Page 27 of Chapel Bend
“But then your brother showed up, and I ended up having dinner with him.” I’m not going to give her all the details. And I’mdefinitelynot going to tell her that I’m going to start seeing him. Like I told Apollo, I want that just between the two of us.
But it wouldn’t hurt to get her take on just this piece of it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her whip her head around to face me. “You did?”
“Yeah. It was nice.”
“Wait.” She holds up a hand and shakes her head, as if she can’t believe what she’s hearing. “It wasnice? Like, you enjoyed hanging out with my brother? Apollo Winchester?”
“Yes.” I want to laugh, but I just scowl over at her. “Don’t make it a thing. We called a truce for the evening and had a nice meal. That’s it.”
“Withmybrother.”
“I’m leaving.” I move to stand up, but she reaches out for my arm and stops me.
“Don’t go. I’m just surprised, that’s all. You hate my brother.”
“Hate is a strong word. I’d say he just annoys the ever loving hell out of me.”
We’re quiet for a minute, taking in the pretty lights of Huckleberry Bay and the sound of the surf on the cliffs below the lighthouse.
“I hope you’re nicer to each other more often,” she says softly. “It sucks when two of my favorite people fight all the time.”
I don’t answer her for a while, thinking it over. I guess I never really took into consideration how our bickering all these years has impacted Luna. Until now, she’s never said anything about it.
“I’ll try to be less bitchy,” I say at last.
“You’re notbitchy.” Luna immediately comes to my defense, and it makes me feel so much better. “You’re just stubborn.”
Now, that I can’t deny.
Suddenly, I smell the roses. “Rose is here.”
“She’s come and gone all day. I think she’s been supervising as we get the place put together. You know, I had a thought today as I was making one of the beds.”
“What’s up?”
“Maybe Rose hangs around the property because she’s not at rest. What if she’s stayed here because there’s something unfinished, or something that she needs?”
“I suppose that could be the case. I wish I were psychic because then I could ask her. Maybe it has something to do with Daniel, her one true love.”
“Maybe.” The smell of roses dissipates, and I can feel that we’re alone once more. “I don’t know why, but lately, I’ve had the feeling that she’s sad. I could definitely be wrong because I’m not psychic either.”
“No, but you’ve been with her your whole life. So if she’s sad, I’m sure you can feel it.”
“I wish I knew how to help her. She doesn’t bother me. I know she’s not harmful at all, but if she should be somewhere else, I wish I could help her go there.”
“One thing at a time.” I reach out for her hand, and she takes mine. “You’re exhausted, Luna. You worked your ass off today. I thought for sure that getting everything staged and put away would be a week-long project.”
“Once I got started early this morning, I couldn’t stop. Ineededto get it all done.”
“I get it. You did so great. The whole place is beautiful, and I’m sure Rose loves it, too. When do you start hosting guests?”
“Our first reservations are for Monday.”
“That’s less than a week away.”
“Yep. The mayor and her husband will be in this room that night. We have two other rooms full, as well. I could have filled the whole place, but I thought we should start slow the first week to get our sea legs under us.”