“Are you waiting for the sale before leaving?” Keira asks.
“Probably not.” I have a shift in a week. It would be very surprising if the house was sold by then.
“Right,” she says, her voice stiff, but thankfully, she doesn’t add anything. After the good time we had today, the last thing I want to do is bring up my leaving, and the rift my absence has created between us.
We get inside, where I put the box down. The house is so empty, like a set of bones without the surrounding soul and body.
“Do you think she decided to sell it because of Dad?” Keira asks.
“That’s my guess.” My voice echoes in the bare room. I look around. “I do love the idea of this place being filled with more happy memories, though.” I shrug. “And I know it wasn’t what you expected, but I do think it feels very much like Ruth to want to offer whatever she owned to organizations that might change people’s lives.”
“It does.”
Relief floods me that she sounds at peace with this now. I wouldn’t have wanted her to remain angry at Ruth, and with time, she probably saw that it made sense for Ruth to make that decision.
She rests a hand over her belly. “And about that.”
“Hm?”
“I was thinking earlier today, and we probably shouldn’t put all the money into one organization.”
“Okay…?”
Keira doesn’t fully meet my eyes when she says, “I think Ruth would like to donate half the money for endometriosis research.”
It’s a gut punch, but one that doesn’t feel all bad, kind of like when you jump into a cold pool and it steals your breath for a moment, but the freshness also makes your body feel alive.
Keira scratches her cheek. “She knew you always wanted kids. I don’t know if she knew about your diagnosis, but if she did, I think that’s what she would’ve wanted.”
I don’t have words. Don’t know that I’d be able to say them out loud even if I wanted to. But to be seen like this by my sister? It’s worth more than the millions of dollars this house will sell for.
Keira’s not a hugger. Not with me, at least. But I hope with the tearful nod I give her, she feels like I’ve just wrapped her in the tightest embrace she could imagine.
Chapter 21
“Why are you looking weird?” Zoe watches me with narrowed eyes, and of course says this as loud as she possibly can.
I raise my brows, then turn to Eli. “Truly your daughter, huh?”
“I’d never have said that.” His gaze dances across my body. “You look beautiful.”
Three words that are so simple. Overused, really. Any man can utter them when you’re asking for opinions on a new dress or when they want to get into your bed. But the way Eli says it, never pulling his eyes off me… Ifeelit. I’m wearing a white sundress and had a balayage done, so I don’t have mile-long roots anymore, but I don’t get the sense it’s about that.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I tell him, softly enough that Zoe, who’s now skipping ahead of us on the sidewalk, can’t hear. He’s wearing a simple black T-shirt and beige linen pants, with his Ray-Bans sitting on his strong nose and his hair pushed back. Whatever product he’s using on there is giving him this old money look I can’t get enough of.
He smirks then, and the cockiness brings me right back to my last summer here, when we’d had a similar conversation, and I’d thought to myself,Holy shit. Maybe this isn’t unilateral after all.
“However,”he says, “you areactingweird.”
“I’m not,” I mutter, absolutely acting weird. We’re walking through the quaint, scenic streets of Kennebunkport to a restaurant Eli all but begged me to come try with them. It’s located on the deck of a renovated ancient sailboat that’s now permanently anchored and apparently serves the best seafood in all of Southern Maine—a title every restaurant in the region bestows upon themselves, but who am I to say whether this one is the true best or not? I’m following closely behind Eli and Zoe, my gaze stuck to the ground.
Eli stops abruptly, so much so that I bump into his solid back. He turns, then puts a heavy hand on my arm. “It’s going to be fine.”
The truth is, I really didn’t want to come. Eli only had work during the day to prep for an event tomorrow, so I thought I’d stay at his place for a few hours, then return home and finish posting the items we didn’t sell during the yard sale online. That would leave Keira with less to do by the time I leave in four days. Most of the house is now empty, which makes it feel less like Ruth is occupying every room at all times. I’m not sure whether that makes it easier or harder. Sometimes, I’ll pass by her empty bedroom and feel like my breath has been stolen from my lungs, because this is it. The true end. No more late nights under the stovetop light, talking until two in the morning about all the things I dreamed of one daydoing. The more things I pack, the harder I think it’s going to feel to drive away from this place. I was ready to tackle the last bit of work when Eli stopped me before I left and asked if I was in the mood for lobster tonight.
“Funny enough,” I said, “I haven’t even had lobster since I got here.”
He looked like I’d announced I was signing up for an Iron Man tomorrow.
