CHAPTER 17
David didn’t ask where they were going asMia drove out of Maine and into New York. She hadn’t said theirdestination, but before they crossed over into Connecticut, he hadbegun to suspect her intent as her body became increasingly tensedand she stopped speaking with him. Stretching his legs out, hewatched as homes and trees passed by in a blur before they entereda small town.
Despite the chill of winter, there were afew people strolling leisurely up and down the street and duckinginto stores. The diner on the corner was packed with the lunchcrowd. Cars lined the street as people sought to enjoy the rest oftheir holiday time off. At the rotary in the center of the town, agroup of children was busy rolling a giant ball for a snowman.Their laughter filled the air as their breaths plumed around them.Mia drove them by a movie theatre and a fast food place beforepassing a small strip mall.
“It’s different than it used to be,” Miamurmured as she gazed at the town that was so familiar yetstrangely not. “More built up.”
David glanced over at her but she remainedfocused ahead, and he knew she wasn’t talking to him. He rested hishand on her knee, causing her to start. She didn’t jerk away fromhim though. Her gaze came toward him; a smile tugged at the cornersof her mouth.
She turned her attention back to the road asthey drove out of the town and down a tree-lined street. He caughtonly glimpses of houses through the trees. If there had been leaveson the trees, he never would have been able to see what little hedid of the roofs and chimneys.
Mia made a right-hand turn onto a two-laneroad. David didn’t see any homes through the bare trees pressingclose against the road anymore, but he did spot a couple deermaking their way through the woods. After about a mile, Mia madeanother turn onto a dirt driveway.
The springs in the Rover bounced as shedrove over the ruts in the road. Ice crunched beneath the tireswhen she slowed the vehicle to a near crawl, not because theycouldn’t navigate the road faster but because David could feel herdread increasing with every passing second. She hunched fartherover the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white as she kept hereyes locked straight ahead.
Then the trees gave way to reveal a whitehouse sitting in the middle of a couple acres of open land. Mia’sbreath exploded from her. She hadn’t known what she would expect tofind there—the charred remains of her home, a clearing, orabsolutely nothing. She’d never considered that someone would havebuilt anewhome where hers had once stood.
Behind the house, horses moved around apaddock munching on the hay that a woman was tossing out to them. Asmall squeal drew Mia’s attention to the two children who boltedout the backdoor and toward the barn.
“We didn’t have a barn or horses,” shemurmured. “And our house was yellow, a cheery yellow, not an uglyone. My mom loved the color yellow. She said it brightened her moodand made her feel as if the sun was shining, even at night.”
They were the most inane comments, but shecouldn’t quite process everything she was seeing. She’d thought thetown had changed. This was a whole new world, and yet it was aworld that was unsettlingly familiar. Her home had been a colonial;this one was a farmhouse with a wraparound porch.
However, despite all the differences in thehomes and landscapes, she began to pick out familiar things.
“I used to play in that tree, over there,”she said, pointing to the large oak with its sweeping boughs. “Andthat pathway through the woods back there, it leads to a lake. Inthe winter my dad and I would go skating on it. Neither of us wasvery good at it, but we always had fun.”
“I bet.”
Her hands clamped hold of his as she soughtto ground herself in the present while the memories of the pastthreatened to bury her. “I’m glad… I’m glad it’s not a burnt-outbasement or an overgrown field, or whatever else it could havebecome. I’m glad life has continued here. And the family seemshappy.”
“They do,” David agreed as the womanapproached the fence to stare at them. The screen door opened and aman stepped onto the front porch. “They’ve noticed us. Do you wantto get out and look around?”
While they’d been driving, she’d beendetermined not to get out of the vehicle, just to take a peek, sayher good-byes to the past, and leave. Now, she found her handfalling to the door handle, and she pushed the door open. Reachingbehind her, she removed her coat from the backseat and slipped iton before climbing out of the SUV. Her hand instinctively touchedupon the stake in her inner pocket as the man and woman walkedtoward them. Sniffing the air, Mia realized the coppery scent oftheir blood was that of humans.
David climbed out the passenger side andwalked around to take hold of Mia’s hand. The man said something tothe woman when they met in the center of the yard. The woman turnedto call to the kids, who ran up to them. The man knelt and adjustedthe coat of the little boy before the boy nodded and dashed up thestairs to return inside.
Rising to his feet, the man took hold of thewoman’s hand as the little girl ran back to stand by the fence. Shegazed curiously at them but didn’t come any closer.
“Can I help you?” the man inquired when thecouple stopped in front of her and David.
“I… uh… I’m sorry to bother you, but I usedto live here,” Mia said. “Well not here, in this house, but on thisland.”
“Oh,” the woman said. Then “Oh,” with farmore sadness in her voice and wider eyes.
“The house on this land before us caught onfire,” the man said, and the woman shot him a pointed look.
Mia couldn’t stop herself from wincing athis words. “Yes, it did.”
The man cringed when he realized that it hadbeen Mia’s home. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, and the woman shook herhead at him.
The man’s gaze ran over Mia before he turnedback to the porch just as the little boy stepped outside again. Theman waved to the boy, who jogged down the stairs toward them. Smalland nimble, Mia would have guessed the boy to be about ten. The boystopped beside his dad for a second and then turned to smile atthem.
“Hello!” he greeted happily.
“Hi,” Mia said, grateful for the distractionfrom her memories and the couple.
“I like your car.”
