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“Oh, before I forget, Aubrey’s grandma Alice wanted me to give you this.”
He hands me a small envelope. It reminds me of one that would accompany a bouquet of flowers.
I run my finger under the seam to open it. The card reads:
Tomorrow 9am
27 Cottagewood Dr.
Lake Starlight, Alaska
What the hell is this all about?
Four
Calista
I pull into the driveway of the address on the note. The trees surrounding the house are thick and it resembles what I pictured when my mom used to read me Hansel and Gretel when I was young—a small cabin set in the woods in the middle of nowhere.
Parking in the gravel driveway, I secure the key in my palm and start up the brick walkway toward the front door that is painted a pretty sky blue. The top of the door is rounded with a circular window at the top. The mat at my feet reads, “Hello. Now go away.” I chuckle, wondering what the hell is going on. If I walk in there and Grandma Dori is on the couch because she faked her death, I may lose my mind.
I unlock the door then slowly turn the handle, opening the door. I release a relieved breath when I don’t find an axe murderer waiting for me.
The space is small but cozy. Walking around the tiny cabin, I find that it contains one bedroom separate from the rest of the open space, which has a full kitchen, living area, and a small kitchen table and chairs. I want to curl up on the couch with a blanket, a tube of cookie dough, and veg out while bingeing a show.
When my eyes lift to the walls, I see framed pictures of Great-Grandma Dori and Great- Grandpa Philip. I’ve never seen these shots of them before—them here outside the cabin, and again at an ice rink. There are pictures of them in the town square, and it looks so different than it does now.
This cabin was theirs.
I take that in for a second because I’m pretty sure no one else knows about this place. I’ve never heard anyone mention it.
It must be some kind of hideaway from the world.
A knock on the door surprises me, and I startle before I walk over to answer. I swing the door open and there stands a tall man with gray, slicked-back hair, dressed in a three-piece brown-plaid suit. I recognize him from the Lake Starlight Retirement Center.
“Calista Bailey?” he asks.
I nod.
“My name is Gilbert Berry, and I was a friend of your great-grandma.”
I nod.
“Anyway, I wanted to get here before the others arrive.” He glances behind him, and I spot a small car he must’ve driven over. “Mind if I come in?”
“Not at all.” I step out of his way.
“I don’t want to delay this any further. The fact is it took two years of me praying I didn’t die before I got the chance to give this to you, but here.” He hands me a letter. “From your great- grandma, as you probably already assume. This wasn’t part of her original will and no one else from your family knows about this cabin—Dori wanted it left to you.”
I stare at her handwriting on the letter. “But why not do it in the will?”
He smiles and glances at the envelope. “I’m pretty sure you’ll find that answer in there.” His gaze ventures over his shoulder once more. “I want to give you some time before they arrive and take over. I’ll see myself out.” He turns on his wingtip shoes and leaves before I can ask who they are.
Desperate to read anything my great-grandma left, because I miss her every day, my finger slides across the opening before the door even shuts behind him. My eyes well with unshed tears seeing my name in her handwriting across the top of the letter.
* * *
My dearest Calista,
