Page 93 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

‘This house is simply drywall, brick and paint, Tor. The stolen fixtures and appliances can be replaced. But Piper, she’s in pain. Without family and friends, she’ll never be able to claw her way out of her misery. Let’s hope this incident shows her it’s time to get help and move on.’

‘I should have pushed back at the hospital. Forced Beck to listen to me.’

Even though I didn’t want to tell him, Manny had pulled the story about our fight out of me.

‘Dammit, Torran, stop it. Just because you’re hurting doesn’t mean you get to tell other people how to grieve!’

‘What the hell, Manny? I thought you were on my side!’

‘I am but you have to stop expecting people to act like you want them to when they’re in the depths of sorrow. If Beck tells you he needs to take care of his sister, respect that. When Tessa explains she’s not ready to date again, be kind enough to heed her words.’ His voice wavered. ‘And your dad…’

‘My dad?’ I recoiled. ‘What does he have to do with this?’

He scrubbed at the back of his neck. ‘I know you’re still pissed about what happened the day your mom died, but have you ever stopped to think about how hard that must have been for him? To not be with the love of his life when she took her last breath on this earth?’

He kept his focus on a small hole in his jeans like he couldn’t bear to look at me.

‘You’re so angry, full of grief, you can’t even sit down and have a civil conversation with the man. Your sister sees his anguish. Why the hell can’t you?’

His words punched all the air from my lungs and I sank back down onto the step. I’d never seen Manny this worked up before.

‘I don’t mean to make this any harder than it already is, but sometimes you need to step back and look at the world a little wider. If you do, maybe you can give a small inch of compassion to those around you who are in as much pain as you are.’

If anyone else had said those words to me I would have fought back, but Manny was the most honest person I knew. He wore his grief quietly, like a heavy blanket weighing on his shoulders. Gina had been taken from him and Lou much too soon. Instead of cursing at the world, holding his anger in at his loss like I’d done this entire last year, he thought about his daughter. About me. How that fury would crush the relationships in his life that meant so much to him.

My sister had been begging me for months to hear my dad out, and I’d callously refused, not even considering the kind of pain that must be causing.

A hole widened in my chest.

If my mother was here right now, she’d be so disappointed in me.

‘I’m sorry about the tough love, but you need it,’ he said, sitting down beside me again.

I leaned into his thick shoulder and he tugged me in close.

‘The good thing is that you have time. Time to work things out with Beck. Time to talk to your dad. Promise me you won’t waste another minute.’

‘I promise. Thank you for putting up with me. I know it’s not easy.’

The settling creaks of the walls and the cloying scent of spray paint made the house close in around us. It would take every ounce of strength I had to get through this, but I knew it was possible with Manny by my side.

We sat quietly for another minute until he shook his head. ‘Of all the things they had to destroy, why my beautiful staircase? It was some of my best work.’ He poked at a broken spindle.

‘Aren’t you the one who just said it all could be fixed?’

Manny huffed out a small laugh. ‘Should we start making a list of what we need to tackle in this mess?’

‘No,’ I said halfheartedly.

He pulled me to my feet again and dragged me toward the disaster area that used to be our beautiful kitchen.

Chapter Forty-Three

TORRAN

Coming Out Swinging.

A beautiful magnolia tree with bright white blooms shaded Mom’s final resting place at the Ivy Falls cemetery. A recent bouquet of wildflowers – daisies, black-eyed Susans and forget-me-nots – lay on the marble pedestal in front of her grave. For years, Dad brought her these exact flowers on birthdays and anniversaries. I set my own bouquet of stargazer lilies next to them.