Page 121 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

“I figured you’d be long gone by now to escape the drama.”

She smiled and patted the seat next to her. “I’ll be off soon enough.”

Granny lived just down the road in a house slightly smaller than ours. As kids, Aubrey, Sofia and I had spent our time alternating between her pool and our own each summer.

“So, dinner was interesting.”

She laughed. “It always is.”

“I’m not sure what to do here, Granny.”

“What do I always tell you when you’re stuck?”

“To sally forth.”

Except pushing harder didn’t feel right. Not this time. It would be like forcing together two puzzle pieces that had never been meant to fit.

“I can’t lose them. I refuse to lose them.”

There had to be a way to have it all. Somehow, I had to find a way to keep my job and uphold my family responsibilities while having Thea and Charlie by my side.

Granny patted my knee without another word of advice, then stood. “Come and visit me tomorrow. Bring my little Charlie and Thea along too.”

“I will.” I stood too to kiss her cheek and say good night.

After she disappeared inside, I jogged down to the guesthouse. According to the wall clock in the entryway, it was still early, only eight, but all the lights were off except one over the stove in the kitchen. I went straight down the hall toward the bedrooms, hoping Charlie wasn’t already asleep.

I grinned at the light glowing from underneath her door. I reached for the knob but stopped when I heard Charlie and Thea giggling. I leaned in closer, savoring the sound.

“What else should we do when we get home?” Thea asked.

“Let’s go fishing with Uncle Jackson.”

“Oooh. Good idea. It’s my turn to catch the biggest fish.”

Charlie laughed. “Nuh-uh. You caught the biggest one last time. It’s my turn.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Thea was smiling. I heard it in her voice. “Well, then I guess it can be your turn. What else?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know.”

“How about we do something special with Gran? I bet she’s missed us almost as much as we’ve missed her.”

“Yeah!” Charlie cheered. “We should go to our special waterfall.”

“Definitely. We’ll pack a picnic and make it a whole afternoon. Then we can tell Gran all about our trip.”

Charlie giggled. “I’m going to tell her it always smells like poop.”

Ironic that my daughter would think New York smelled bad when I’d told Nolan the same thing about Montana.

When she stopped laughing, the bed moved and Charlie yawned. “I can’t wait to go home.”

“You and me both, my love,” Thea whispered. “You and me both.”

The pain in my chest was staggering. I backed away from the door, leaning against the wall and sinking down to sit on the carpet. This dread was achingly familiar. It was the same one I’d felt when Emmeline had decided to move, except this time, it was a hundred times worse.

The woman I loved—the love of my life—was leaving me for Montana. She was taking my daughter with her, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.