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“I don’t know, Miss Clark.”
“Did he leave you his contact info? A forwarding address?”
“No. He just said he was leaving town and that all payments were to go to you. I assure you, it’s all legal. A property management company will handle the paperwork and any issues related to the rental, and you’ll receive a check at the beginning of every month. Can you give me your address, please?”
I relay my mother’s address, thank him, and end the call.
My chest aches. I stare at the house through a wash of tears.
Though I still can’t grasp everything that’s happened, one stark truth burns in the darkness.
Dane is gone.
ChapterTwenty
Hannah
Six months later
I thankthe grocery store clerk, pick up the two bags, and walk outside. The setting sun throws a pale, golden light over the parking lot.
I put the bags in the trunk and head back to my studio apartment, which is in the basement of a home owned by an elderly woman who used to teach accounting at Cal Berkeley. Though my mother asked me to stay with her in San Francisco, I knew we both needed time to figure out our lives independently.
Selina has been working as an assistant at a hairdresser’s salon all summer. She’s also quietly been seeing Sheriff Kevin Peterson but is in no hurry to be in another serious relationship. The sheriff, thankfully, has turned out to be kind, patient, and more than willing to wait for however long she needs.
After moving to Berkeley, I set up my soap-making supplies in Mrs. Henderson’s garage, with her blessing. Intrigued by my fledging business idea, she contacted a former business student, Nicki.
For a small fee, Nicki helped me navigate the legalities and process of setting up an LLC and a website for my company, Milk & Honey. Mrs. Henderson showed me how to use online accounting software and explained the details of various types of expenses.
I took the plunge and opened my online shop. My first couple of months running Milk & Honey were tough, but I expected that. My only customers were my mother, Mrs. Henderson, and Sheriff Peterson’s two nieces.
But they helped spread the word, and my profits in the third month were better. The monthly rent checks from Dane’s house have been a huge help, covering both my rent to Mrs. Henderson and the cost of supplies and shipping.
By month four, I actually made a small profit, which allowed me to expand the Milk & Honey product line beyond soaps and lotions. The combination of word of mouth, advertising, and a mention on a local singer’s YouTube channel have kept my profits on an upswing.
Now, I spend my entire days and much of the evening creating new recipes, working on advertising and the website, and fulfilling orders. My mother and I get together weekly for lunch or dinner, and I go out occasionally with Nicki and her circle of friends.
I’m happy and proud. I like who I am and who I’m becoming.
Most of the time, I’m able to keep thoughts of Dane at bay—or at least, buried under all the other things I have to think about and do.
But every night, right before I fall asleep, memories of him return with a vengeance, and I ache with the pain of not knowing what happened to him and of missing him with every cell in my body.
Time heals all wounds.
As much as I repeat the old adage to myself, I don’t think I’ll ever believe it.
ChapterTwenty-One
Hannah
As I’m unpackingmy groceries, my mother’s ringtone chimes from my phone. I swipe the screen to accept the call.
“Are you watching the news?” she asks without preamble.
“No.”
“Turn it on. Now. Channel 27.”
