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“Aren’t you going to eat?” he called from the kitchen as I stood at the bottom of the stairs.
“Lost my appetite, thanks. Enjoy your dinner!” I yelled back and climbed the stairs.
* * *
It was well past my bedtime, yet I couldn’t sleep.
Once I’d left the kitchen, I’d gone out to the barn and sat with the cows. I’d finally come in and watched some TV alone, then I’d gone up to my room, only to come back down once I knew Gabe was in bed. Now, I sat in the living room, in the dark, holding a cup of hot tea while my brother slept soundly in our grandparents’ bedroom.
I stood up and grabbed the blanket off the end of the couch and wrapped it around me then sat back down. I took a mouthful of warm liquid and closed my eyes. It had been a year since I’d been in Willow Valley, and yet I hadn’t been able to get what had happened out of my mind. The memory was as clear as day in my mind, and if I thought hard enough, I could still feel the feelings I’d had.
I stood in the kitchen washing dishes. I was sure Ella’s parents had used every serving dish and platter Connor and Ella owned. It had been a nice celebration of life, I thought as I placed more dishes into the sink to soak, while scrapping little remnants of food off others. Once finished, I wiped down the counter I’d finally cleared and went back to the sink, carefully washing each dish.
Ella’s parents were thankful I’d come. After all, they’d been like parents to me growing up. Ella was like the sister I hadn’t had.
“Cadence, love. Thank you for coming. Ella talked about you all the time. She would be happy to know you were here,” Mrs. Connor said to me as she carried another load of dishes into the kitchen.
“Of course. I had to be here,” I said. I blinked away the tears that blinded my eyes and quickly wiped them away. I hadn’t spoken to Ella since they’d gotten married, and now I regretted my decision to allow my feelings to tear apart my friendship.
“It was good to see you. Mr. Connor and I are going to head out soon. It’s been a long day and there are only a few guests left. We are both—”
“No need to say anything,” I said, cutting her off before she could say any more. “It’s been hard on everyone,” I muttered, walking over and throwing my arms around her neck.
“You will keep in touch, won’t you? I mean, just because Ella is…” She hugged me tighter as she broke down into tears once again.
I fought back my own tears and pressed my lips to her cheek. “Don’t you worry, I’ll always be here. We can even set up a call every week if you like. We can even do it through Zoom. That way, we can be face-to-face.”
She ran her hands over the back of my head, smoothing my long hair, just like she’d done when I was a kid. “I’d love that, Cadence.”
“Paula, we should get going,” Mr. Connor said, stepping into the kitchen, giving me a sad smile.
I gave her one last hug and watched as Mr. Connor wrapped his arm around her, guiding her out of the kitchen. I turned and walked back over to the sink and was about to put my hands into the hot water when tears fell from my eyes. I’d held it together the entire day, until now. Guilt now consumed me. I hadn’t spoken to Ella in four years, aside from the occasional email. I’d been so devastated when Connor and she had announced their engagement, I’d had no choice but to cut ties. I’d even refused to be her maid of honour, using my grandparents as an excuse. I never came to her baby shower either. Now, I’d never speak to her again.
I heard the door swing open. “Cadence, how’s it going in here?” my brother asked, dropping a garbage bag just outside the back door.
“Fine. Just about finished. You?”
“Okay. I’ve got to run a couple of people back to the inn for Connor. You be okay here while I do that?”
Did I have a choice? I’d told him I’d help with the cleanup. I didn’t back down on my word. “I’ll be fine. How long will you be gone?”
Ignoring my question, he came up and put his arm around me. “Oh, and when you’re finished, Connor is out on the front porch. Go talk with him. He told me he wanted to see you. Probably wants to thank you for all you’ve done today.”
I gripped the cloth in my hand and nodded. “Fine. You be back soon?” I asked again.
“No longer than an hour. See you then.”
I finished up the last bit of the dishes, washed down the counters, and made my way into the living room. Everything was back to normal. The house was quiet once again and almost everything was back in its place. I walked over to the wall where they kept all their framed photos and looked at my best friend’s wedding picture. They both looked so happy, and suddenly I was sad I missed seeing the day they got married.
I looked around the room, spotting many pictures of them on the mantel above the fireplace. I walked over and looked at each one of them, and then I spotted one of Ella and me. I smiled. It was from the fall fair the year before they’d started dating. I had the same one, only I’d shoved it away, sure that Ella would have done the same. Six months later, she’d started dating Connor, and we’d had our big fight. The one that started the decline in our friendship.
I heard something and turned to see Connor standing out on the porch. His hands rested on the wooden railing as he looked out over the cattle fields. I sucked in a breath. I’d not said a word to him all day because it was easier for me to avoid him. The house had been full of people vying for his attention, anyway. With everyone here, I’d been able to duck in and out of the room without being seen, but now I had no choice.
I sucked in a breath and made my way to the door. Pushing it open, I stepped outside, the cool night air hitting my warm skin. Connor didn’t move. Instead, he stood there, his large muscular hands gripping that wooden railing, every muscle in his body tense.
“Connor?” I said, my voice low. “Gabe said you wanted to talk to me once I finished cleaning up everything?”
He said nothing, but he turned to reveal his gorgeous blue eyes, red and full of tears. I didn’t move. I could barely breathe, and it felt like I was glued to the spot in which I was standing. He stared at me for a moment, then made his way over to me. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. Ever so slowly, I allowed my arms to wrap around him, my hands to land on his strong back. It was then I felt his body shake. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. He’d not broken down once during the day, so it did not surprise me he had now.
