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Yes! God, yes! That’s exactly what I need.
"But I thought you both had plans." I distinctly remembered both of them chatting about their weekend plans during Friday’s dinner.
"They fell through," Hailey said.
I wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth, so I jumped at the opportunity.
"Meet you there in forty minutes?" she asked.
"I might need an hour, not sure how the traffic is, but I'll leave right away."
"That's a plan."
After the line went static, I changed into a sundress and twisted my hair into a French braid. My mood improved drastically. I was ready to get out of my quiet, lonely house. It was so spotless that it was unnerving. I had to mess it up a bit when I returned.
Annabelle's was a small shop in Pasadena, selling everything from incense to vintage jewelry trinkets, to scarves and hats, and occasionally even shoes. The owner, Annabelle, had gone to school with us. She always called one of us when she thought we might like her new merchandise. My mood lifted a notch when I neared Pasadena. I could see the Colorado Springs Bridge in the distance, with its beautiful Beaux-Arts arches. I loved the neighborhood; the way the old blended with the new in this part of the city was incredible.
I reached Annabelle's in thirty-five minutes. Her shop was on the ground floor of an old Victorian mansion that had a gray-tiled roof and pink facade. It smelled like jasmine incense when I stepped inside. Since this had once been a living quarters, the shop had multiple separate rooms. Annabelle was busy with a client in the main room, showing her a vintage pendant, but she pointed to the adjacent room where I found my sisters. They were the only customers inside, sorting through a pile of scarves and sipping teas. Annabelle always treated us to exotic teas. I kissed both my sisters on their cheeks and lifted the third teacup to my mouth.
"Ouch. It's boiling."
Val slapped her forehead. "Sorry. We mixed ours with lukewarm water, but not yours. Didn't want it to get cold until you arrived." She poured water from a small bottle in my cup.
I tested the temperature by taking a small sip. It was pleasantly warm.
"So how did you decide to come here?"
Val shrugged. "We figured it was a fun thing to do together."
Something wasn't adding up. "Wait a minute. How did you two know I had time?" They'd known I'd planned to spend the weekend with Graham.
Hailey tilted forward and looked at Val. "I'm out of stealth maneuvers today. How about fessing up?"
"We were supposed to get her to relax first," Val countered.
Hailey cocked a brow. "Well, we already burned her tongue, so that ship has sailed."
"What's going on?"
"Fine, let's tell her," Val said as I turned in her direction. "Jace called this morning, said we should check on you."
In retrospect, the fact that Hailey had listened to me so calmly instead of going into full mama-bear mode should have tipped me off that she already knew something.
"I filled Val in, but if you feel like it, you can tell us everything again," Hailey said.
"You're evil, making me rehash it."
Hailey wrapped a green silk scarf around my neck, narrowing her eyes before removing it. "No, I'm not. I think it helps make things clearer."
I couldn't argue with that, so I started my tale again while trying out scarves. When I was done, my sisters exchanged looks.
"I think Graham was simply having a rough moment," Hailey said.
"Lori, honey, sometimes we need time alone to process things. You do that. I do too," Val said gently, and I cringed a little, because she was using her mother tone.
"Or we just don't want to let others see us vulnerable. Maybe he didn't want you to have a front seat for that. But I don't think he was trying to push you away," Hailey explained. I ran my fingers over the delicate black embroidery on a fire-red scarf, trying to sort through my thoughts, but it was a pointless exercise. I simply had too many thoughts warring with each other.
Hailey arranged a strand of hair that had escaped from my braid. "I can't believe he paid off Jeff. Who does that?"
