Page 51 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

‘Actions not words, Dad. That’s what matters.’

‘I know.’ He gulped once and asked, ‘How is everything with Huckleberry Lane?’

I stepped away, giving them space as their conversation turned to details about the house and the filming permits the Hearth and Home crew needed.

Tessa hadn’t changed a single thing about the store and I quickly found my way to the non-fiction section. There were memoirs and biographies settled on the shelves, but a thin layer of dust warned that many titles had never been replaced.

While I was thumbing through a book on World War Two, a woman with short brown hair and a baby balanced on each hip approached me.

‘Beck Townsend, is that you?’ The young woman readjusted the babies and gave me a broad smile. ‘It’s me, Maisey Bedford. I used to be friends with Piper.’

It took a moment for my brain to kick in and recognize this woman as the same tiny girl who’d played dress-up and did small local plays with my sister.

‘Wow, Maisey. Good to see you.’

Her eyes darted around the store. ‘Is your sister here? I haven’t seen or heard from her in years.’ She gave me a sad smile. ‘We all read the obituary in the paper about your folks after they passed. A lot of us hoped you’d move back.’

I took a dry gulp and refused to let myself think about how different things would have been if my grandparents had brought me back here. How life could have changed for Piper. Seeing Maisey all grown-up was like picturing all the opportunities Piper had blown over the years. What I would have given for my sister to be in a solid relationship with someone who didn’t steal from her while she slept. Someone who would encourage her sobriety. Prove to her she could have a life beyond partying and chasing the next high.

‘No. She’s living in New York. Auditioning for acting jobs.’

‘Does she still play the piano? When we were kids, she’d play and I’d dance. It was always so much fun.’

‘Sadly, she stopped a while ago,’ I said, trying to not let her hear the ache in my voice.

She gave me a wistful smile until the baby boy on her right hip began to cry. She shifted him and rearranged the pacifier in his mouth. ‘That’s too bad. Piper was always better at performing. Her life sounds exciting and glamorous compared to living in Ivy Falls.’ The little girl on her hip started to fidget and Maisey bounced up and down to keep her quiet. ‘Not much has changed here. Still the same quiet town where everyone knows each other’s business.’ Her stare shifted to where Torran was standing. ‘And, you know, the local shops are slowly dying one by one.’ She leaned in and lowered her voice. ‘Rumors are even this beloved store is having financial difficulties.’

I glanced in Torran’s direction, still hearing the tremble in her voice when she talked about Hearth and Home’s offer and the email stating the town was in trouble. She’d confessed that everyone blamed her for the drop in tourism. It made sense why she was so worked up about the house. If the town was struggling, she felt even more of a responsibility now to set things right.

‘Did you marry someone local?’ I asked.

‘No. I met their daddy at UT in Knoxville. We got married a few years back and I convinced him to come back here. He’s practicing law over on Silverlake Street and I’m staying at home with these two.’

‘Sounds like a good life.’

The two babies started to cry and all her shifting and bouncing couldn’t make them stop.

‘Guess it’s time to go,’ she said with a tired sigh. ‘Please tell your sister hello and to call me if she’s ever back in town. I’d love to see her.’

Maisey shuffled off toward a big stroller parked near a series of low bookshelves. As she clipped each baby into their seats, I couldn’t help but look away. No matter how hard I tried with Piper, she’d never have a normal life. The memories of our parents’ deaths, even with years of therapy, wore on her soul like a festering wound, and no matter how hard I tried to make it better, easier for her, she fought me at every turn.

I stalked toward the front of the store as my need to escape took over. My breathing sped up. Sweat beaded on my upper lip. Every inch of my skin ached. I raced to the exit and pushed out the door.

I put my hands on top of my head and turned in circles, dragging the thick, moist air into my lungs. For a few minutes, I paced the parking lot trying to forget how I’d failed Piper, Torran, even my parents. If I’d only been a second quicker, heard my mother’s scream sooner, maybe they’d both be alive now. How if I hadn’t been so afraid of Torran seeing me broken, we wouldn’t have lost so much time.

The erratic beat of my heart made it hard to pull in enough air. Coming back to Ivy Falls. Walking through the P&P. All of it was a reminder of what I’d lost. I leaned against the rusty tailgate of Torran’s truck and waited for the familiar pain to pass.

A shuffle of feet forced me to look up. Torran approached the truck. Her eyebrows knitted together with worry.

‘Hey, what’s going on? You took off like a rocket after you saw Maisey.’

‘It’s nothing. Let’s go back to the house. There’s a lot of work to be done.’

She searched my face for a minute and I kept it fixed in an unemotional mask. It was an easy feat because I’d been hiding my pain for years.

Chapter Twenty-Two

TORRAN