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“Six weeks.” The man glanced at the wall calendar, which still read July. He frowned and flipped it to August. “She had a big retirement party mid-June, that’s how I remember. Then off she went.”
Addisyn swallowed hard. “Did—did she ever say anything to you about us? My sister and me?”
He shook his head regretfully. “Sorry, no.”
Addisyn turned and walked blindly toward the door, feeling unsteady. Avery wasn’t living there anymore. Avery was gone, lost somehow in the trackless maze of the world. It was too late to fix things.
She could feel the panic fluttering its wings in her chest, but she beat it down. No, it couldn’t be too late. Surely she would yet have a chance to make good her mistake.
She turned back to the young man, who was watching her sympathetically. “Is your mom still in the city?”
He sighed. “No. She moved to Florida. Cocoa Beach area. My aunt has cancer, and she wanted to be nearby to help her out.”
Maggie had to know what had happened to Avery. She had to. Addisyn couldn’t bear to think otherwise. “Could I have your mom’s number? Avery and I knew her well. Avery may have said something to her about where she went.”
“Certainly.” The man pulled a notepad to him and scribbled down the number. “Here you go. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you.”
“Thanks.” Addisyn took the paper from him with trembling fingertips. She needed to leave. “Bye.”
“Hope you find your sister!” he called after her.
Addisyn merely waved in response. Once out in the open air, she leaned against the side of the building, out of sight of the people inside. Her body was shaking so hard that it felt as if her very insides were vibrating. She slid down the side of the building and sank into a huddled heap on the sidewalk. Stared dully at the street, the skyscrapers, the exhaust in the air.
She felt suddenly very lost and small and alone. She could feel sweat trickling cold and relentless down her spine. She glanced back over her shoulder at the exterior of the building. She was grateful, at least, that the man had been nice enough to not ask what he was surely thinking:If she’s your sister, why don’t you know where she is?
Addisyn leaned her head back against the wall.Because I was an idiot, that’s why.
Avery was gone. Really and truly gone. Disappeared, like somebody in a mystery novel. Addisyn chastised herself for not considering the possibility. Knowing how much Avery loathed New York, had she really expected Avery to still be there, living in a cut-rate apartment? And doing what? Treading water, working menial jobs, and waiting on her prodigal younger sister to return?
It had been stupid of her, but somehow she’d always thought of Avery in New York. She’d had no hesitations at all about that. The idea that her big sister might have moved somewhere else had simply never crossed her mind.
Addisyn tried to view the situation through Avery’s eyes. She had always feared and hated New York. She’d existed in it like a frightened animal in a trap. After Addisyn left, what was there to hold her in the city? She’d probably seen it as an excellent opportunity to start over fresh somewhere else.
And maybe she’d seen it as a chance to get as far away from Addisyn as possible. Maybe she’d even planned this...so that Addisyn would never find her.
The thought turned Addisyn’s stomach. But what did it matter? Regardless, Avery was gone. Tears brimmed over and flowed down Addisyn’s cheeks. The reality was beginning to sink its slow weight into her soul. The pain in her spirit made her feel weak, nauseated.
She took a slow, deep breath. Maggie. She clutched at the strip of paper the man had given her like a drowning person grabbing at a twig. Yes. Maggie would know. She would call Maggie. It would all be okay.
Her fingers were shaking so badly she could barely dial the number. While it rang, she tried to calm herself. There was no need to sound utterly insane when Maggie answered. An image floated to her mind of the kind older woman, who used to give Addisyn a Tootsie Roll every day when she passed through the lobby on her way home from school.
She’d know where Avery was. Addisyn had learned early in her stay at the apartments that what Maggie didn’t know wasn’t worth knowing.
On the third ring, someone answered. “Hello?”
The voice didn’t sound like Maggie’s. Addisyn cleared her throat. “Uh—I’m looking for Maggie, please.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, dear.” The voice was that of an older woman. “Maggie is out of town this week on a cruise with a few friends. I’m her sister Dorothy.”
“Oh.” The bottom did sink out then. Addisyn closed her eyes but immediately opened them again. This was New York City. Young ladies did not sit on sidewalks with their eyes closed in New York City. “When will she be back?” She knew she wasn’t being very polite, but the words felt as if they were being wrenched from her soul.
“She just left yesterday. She won’t be back for another ten days.” The woman had a gentle, soft voice, very much like Maggie’s. “I’m terribly sorry.”
“That’s okay.” Each word was an effort now. “I’ll call back in a couple of weeks. I knew her when she lived in New York City.”
“Oh, yes!” Dorothy’s tone brightened. “Would you like me to let her know you called?” She gave an exasperated sigh. “If you knew Maggie, you know she is hopelessly old-fashioned. She swears she won’t get a cell phone. But I do miss her while she’s gone, so her friend has agreed to let me call her phone.”
“That would be wonderful.” A tiny bit of hope trickled through Addisyn’s soul. “Please tell her Addisyn Miles called.” She paused to spell out her first name for the woman. “Tell her—” She hesitated, but all pride was gone. “Tell her I’m looking for Avery.”
