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ChapterOne
HAILEY
Iturned the crystal figurine left and right, remembering how fascinated I was as a little girl by the light filtering through the facets, creating a rainbow on the wood floor. “I don’t understand why we need to go through everything.”
Nana gave me a measured look. “It’s past time for me to get rid of stuff.”
My stomach dropped as I looked around at the sheer flower curtains, the afghan covering the antique couch, and the cabinet full of knickknacks my grandmother loved to collect. Everything held a memory.
Nana gestured at the crystal in my lap. “I know how much you love that. You keep it.”
This home and everything in it had represented a haven after my mother left me and my older brother on Nana’s porch when I was six.
The front door opened, and I didn’t need to turn my head to recognize my brother Jake’s heavy footsteps.
“You needed some muscle?” Amusement tinged his voice.
The mood immediately lightened with his presence.
Nana smiled up at him with adoration.
Glancing at Jake, I did a double take. He wasn’t alone. My brother’s best friend, Ryan, stood next to him. “Why are you here?”
Ryan was the troublemaker in their duo growing up. They’d recently opened a garage in town together. Ryan wore a black T-shirt with the garage’s logo in white lettering,Harbor Garage & Service Repair Center, faded jeans, and boots. As a teen, he was tall and lanky, but he’d filled out since then, and it only made him more attractive.
He leaned a hip against the cabinet and crossed his arms over his chest. His biceps bulged from the movement.
There was something about him that drew me in. A sense that we sought refuge in this home together.
I’d followed my brother around when we were kids. Ryan was usually with him because he avoided his house, but Jake hadn’t minded me sticking around. He’d wanted to keep me close. In middle school, he’d warned me away from guys like Ryan. The ones who skipped school and smoked behind the bleachers.
Jake’s amused expression settled on me. “Nana said she needed me to move some boxes from the attic.”
My gaze swung back to Nana as my stomach dipped. “You’re not thinking of moving, are you?”
Nana stood, her movement slow as if she were in pain. “I’m not sure how much longer I can do these stairs.”
Jake’s brow furrowed. “We could move your bedroom to the one down here.”
Nana glanced from Jake to me, probably sensing our growing concern. “I’m not moving out today.”
I bit my lip, stopping myself from telling her she could always stay here. I could move back in to help, but she was independent and wouldn’t want me to even suggest it.
Nana moved toward the kitchen. “You boys want some lemonade?”
Jake and Ryan would always be boys to Nana. It didn’t matter that they were both well over six feet and built.
Ryan nodded as she passed. “We’d love some. Thank you, ma’am.”
Nana waved him away and grumbled, “Don’tma’amme. I’m not that old.”
A laugh escaped despite the ache in my chest. She said you were only as old as you felt, and she felt great.
I wished I had her outlook on life. I tended to be more wary and cynical. But then, my past had taught me to be cautious.
When she disappeared into the kitchen, Jake braced a hand on the back of the couch and leaned in to say, “Hey, at least she called us before doing it herself.”
I smiled in response, but it felt brittle. Ever since Nana mentioned moving boxes from the attic, and needing to give away her things, I’d felt like I could crack wide open like the crystal if I dropped it on the floor.
