AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You must bring them,” Agatha ordered, then arched her brow. “If only Katrina wasn’t selling the house. They could stay there as long as they want.”
Katrina placed three mugs on the coffee table between them. Norm winked at her secretly, careful not to let Agatha see. He understood why Katrina wanted to get rid of that mansion full of awful memories. He hadn’t come to meddle in those affairs.
In fact, it was easy for him to pick back up with another topic of conversation, to fold easily into Nantucket gossip or news of his latest film projects. Agatha was rapt with attention. And for once, she wasn’t poking and prodding Katrina, demanding more of her than she could possibly give. Katrina was able to breathe.
After tea, Agatha wanted to walk through the common areas to introduce Norm to her friends. Norm pushed her wheelchair happily and greeted old-timers from Nantucket days past, remembering most everyone’s names. This boggled Katrina’s mind.
“Do you remember everyone’s name in California, too?” she asked.
Norm tapped his temple with the tip of his finger. “It’s a business strategy. People appreciate it when you remember their names.”
“It’s not just a business strategy,” Katrina said. “Remembering all these names from your childhood isn’t getting you anywhere in Hollywood.” She laughed. “I think you’re just too kind to forget. You care about people. That’s your secret, isn’t it? Don’t worry. I’ll never tell.”
Norm’s cheeks flashed to a cherry red. For a moment, he looked heavy with doubt, and Katrina swayed, cursing herself for calling him out.
“I don’t know,” Norm said finally. “I left you here alone with them.”
Agatha was too busy with another female resident, whom Katrina knew only as Ms. Rodgers. She didn’t hear the conversation her children had above her. Thankfully.
“I’m sorry,” Norm said. “I’ve always known I left you with that burden. But I haven’t wanted to fully acknowledge it.”
Katrina felt tears welling up, which she quickly blinked away. Keep it together, Katrina. Stay in the moment.
Suddenly, below them, Agatha’s voice was like a spike. “What now?”
Katrina and Norm turned their attention to the older women, listening as Ms. Rodgers explained herself.
“That’s what my Jessica told me this morning,” she said. “You know she works up at the hospital.”
Agatha turned her head to gaze up at Katrina incredulously. Something in her eyes made Katrina’s heart thud with dread.
“Did you hear that, Katrina?”
“What happened at the hospital?”
Norm touched Katrina’s elbow gently, preparing to be her support, her shield.
“Sophie was at the hospital last night,” Ms. Rodgers explained. “My Jessica works in a different department. She can’t tell me anything else, just that she’s still up there. Sleeping soundly.”
Katrina’s knees gave way as though they were made of jelly. She would have fallen to the ground if it hadn’t been for Norm, who scooped her up and placed her delicately on the chair beside her mother’s wheelchair. Her legs quivered, bouncing off one another, as she listened to Ms. Rodgers and her mother continue to chat. They were talking about Sophie’s pregnancy. They were saying that sometimes, women weren’t meant to be mothers—that their bodies couldn’t handle it.
Through the fog of their voices, Katrina heard herself bellow.
“My Sophie will have a baby. She’ll be fine.”
Ms. Rodgers blinked at her sorrowfully as though she’d just learned Katrina had lost her mind and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Maybe she really had lost her marbles. But as Ms. Rodgers gaped at her, Katrina found herself playing over the last time Sophie had been to the hospital. She remembered storming into that hospital room. She remembered saying the cruelest things she could think of. She remembered Grant asking her afterward, “What happened in there? Sophie can’t stop crying.” She hadn’t been able to tell Grant the truth. She hadn’t wanted him to know what a disaster her and Sophie’s relationship was. It was an acknowledgment of how she’d failed as a mother.
Regret shimmered through her stomach. She thought she might throw up.
As Agatha and Ms. Rodgers returned to their conversation, Norm bent down to whisper in Katrina’s ear. “Do you want to get out of here for a while?”
Katrina breathed all the air from her lungs. “More than anything.”
After interrupting the older women yet again, Norm kissed their mother goodbye and announced that he’d return after lunch. “Katrina and I have a few things to do.”
“Has she recruited you to help her get rid of my beautiful home?” Agatha demanded. “Is that where you’re off to?”
“You have a beautiful home here, Mom,” Norm reminded her, gesturing to the ornate living room with the crackling fire in the stone fireplace. “You live with some of your best friends. What more could you want?”
