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Her relieved smile could light up the biggest stadium. “I’m so happy to hear that. He sounds wonderful.”
She parks outside the pizza place and runs in, returning a minute later with pizza and a brown bag that probably contains her favorite breadsticks.
Once she’s back in the vehicle, I ask, “Is this going to be a pregnancy craving for you?”
“I think so. This morning, Rylan said no more pizza. He couldn’t handle any more.”
“So, you’re using me to get what you want.”
She squeals and squeezes my thigh. “Maybe a little. But just you wait. I can’t wait for you to see this surprise I have for you.”
I have no idea what she could be surprising me with.
We drive down by the lake to a remote area that used to scare me when I was younger. The woods are heavy and unkempt, there are no walking trails, and the roads are narrow and winding. Easton and Lance used to tell me axe murders lived on this side of town and to make sure I never ventured in.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, feeling as if we’ve been driving forever. Not to mention having to smell this pizza the whole way has my stomach grumbling.
“Just wait.”
Ten minutes later, she pulls into a gravel driveway that leads to a house that reminds me of a replica of Hansel and Gretel’s house.
“Now I’m scared,” I say, staring at the cottage.
“Don’t be. Come on.” She takes the keys out of the ignition, climbs out, and grabs the pizza, waiting at the front of the car for me to follow.
I warily step out of her car, my high heels sticking in the gravel on my way up to the door. “When are you going to answer my questions?”
“Here, hold this.” She passes me the pizza and uses a key to get into the place.
When she opens the door and we step in, it’s dark with no light streaming in. I glance to my left and find a picture of a very young great-grandma Dori and great-grandpa Phillip.
“Calista, what is this place?” I stop.
She comes over to stand beside me. “It was theirs, and now it’s yours.”
I feel as if all the blood drains from my face. What the hell is she talking about?
Calista refuses to say anything more until we’re seated at a small table with the pizza between us. After a few seconds, I stand, deserting my pizza, and inspect the place.
“It was their hideaway,” she says around a bite of pizza. “And last year, Alice from Northern Lights met me here with a key for the place. Then this lawyer guy came and handed me a letter from Great-Grandma Dori that said she was leaving the cabin to me. It was all very bizarre.”
I whip around, my heart aching with the hope that she left me a letter too. I’ve missed Great-Grandma Dori so much in the few years since she passed.
Calista smiles and digs around in her purse before holding up an envelope. “This is yours.”
I rush across the hardwood and snag it out of her hold, seeing my name scribbled in Great-Grandma Dori’s handwriting. I look up from the envelope. “Oh my god! How did you get this?”
“I knew there would be one waiting for you too. So, I told the lawyer I wanted to give your letter to you.” My finger moves to slide under the lip of the envelope, but Calista puts her hand on mine to stop me. “Trust me and read it alone. I’m not sure what yours says, but I know that you should read it alone.”
“Okay.” I sit back down, but the letter isn’t far from my mind. I want to read it so badly.
She slides the key across the table. “Here, take this. It’s yours.”
I frown. “But I thought you said she left it to you?”
“She said I could do what I want with the cabin, and you need it right now. Being here helped me when everything was going down with Rylan last year. Maybe it was just feeling her presence since she loved it here, I’m not sure, but it helped me to see things differently.” She runs her hand over her stomach. “I’m not sure we would be where we are now without this cabin.”
I don’t say anything for a while, letting her memories take her back.
