said nothing.
“You’re still here?” Cassandra said, not hiding her annoyance. “I thought you had some big deal to close.”
“It’s a showing. At six. Here in town.”
Cassandra eyed him suspiciously.
“Mom, Dad,” Angel said. “Can the two of you just put it away? You guys have any idea how growing up in the middle of this hate has been for me?”
“Your mother—” David said.
“Oh, shut up, Dad,” Angel said and immediately put a hand to her mouth.
“Well, sounding more and more like your mother every day,” he said.
“Maybe if you’d been around and spent time with her,” Cassandra said.
David glanced away.
“Never anything to say when I’m right,” Cassandra said.
“You’re drunk,” he said.
“And whose fault is that?” she said. “Maybe if you’d paid attention to me like a husband should. Funny how you used to tell me I was your world. Guess I was a very tiny, small world.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Like Angel said earlier, we might as well get a divorce,” Cassandra said and downed her glass of whiskey. It had never tasted this good. Finally, the rest of her life could begin. “I’ve had enough.”
SEVENTEEN
Bradley and Emily made their way down the creaky century-old stairs that had made it impossible for them to sneak in late at night when they were teenagers and coming home past curfew. Growing up in a small village like Forest Creek, there wasn’t much the kids could do to get in trouble except hang out in someone’s back yard with a fire going and pass around beers someone had snatched from a home fridge.
And maybe smoke a little weed.
And maybe a couple or two would wander away to find a quiet space to make out. Nothing harmful.
Until someone got pregnant.
Happened quite often. But Bradley hadn’t expected it to happen to Cassandra, especially after her heart was broken on her nineteenth birthday. He’d really thought that Cassandra and David were done after that night, but once his brother found out she was pregnant, the dumbass did the decent thing and married her.
How things might have been different if those two things hadn’t happened. After he’d left for Vancouver, on nights he was alone and feeling sorry for himself—there were plenty of those for more years than he cared to admit—he’d wonder if things would have turned out differently if he’d told her how he really felt long before she started to date David. He’d always been afraid to ruin their friendship, but in the end, doing nothing had ruined it anyway.
Even if he’d told her he loved her, they might have tried to date only to find out they were just meant to be friends. He might have ended up going out west anyway, and meeting Kate.
He needed to call her so they could talk about marriage. And a baby.
If this day ever gave him a moment to pause and take a breath.
He felt all of the day’s weariness in his neck and upper back, and his brain was trying to sort everything out, but he felt like he was losing. All he knew was that there was no way he could just dump all of it on Emily and go back to the west coast. That wouldn’t be fair to her.
But it was like nothing had changed in nearly twenty years. The same craziness had carried over from the past to the present. Leaving probably had been the right move for him. Leaving again wouldn’t be easy if he and Emily didn’t win over David. The guilt of seeing Emily lose everything wouldn’t be something that he’d be able to shrug off.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, he wondered what other nonsense could possibly be dragged out of their dark and rancid closet of lies and secrets.
* * *
Bradley had just stepped off the last stair when he heard Cassandra echo what Angel had said earlier. The word divorce reached his ears and he came to an abrupt stop. Emily ran into him and then swatted the back of his head.
“What’d you do that for?” he whispered.
“For stopping without telling me,” she said quietly.
“Didn’t you hear what Cassandra just said?”
“About frigging time, if you ask me,” Emily whispered. “I would have kicked David’s ass out the door a long time ago if I’d been her.”
“They were so in love when I left,” he said. “Planning their wedding and all.”
Emily shook her head. “It didn’t last long. Two or three years.”
“So why wait until now?”
She shrugged. “Wanting Angel to grow up in a house with both parents.”
“What’s the point if it’s an unhappy home?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s amazing she’s turned out as good as she has. Unfortunately, Cassandra hasn’t fared as well.”
“I should never have left.”
“And what could you have done to change things?”
“I was her friend.”
“And David was her boyfriend, then her husband. And she was pregnant.” Her eyes softened. “I figured out long ago how you really felt about her. She got pregnant, David proposed, you left. Nothing secret there.”
“Did Mom and Dad know too?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “You and David got pretty good at pretending nothing was wrong. But I saw, I noticed.”
He said nothing.
“Welcome home,” Emily said and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad I don’t have to do this alone.”
He gave her a soft, apologetic smile. “I have a feeling you don’t really need me. You’re not the little sister I left behind.”
“What do we do with Dad?” Bradley said to Emily. “He still looks like he’s seen the devil.”
“We need to try to calm him, make him see there is nothing to fear.”
“Let me,” Angel said.
Emily gave her a nod.
“Grandpa,” Angel said and walked toward him. “That’s Uncle Bradley. Your son. He’s been away a while but he’s home now and he’s telling the truth. No one is in your room to steal anything from you. We won’t let anyone hurt you or steal your things. Promise.”
The air in the room was full of quiet tension. Angel glanced at her aunt and uncle. Emily gave her another encouraging nod.
“Remember when I was eleven,” Angel said, “and you and Grandma came to my dance recital? I had a solo part and missed two steps and was so mad with myself, but you stood up when the music stopped and hollered and clapped so loud that I forgot I’d messed up. You were always there for me and we’re all here for you now.”
Henry looked at her a long time before recognition bubbled up in his eyes. “Pretty hard not to believe an angel.”
“I love you, Grandpa,” Angel said and wrapped her arms around him. “I hate it when you go away.”
Henry stroked her hair. “I hate it too.”
* * *
After the others headed back down, Bradley and Emily stayed with Henry until they were sure he was okay, that his hallucinations had passed.
The three of them were sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the antique dresser that had belonged to Great-Grandma Sarah. A frameless mirror hung above it on the wall that had last seen a fresh coat of white paint in the 1950s.
“I miss my Irene,” Henry said and put a hand over his heart. “Right here.”
Emily took his other hand. “We miss Mom too.”
“I wish I could have come home once in a while,” Bradley said.
“She talked about you all the time,” Henry said. “She was so proud of you, having left home so young and having that success. She called you her radio celebrity son to everyone who would listen to her at the bakery. They were always asking her about her celebrity son and she was more than happy to tell them all about you.”
Bradley felt his face heat up. “I was nothing like a celebrity. I announced songs that were played, babbled some nonsenses to fill the gaps, recited traffic reports when I did the afternoon shift.”
“You and Kate turned that station around,” Emily said, the pride in her voice unmistakeable. “You were nineteen when you left, still wet behind the ears, as Dad often said. But you stuck it out. And met the love of your life.”
Bradley looked away.
He did love Kate, but—
Marriage and babies?
Maybe not babies, but a baby. What if he wasn’t cut out to be a dad? And since being back home, he’d seen the mess Cassandra had become. Maybe if he’d stayed . . .
But she had been pregnant with David’s baby. There had been no reason for him to stay. But it was hard not to feel guilty and somewhat responsible. Maybe he just liked to torture himself, run away from happiness.
Run away from things he was afraid of. Was that what he was doing again? Except this time, he had run back home instead of away.
“Kate’s great.”
“I thought she would have come with you.”
“She wanted to come,” he said. “I just didn’t know how things were going to be here so I thought it best if she didn’t.”
“It would be nice to meet her someday.”
“You will,” he said.
“Before the wedding, I hope.”
He smiled awkwardly, and lied. “No wedding anytime soon.”
“She could still come, if she can get away,” Emily said. “Mom’s funeral might not happen until Friday. I still need to call the funeral home.”
“We’re burying Mom in the Forest Creek Cemetery, right?”
“With everyone else,” she said. “She wants to be cremated. There’s lots of room for all of us.”
Henry let out a quiet moan. “She was a good woman.”
“She was a good mom and a better friend,” Emily said. “I’ll really miss her at the bakery.”
Bradley noticed from the reflection in the mirror that all three of them had long silver streaks running down their cheeks. His mom had not been a simple woman, at times harder than his dad. She’d helped all three kids with their homework, made sure chores were done before playtime or TV time, and hadn’t put up with their nonsense.
One thing had always bothered him, though, and maybe he’d just imagined it, but he’d always felt like she’d treated David a little differently, let him get away with a little more than she had with him and Emily. He’d always been envious of that. Just because he was the oldest, she’d loved him a little more.
Which had made it hard for Bradley to tell her everything David did. So, he’d endured the bullying, and learned to resent David a little bit more as time passed.
Resentment was hard to get rid of, even after all these years. Part of him didn’t want to get along with Big Brother. Bradley was still a bit jealous that David had been his mom’s favourite, and her favouritism had played a big part in his running away.
That, and losing Cassandra.
“So,” Emily said. “Big Brother wants to sell the house and the bakery.”
Bradley let out a big sigh. “He says Mom signed over the deed for the bakery when he lent you the money.”
Emily was quiet. “I see. And the house?”
“Sees an opportunity to make a buck,” Bradley said. “He has a point, though. Dad can’t stay here by himself.”
“No, he can’t,” Emily said, looking at her dad. “But he won’t be. I’m going to move in. Makes sense to be close to the bakery anyway.”
“You can’t do both, Em,” he said. “Dad’s only going to need more and more care.”
She looked at her father. “I know. It’s just hard to accept.”
“It is.”
They both looked at Henry. “You okay, Dad?” Bradley said.
“Your great-grandmother had only one wish when she died,” Henry said. “That bakery should stay in the family for as long as there is another generation to run it.”
Bradley wasn’t a lawyer but if Mom had really signed over the deed to David, he didn’t think a whole lot could be done if Big Brother was set on selling the place. “Then we’d better not break Great-Grandma Sarah’s wish.”
SIXTEEN
Cassandra sat on the couch, her glass empty and her head spinning, the bottle calling her but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. She eyed her husband, who was pacing back and forth across the sitting room with the patience of someone who had better things to do than be here supposedly mourning the passing of his mother.
It was difficult not to despise him.
There was a long list of things he’d done to warrant her anger but the one that grated most on her nerves was the way he’d shown so little interest in Angel’s life. They only had the one child, so the least he could have done was spend more time with her, be there for the special moments in her life, show her a little love.
“Did those two fall asleep?” David said after checking his watch for the hundredth time. “I’d really like to settle things.”
“Why? Josée waiting for you?”
“I have a showing at six.”
“Seriously?” she said. “You couldn’t let someone else do it? Your mom just died yesterday.”
David looked at her a very long time and she couldn’t quite tell what the look on his face meant. If she had to guess, he was probably trying to figure a way to make himself appear like he was hurting, but in all the years she’d known him, she had never seen him care enough about anyone to feel any sort of loss. She often wondered what Josée saw in him, especially since the handsome and fit man he’d once been wasn’t who was standing in front of her now.
Well, some men could rock baldness and David was one of those, just like Henry. Unlike his dad, who still remained fit and solid, David should be careful with his weight gain. That and the stress of chasing the next deal could easily bring on a heart attack.
She might despise him, but she didn’t wish him any harm. It was a battle she’d been losing for years, loving and hating him at the same time.
She was ready to let go of both emotions.
Move on.
Start a new life.
“I’m sorry that she died,” he finally said. He paused and she saw him struggle to find what he wanted to say. “But we were never really that close.”
Cassandra felt her face crumble. She couldn’t have heard him right. Maybe she was more drunk than she realized. Irene had always asked about David when she and Angel came over for dinner and he couldn’t join them. Irene had always wanted to know if everything was all right with them—and Cassandra had always felt guilty about lying to her mother-in-law. And it had always surprised her that Irene never noticed, or if she had, she’d never said anything.
“What are you talking about?” Cassandra said. “Your mom always asked about you, wanted to make sure you were all right. She was always disappointed when you didn’t show up for Sunday dinner.”
There was a long pause.
“I learned from my mother.”
Okay, she must be drunk after all because she couldn’t figure out what David was talking about. “You learned what?”
He gave that look that she hated, the one that made her feel small, dumb, and not worth his time. What had she done to make him hate her so much? She had loved him with all of her heart and had thought that he loved her too. She remembered the night that she’d truly fallen in love with him. It was Canada Day and a bunch of them had gone downtown to take in the festivities on Parliament Hill and then watch the fireworks, and that day had been spectacular. David had made her laugh, had made her feel like she was his world, had told her he loved her.
She couldn’t remember the last time he’d made her feel that way or told her he loved her, or the last time they’d kissed with passion. She really didn’t know when exactly their marriage had died.
Too long ago.
Since he wasn’t answering her, she poured a finger of whiskey into her glass and downed it. How many was that? Four? Five? Did it really matter?
She poured another but didn’t touch it.
Her eyes wandered toward the stairs, eager for the others to join them. Being alone with David wasn’t at the top of her list of fun things to do.
* * *
When Angel came into the house to join her parents in the sitting room, a spear of sunshine passed through the front window as the sun moved from behind a cloud. Instantly, Cassandra’s dark mood was pushed aside.
Angel had always been her sunshine, the light that made her life bearable.
“Is Lilly all right?” Cassandra said. “Guess it wasn’t a good idea to bring her today.”
Angel sat beside her mother. “I just wanted to have a friend with me, you know? Help me keep it together. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“No one did.”
“And it’s all my fault, I suppose,” David said.
“Please, Dad,” Angel said. “Put the guns away. For Grandma’s sake.”
He looked away.
“That was great how you got to Grandpa,” Cassandra said. “I know this is hard on you.”
“It sucks,” Angel said. “I feel so sad seeing him like that. It’s not fair.”
“I know.”
“I remember when I was six and he took me to the Forest Creek Fair because Dad was busy as always and you’d gotten sick. Grandma and Aunt Emily were at the bakery because the Fair was always great for business.”
Cassandra ran a hand down Angel’s long hair. It was so soft and gorgeous. Her hair had been like that too at that age, but over time it had gotten shorter. It now barely touched her shoulders.
“I loved the car derby. It was loud, but Grandpa would talk into his hands like he was the announcer and it made me laugh so hard. He’d come on the rides with me and scream louder than me. He’d buy me cotton candy and ice cream.”
“All the important fair food groups.”
Angel nodded. “Yep.”
“Those were good days,” Cassandra said.
Angel was silent for a moment. “And now Grandma is gone and Grandpa . . . I know I’m eighteen but I’ve always liked hanging out here with them. I always had a good time. They were fun.”
David snorted but said nothing.
“You’re still here?” Cassandra said, not hiding her annoyance. “I thought you had some big deal to close.”
“It’s a showing. At six. Here in town.”
Cassandra eyed him suspiciously.
“Mom, Dad,” Angel said. “Can the two of you just put it away? You guys have any idea how growing up in the middle of this hate has been for me?”
“Your mother—” David said.
“Oh, shut up, Dad,” Angel said and immediately put a hand to her mouth.
“Well, sounding more and more like your mother every day,” he said.
“Maybe if you’d been around and spent time with her,” Cassandra said.
David glanced away.
“Never anything to say when I’m right,” Cassandra said.
“You’re drunk,” he said.
“And whose fault is that?” she said. “Maybe if you’d paid attention to me like a husband should. Funny how you used to tell me I was your world. Guess I was a very tiny, small world.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Like Angel said earlier, we might as well get a divorce,” Cassandra said and downed her glass of whiskey. It had never tasted this good. Finally, the rest of her life could begin. “I’ve had enough.”
SEVENTEEN
Bradley and Emily made their way down the creaky century-old stairs that had made it impossible for them to sneak in late at night when they were teenagers and coming home past curfew. Growing up in a small village like Forest Creek, there wasn’t much the kids could do to get in trouble except hang out in someone’s back yard with a fire going and pass around beers someone had snatched from a home fridge.
And maybe smoke a little weed.
And maybe a couple or two would wander away to find a quiet space to make out. Nothing harmful.
Until someone got pregnant.
Happened quite often. But Bradley hadn’t expected it to happen to Cassandra, especially after her heart was broken on her nineteenth birthday. He’d really thought that Cassandra and David were done after that night, but once his brother found out she was pregnant, the dumbass did the decent thing and married her.
How things might have been different if those two things hadn’t happened. After he’d left for Vancouver, on nights he was alone and feeling sorry for himself—there were plenty of those for more years than he cared to admit—he’d wonder if things would have turned out differently if he’d told her how he really felt long before she started to date David. He’d always been afraid to ruin their friendship, but in the end, doing nothing had ruined it anyway.
Even if he’d told her he loved her, they might have tried to date only to find out they were just meant to be friends. He might have ended up going out west anyway, and meeting Kate.
He needed to call her so they could talk about marriage. And a baby.
If this day ever gave him a moment to pause and take a breath.
He felt all of the day’s weariness in his neck and upper back, and his brain was trying to sort everything out, but he felt like he was losing. All he knew was that there was no way he could just dump all of it on Emily and go back to the west coast. That wouldn’t be fair to her.
But it was like nothing had changed in nearly twenty years. The same craziness had carried over from the past to the present. Leaving probably had been the right move for him. Leaving again wouldn’t be easy if he and Emily didn’t win over David. The guilt of seeing Emily lose everything wouldn’t be something that he’d be able to shrug off.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, he wondered what other nonsense could possibly be dragged out of their dark and rancid closet of lies and secrets.
* * *
Bradley had just stepped off the last stair when he heard Cassandra echo what Angel had said earlier. The word divorce reached his ears and he came to an abrupt stop. Emily ran into him and then swatted the back of his head.
“What’d you do that for?” he whispered.
“For stopping without telling me,” she said quietly.
“Didn’t you hear what Cassandra just said?”
“About frigging time, if you ask me,” Emily whispered. “I would have kicked David’s ass out the door a long time ago if I’d been her.”
“They were so in love when I left,” he said. “Planning their wedding and all.”
Emily shook her head. “It didn’t last long. Two or three years.”
“So why wait until now?”
She shrugged. “Wanting Angel to grow up in a house with both parents.”
“What’s the point if it’s an unhappy home?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s amazing she’s turned out as good as she has. Unfortunately, Cassandra hasn’t fared as well.”
“I should never have left.”
“And what could you have done to change things?”
“I was her friend.”
“And David was her boyfriend, then her husband. And she was pregnant.” Her eyes softened. “I figured out long ago how you really felt about her. She got pregnant, David proposed, you left. Nothing secret there.”
“Did Mom and Dad know too?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “You and David got pretty good at pretending nothing was wrong. But I saw, I noticed.”
He said nothing.
“Welcome home,” Emily said and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad I don’t have to do this alone.”
He gave her a soft, apologetic smile. “I have a feeling you don’t really need me. You’re not the little sister I left behind.”
