Coming from a small town in Western Massachusetts, KATLYN DUNCAN always had her head in the clouds. Working as a scientist for most of her adult life, she enjoyed breaking down the hows and whys of life. As a full-time author and freelance writer, she’s published eight novels in four years. If she’s not writing, she’s obsessing over many (many) television series’. She currently resides in Southern New England with her family.

Also by Katlyn Duncan

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Taken

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Possessed

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Betrayed

This Summer

This Christmas

Darkest Dawn

As You Lay Sleeping

Six Little Secrets

The Sisters’ Secrets: Rose

The Sisters’ Secrets: Reen

Katlyn Duncan

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Copyright

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019

Copyright © Katlyn Duncan 2019

Katlyn Duncan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © January 2019 ISBN: 9780008314910

Readers love Katlyn Duncan

‘I will definitely be reading more from this author again.’

‘Engaging and thought provoking.’

‘I was completely glued from page one and didn’t want to put it down.’

‘Gripping. Thrilling. On the edge of your seat exciting. I absolutely loved it.’

‘This story kept me guessing.’

‘Perfect for someone who wants a quick read that's also gripping’

Contents

Cover

Author Bio

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Dear Reader

Excerpt

Endpage

About the Publisher

PROLOGUE

The cheering voices filled Reen’s ears as she inhaled a steady and slow breath. Her mind turned inward until the scratchy plastic under her feet was the only thing she focused on. She pressed her fingers under the edge of the block and bent her knees at the precise angle to get the best advantage in the water.

But she didn’t need any advantages. She was already in the top spot on her team and in the state, which was why she had a choice of any college swimming program. The school of her dreams had already picked her, but she’d kept it a closely guarded secret. She wanted her rivals to think she hadn’t yet made a choice. It made the competition a little sweeter when everyone fought for the low times. She’d drawn recruiters from all over the country to her meets.

Reen sifted through the shouting of the crowd, finding Brody’s voice first. Her entire body tingled. Mom, Dad, Rose, and Brody never missed her meets. They were the support system in her life who made living in this dead-end town bearable. She couldn’t wait to finish the race and throw her arms around Brody and kiss him – after he congratulated her for another personal best score, of course.

Even though Brody wasn’t interested in her because of her talent in the pool, Reen got an incredible high from taking out the competition. She lived off it for at least a day afterward, making every moment spent with Brody that much more exciting.

The other girls took position, but she didn’t bother looking at them. In the past, when she did, they would put her off or pull faces at her. Their jealousy only fueled her, but she didn’t need negativity in her life. Besides, she had Brody – what else did she need?

When the gun went off, Reen let out a slow breath as the other girls dove into the pool. It was better to have a late start than a false one. As a young swimmer on the team, she’d false-started more times than not. Control took skill, and she’d honed it over the years. Now, she was quicker and could make up the time once she was in the pool.

She shoved off the block. When the water touched her fingers, a bolt of energy pulsed through her. The second before her face hit the water, she pulled in a breath. Fully submerged, she allowed herself a half second to revel in the way the water surrounded her body. Ever since she remembered, the water felt more like home than her actual house or the town they lived in. She didn’t understand her sister Rose’s fear of the water, but at least Mom felt the same way as Reen. For much of the year, they waded in the surf – only a few steps away from their back door.

The feel of the water around her snapped her back to the present. Her body moved on instinct after years of practice. Even though her coaches didn’t care much for her ability to hold her breath much longer than seemed possible, it was the only way she could get ahead without resistance.

She didn’t take a second one until shoving off from the other side of the pool.

Using the split second to breathe from both sides of her strokes, she checked out the competition. She was already in the top spot. But that wasn’t enough for her. The goal of any meet was to beat herself. The other girls weren’t her competitors. The more she thought that way, the lower her times became.

She waited to sprint until her last lap and managed to get far enough ahead that only one of the girls was close behind when Reen touched the side of the pool.

The crowd exploded with cheers, but all she focused on was the scoreboard.

She held the number she wanted to beat in the front of her mind. When her times appeared, she inhaled sharply and whooped as loud as she could.

Whipping around to see her family, she expected four smiling faces: Brody, Dad, Mom, and Rose. The rush of adrenaline filled her body as she hopped out of the pool. The momentary pull from the water stopped her in her tracks.

Brody had his back to Reen. Her feet slapped against the tile floor as she neared her family. Why wasn’t he coming over to congratulate her?

Reen looked for Mom in the crowd. It took her a second to spot her sprinting from the room with her cell phone pressed to her ear.

A breath caught in Reen’s throat and the roar of the crowd dampened as her heart pounded in her ears. Something had happened. She knew it in her bones. It was the same intuition that always led her straight and true in the water. Her gut twisted so hard that she almost doubled over. The heat from the room intensified as the world dangerously tilted.

The last thing she saw was Brody drifting toward her with his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes filled with concern.

CHAPTER ONE

It wasn’t the simple act of coming home Reen dreaded more than anything. It was the water. She’d spent her entire life in the salt-filled ocean or a chlorine-filled pool. Well, her whole life up until eight years ago. Since leaving the coastal town of The Burrow, she tended to avoid large bodies of water because the reminder of home was, at times, too much to bear. Her body craved the sensation that linked her to her childhood, but she turned away from it, as her family had turned away from her. Traveling by car and plane across the country, avoiding the shores and deep lakes, she’d done just that. Until now.

When she arrived at the familiar house, her childhood home, she hesitated in the driveway. Rose had rented the house to her new boyfriend, but Reen wasn’t ready to meet someone new and pretend everything was okay between her and her sister. The reminder of Dad in every inch of the house was hard enough. A stronger force pulled her around to the side, where the sand met the small patch of grass out front. The water called her, a siren song reappearing in her mind as if it had been waiting for her to return.

She kicked off her wedge heels and stepped forward, allowing the sand to swallow her feet as she walked toward the ocean. Each cautious step brought her closer, but she was careful not to drop everything and run to it. The last eight years had been a test of her will, yet she found it wavering.

Reen stopped at the point where the damp sand touched the dry. She closed her eyes and inhaled the salty sea air. It was as if she hadn’t breathed at all in the years she’d been gone.

At that moment, it was as if she’d never left. The urge to strip down and jump into the unknown depths overwhelmed her. But she held her composure, knowing her sister was on the way. She’d texted her once she’d landed in Hartford, yet the always punctual Rose wasn’t on time. Any other time, this might have alarmed Reen, but since hearing that Rose had a boyfriend now, Reen guessed that her sister’s attention was on him. It was Rose’s way to mold herself into whomever she was dating.

Though, she wasn’t sure why Rose chose to live in a separate apartment from their childhood home yet kept it in the family.

From the short conversation she’d had with Rose two days ago, it seemed her boyfriend was in the police department. It was so like Rose to choose another local. Another root set down in this dead-end place. It didn’t matter. Once Reen saw Mom, she’d be on the next flight out of Connecticut and back to her own life.

‘Reen.’ Rose’s voice called behind her, barely audible over the crashing waves filling her ears.

Reen gulped another breath of air before turning to her sister.

Rose looked almost the same as she had when Reen left. Like Mom, she’d refused to cut her hair. It fell in brunette waves down her back. The sun shimmered off the lighter strands. It took a steady breeze to move the thick locks from her shoulder.

An inward smile warmed Reen as Rose took in the status of her hair. Reen hadn’t cut it for a few years after leaving, but one drunken night, she’d decided to chop it all off. It was the last tie to her family and she’d wanted nothing to do with them. At the time, it seemed like the perfect way to break away from her old life, but when Reen woke the next morning to a choppy disaster on her head, she’d thrown a baseball cap on and headed to the salon. Since then, she’d never let her locks grow below her shoulders. Other than the color of their hair, they no longer resembled sisters as they had in the past.

The stark contrast was enough for Rose to stare. ‘You look…different.’

‘You don’t,’ Reen said, trying to keep the snap out of her tone. As much as she missed the relationship from their childhood, it hadn’t been the same for a long time. Rose’s refusal to go into the water had been the start of their separation.

Further up the beach, the door leading to the back porch opened, and a man stepped out. Reen shielded her eyes to look at him. She didn’t recognize him as a typical local. He hadn’t yet settled into the pot-bellied laziness of most of the older men. Though, he couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Rose. Reen guessed that was most likely why her sister had pounced on him.

Rose glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. He waved but didn’t attempt to come closer to them.

‘He’s cute,’ Reen said, drawing her sister back to the conversation.

‘Thanks.’ Rose’s smile reminded Reen of a time when she’d been in love too. ‘How’s Maryland?’

‘I live in West Virginia now,’ Reen said.

‘Oh,’ Rose said. ‘Sorry.’

‘When are we going to see Mom?’ The name sounded foreign on her lips. In the time she’d been away, any question about her family she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand, and a brief excuse about them living in Connecticut.

Rose cleared her throat. ‘I thought you could settle in first.’

Reen’s grip tightened on her bag. ‘I’m not settling anywhere.’

Rose’s lips pressed into a smile. ‘Come on. You should stay for a little while. Let’s catch up.’

Reen shook her head. It was the last thing she wanted. Rose always buried her true feelings in polite tones. Reen never forgot Mom pushing them out of her life after Dad died.

‘Once I see her, I’m headed out. I’ll grab the next flight out of here.’ Reen didn’t have a lot of money and wasn’t frivolous with what she did have. She wanted to uphold her wandering persona in front of her sister. It added an extra thrill to keep Rose on her toes.

‘When are you leaving?’ Rose asked.

Reen dug her toes into the sand. Why had she taken her shoes off? The water made her vulnerable. She never wanted to be that way around Rose.

‘Tomorrow morning,’ Reen said.

‘Then we have time. I wanted to talk to you about something else.’

‘Does it have to do with Mom?’ Reen asked.

Rose nodded. ‘I – well, Shane and I had the strangest experience—’ Her words cut off as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle in her head.

Reen waited a moment, before crossing her arms over her chest.

Rose blinked as if coming out of a dream.

‘What is it?’ Reen asked.

Rose shook her head. ‘I’ll tell you about it after we see Mom at the Whinding House.’

‘Okay,’ Reen said, unsure of what Rose wanted to tell her. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem important enough for her to press for more information before going to the nursing home.

‘We can take my car,’ Rose said, walking toward the house.

Reen wasn’t ready to be alone with Rose, cramped inside of her car. ‘I’ll meet you there. I have a rental.’

Rose’s lips twisted. ‘We’re both coming back here. We can take your car—’

‘I’m not coming back here,’ Reen said.

‘Do you have somewhere to be?’

Anywhere but here. ‘I don’t want to stay here with you and your boyfriend.’

‘I never expected you to stay here with us. Shane was going to cook dinner tonight. I planned for us to stay at my place, together. You know I don’t live here anymore.’

‘Neither do I,’ Reen said. It was easier for everyone if they kept their lives the same instead of changing everything now.

‘You really can’t visit us for one day? Your family?’

Reen looked away.

Rose licked her lips. ‘Not much has changed, has it?’

‘I’m here to see Mom. This isn’t going to be a big reunion.’ Reen let out a sigh. ‘I don’t know what you’re expecting from me. Mom made it clear who was important after Dad died. I have a life elsewhere.’

Rose pressed her hands against her forehead. ‘I thought you would be over that by now. Mom is sick. Why can’t you let this go?’

Reen opened her mouth to say something, but she caught Shane out of the corner of her eye, sauntering toward them. ‘Is everything all right over here?’

He had a slight limp, but that didn’t detract from his good looks. This guy wasn’t Rose’s type at all. He wasn’t polished and perfect, like her sister. She usually chose the pretty ones with no personality.

Reen’s hackles rose, ready for him to get on her case too. No doubt Rose had told him one-sided stories about her.

‘I’m Reen,’ she said, holding her hand out for him. Her dad had always said the sign of a good person was his or her handshake.

Shane passed the test. His smile was kind too.

After shaking her hand, he placed his on the small of Rose’s back. A pulse rushed through Reen. As much as she could pretend that she had been around the country, having the time of her life with whomever she wanted, all she had really done was hide. She’d had a few one-night stands, but she didn’t allow herself to fall into a long-term trap with anyone. She knew what happened when she opened her heart.

Rose bumped against Shane and her lips curved. Their faces lit up, and Reen looked away as if she’d been staring at the sun. At least someone in their family was happy.

‘Reen isn’t staying for dinner tonight,’ Rose told Shane.

Shane jutted his lip out and nodded. ‘I’m making lasagna, but I can make something different if you’d like.’

Reen barely heard him as the rush of her heartbeat filled her ears. Rose was trying a different tactic by putting her on the spot with Shane. Reen wouldn’t falter. ‘I have an early flight in the morning.’

Shane and Rose shared a look but didn’t push.

‘We should get going,’ Rose said, and kissed Shane.

Reen’s chin tipped downward as she witnessed an intimate moment between Shane and her sister. She turned and walked toward her car. ‘I’m headed out. I have the address for the nursing home on my phone.’

‘I’m right behind you,’ Rose said.

CHAPTER TWO

On the way to the nursing home, Reen took the path of least resistance, the same as she had when she first drove into town. She wasn’t interested in a nostalgic drive through the streets. Instead, she kept to the coastline. She wanted to be closer to the water. In her brief time in The Burrow, she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity.

After Rose had given Mom up to the Whinding House, Reen had researched the facility. It seemed nice enough, but it wasn’t home. Mom belonged by the ocean. It was something Rose hadn’t understood for a long time. When Rose was eleven, she sleepwalked into the water and had refused to go near it since. Reen had tried her hardest to convince her sister it wasn’t a big deal, understanding that Rose used to feel the same way about it as she and Mom did. But it was no use for her big sister. The water continued to draw Reen and Mom to it as if it was their true home.

Reen pulled into the parking lot at the facility and sat in the rental car, keeping the air conditioning on while waiting for Rose. She could easily walk through the doors and find Mom, but she wanted to wait for her sister. Navigating her way through unrecognizable halls would only show how much she didn’t belong.

Reen checked her phone. There were several unanswered texts from friends, the ones she’d kept at arm’s length throughout her journeys, avoiding her past. There was a text from her boss, Jeremy, the owner of the convenience store she currently worked at, asking how long her sudden vacation would take. Considering she had two weeks off saved up, she wondered what he was on about. In the months she’d worked there, she’d far surpassed her sluggish co-workers. She knew he’d ask her to be a manager, and she’d already thought of several excuses and mapped out her escape route from town once she got the offer.

It was the same everywhere she went. While keeping her head in the sand, having no husband or children, she was a commodity to her employers. Little did they know that she had a bigger path in mind. Avoidance. At all costs. Them wanting her only pushed her away.

A text came in from Darin, and her heart fluttered. ‘Let me know when you need a ride from the airport.’

Reen smirked. She understood the innuendo and her legs quivered. Darin, the twenty-five-year-old drummer with dreams of making it in the music industry, had been a more recent casual fling. She wouldn’t say they were in a relationship, but he adored her. He wrote songs about her and wanted her to come to all his shows. Some nights, he helped her avoid her past with mind-blowing sex. It gave her the out she wanted whenever she needed it.

Rose’s car pulled alongside Reen, breaking her from her thoughts. She turned off the rental and stepped out of the car.

The hot, sticky air clung to her skin as she walked over to Rose. Rose had pulled her hair from her face in a messy bun at the top of her head. From what Reen recalled, Rose rarely styled it any other way but down. She supposed slight changes were normal; she couldn’t expect the world to stop turning in her absence. Maybe Shane was right for her sister. At least, he was a change. In this place, anything new was hard to come by.

‘The Cottage is over here,’ Rose said, pointing at the smaller building on the other side of the lot. ‘The bigger building is for assisted living only. Those who don’t have memory issues.’

Reen nodded, already knowing all of this. Rose had no idea how much Reen cared. She liked to appear aloof, keeping a distance between herself and home. If Rose knew Reen was more invested than she let on, then her sister would push harder to make her stay.

Reen looked around the property, wrinkling her nose. Several residents milled toward a garden patch around the side of the building. Lush plants with vegetables and flowers appeared to thrive there.

It seemed like an all right place, though Reen would make her judgments when she got inside. Over the phone, Rose had said Mom wasn’t doing so well. It was probably because she lived in some germ-infested nursing home. Of course, she’d catch something. In Mom’s delicate condition, it would be impossible not to. Another reason Rose should have kept her home. At least she’d be by the water and living in a place she recognized.

Inside The Cottage, Reen stepped into a small foyer. There wasn’t much furniture besides a couple of folding chairs near the front window next to a water bubbler. Decorations were scarce, other than two vases of flowers on either side of the main desk and a few paintings on the walls. Even the sweet scent didn’t take away from the overpowering antiseptic smell.

‘Good morning, Rose,’ said the teenage girl sitting behind the desk.

Rose smiled. ‘Hi, Cassandra.’

At least she hadn’t been lying about coming to visit Mom.

Cassandra glanced at Reen and sat up.

‘This is my sister. Reen,’ Rose said. ‘She’s here visiting Mom too.’

The young girl pursed her lips. ‘If you could both sign in.’

Rose finished signing her name in the binder on the desk. Ever the people pleaser.

‘How is it having your sister home from college?’ Rose asked the girl.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. ‘You know she’s the only reason I got the job here this summer. I can’t wait to have my own space back.’

Rose laughed.

Reen scribbled her name and moved to the side, tapping the edge of the pen against the paper. She had no intention of chatting with this girl all day. All she wanted was to see Mom and gather her thoughts about the diagnosis. Reen clasped her hands, rubbing them together as she fought a chill. Memories from her youth flooded her mind, and she could barely stop her hands from trembling.

‘I’m sure by the end of the summer you’ll be close again,’ Rose went on.

‘Doubt it,’ Cassandra said.

Rose waved at the girl and then led Reen to a set of double doors at the back of the lobby.

‘Do you want to write down the code?’ Rose asked.

Reen narrowed her eyes. ‘No thanks.’

Rose opened the door. ‘After you.’

Reen walked through, cautiously taking one step at a time as she didn’t know the way to Mom’s room. Rose took the lead. Was this her way of showing how superior she was to Reen? Reen wouldn’t put it past her.

‘Over here,’ Rose said, gesturing toward one of the doors.

Rose entered the room, disappearing inside. Hesitating by the door, Reen craned her neck to look down the hallway, delaying the inevitable.

‘Reen,’ Rose called from inside.

Reen gritted her teeth and stepped through.

From the open windows, a cool breeze filtered through the room. Even though it was incredibly hot out for late afternoon, the familiar scent from the ocean tickled her nose. In the distance, waves crashed over the sand, beckoning her to jump into their comforting embrace. The water wasn’t in the backyard, as it had been at home, but it was closer than Reen had experienced in her time away from The Burrow.

A half-closed cream-colored curtain separated the two beds, forcing Reen forward to see her mother after all these years. Each footstep matched the slow pound of her heartbeat in her chest.

Reen’s eyes fell to the dresser. There were several picture frames from their home, including one she hadn’t seen in years. For one Mother’s Day, Reen had glued several types of shells from the beach onto a cheap frame. She recalled how Mom had lit up at the gift.

‘It’s the one you made,’ Rose said.

‘Yeah, I know.’ Reen kept her hands by her sides. One of the shells was missing, and she wondered if Rose had saved it or thrown it away. Reen wanted to look in the drawers to find it, buying herself a little more time.

‘Pearl,’ Rose said, and Reen stiffened. ‘You have a visitor today.’

Reen steeled herself and turned, facing the one person she hadn’t intended seeing ever again. At least not here. Before Mom’s diagnosis, Reen had visions of her mother popping up in random locations at each new place she visited. At a local diner or Reen’s apartment. She imagined Mom showing up at one of her jobs and begging her youngest daughter to come back home. Or at least opening communication between them again. But none of those dreams were real. They were only in Reen’s mind. She hadn’t thought of them in some time. A heaviness settled in her chest.

The sleeping woman lying on the bed wasn’t who Reen expected. It appeared as if a lifetime had passed since she’d seen Mom last. The long brown locks of hair, which Reen had braided as a child, had turned stiff and gray. Her face was more serene than ever, but she’d aged so much in the time since Reen had lived in The Burrow. It didn’t seem possible, but the proof lay in front of her.

‘Mom?’ The word fell from Reen’s lips. Even though she knew she’d said it aloud, Mom didn’t move.

‘The doctor says she’s been sleeping a lot. I try to come when she’s awake, but that’s not always predictable,’ Rose said.

‘What happened to her?’ Reen asked. ‘I thought she had dementia or whatever. This – she looks horrible.’

‘Nice,’ Rose said, rolling her eyes. ‘She can hear you, even if she’s asleep.’

‘What do you want me to say, Rose?’ Reen lowered her voice. ‘You didn’t preface this properly.’

‘I told you she wasn’t doing well. Did you need a photograph? If you asked questions or visited more often—’

‘Don’t do this,’ Reen said, pushing away from the bed. It jostled under her touch. She froze, staring at her mother. But the woman on the bed didn’t move a muscle. ‘Don’t guilt me about not visiting. Just because she’s like this, it doesn’t forgive everything.’

‘Doesn’t it?’ Rose said. ‘She tried to contact you. She wanted to apologize. You made that difficult for all of us. By the time you reached out, it was too late. She wasn’t herself anymore.’

Reen drew in heavy breaths through her nose. The room tilted slightly, and the scents of the ocean and cleaning products filled her head, making her dizzy. ‘I can’t do this.’ She fled the room, barely hearing her sister’s voice calling for her.

Rose caught up with Reen before she reached her car. Reen recalled memories of Rose charging from base to base during the softball games Mom and Dad dragged Reen to as a child. Her sister was still as quick.

‘I know it’s hard. It’s not easy for me either,’ Rose said, barely out of breath.

She hated that she allowed Rose to continue the conversation she didn’t want to have.

‘I don’t want to talk about this,’ Reen said, rubbing her temples. Searing pain radiated from her head. She wasn’t sure if it was the scent of the seawater or the inevitability of a fight with Rose. She regretted coming back.

‘I don’t want you to leave,’ Rose said, grabbing her keys from her bag. She fumbled with the ring, plucking one out of the bunch. ‘Here. Take my apartment for the night.’

Reen gritted her teeth. ‘I was going to stay in one of the inns.’

‘You don’t have to. I’ll stay with Shane tonight,’ Rose said. ‘You’ll have my place to yourself. I don’t want you to pay for a hotel. You can stay as long as you want.’

‘I have to go,’ Reen said, even though she didn’t. The longer she stayed, the more her memories surfaced, and the familiar pull of her home became stronger. Those tendrils wrapped around her limbs and started to not-so-gently pull her back.

Rose sighed and shook her head. ‘Dinner still stands for tonight. But no pressure. Let me know if you change your mind.’

She wouldn’t.

‘I know it’s a lot to handle,’ Rose said.

Reen wanted to get Rose off her back, so she took the key from her sister. ‘What’s the address?’

Rose told her.

‘I’ll leave the key in the mailbox or something. I’ll let you know.’

Rose nodded. ‘It was good to see you.’ She reached out a hand as if she were going to touch her but thought better of it.

‘You too,’ Reen said. Her throat was thick. She got into her rental car and tossed Rose’s apartment key into the cup holder. She pulled out of the spot, toward the exit. Checking her rearview mirror, she spotted Rose going back inside The Cottage. To do what? Stare at Mom?

Reen shook her head as a chill rolled down her spine. Rose was a glutton for punishment.

The clock read after five-thirty. She needed a place to hide. Like hell was she going back to Rose’s apartment until she had to. Being in The Burrow at all was a reminder of her past. She’d delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

CHAPTER THREE

Ever since Reen had turned legal age, in all the places she went to, she always checked out the bar scene. When people lost their inhibitions, even just a little bit, she got to the meat of a town. Reen could find out more in one night in a bar than from any tour guide. Unless a tour guide frequented a local bar, then she’d hit gold.

She wasn’t looking for information, but a place to hide. Somewhere she knew Rose wouldn’t find her. There weren’t a lot of places to get a beer in The Burrow. Both The Siren restaurant and Burrow’s Brews offered what the legal-aged townies needed. But Reen wasn’t going anywhere near The Siren. Even though she’d left town, she hadn’t been immune to the draw of social media. She’d checked into the guy she’d left in her wake several times during her absence.

Brody Moore’s family owned The Siren. From what Rose told her, Brody’s older sister, Missy, owned it now while Brody still worked there. She wasn’t about to run into her high school boyfriend on the first day she arrived in town.

Brody had been on Reen’s mind a lot since Rose called her. He was a townie through and through, and she had a feeling she’d run into him eventually. She hadn’t looked deep enough into his profiles to see if he was married or had any kids, but from the rotating pictures of him and other girls on his Instagram, she had a feeling he was still testing the waters of dating.

Her only other choice for drinks was Burrow’s Brews. She knew the location but had never stepped inside before. From what she knew, it was a dingy place for the sleazeballs in town. Tucked into a row of houses, no tourist would know about it unless they crashed into one of the drunks stumbling out of the building in the wee hours of the morning.

At least that was what Dad had always said. Maybe he was trying to keep his girls from checking the place out. For most of her youth, Reen had only had eyes for Brody, so she’d always ended up at the family-friendly Siren instead, where he had worked busing tables.

Reen parked further down the street. As she reached the sidewalk, she tucked her hair around her ears, glancing around. This part of town didn’t get much foot traffic other than those who lived in the houses and apartments surrounding the bar. She knew, with her shorter hair, some might not recognize her right away, but it was only a matter of time before someone spotted her. Then, the town rumor mill would begin, and she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere unnoticed.

The wooden sign above the door creaked as she approached. It was as if someone was either welcoming or warning her. She pushed through the door. A blast of warm air burst at her from inside. On one end of the room, wooden barstools were lined up along the counter. The four men clumped at the end of the bar stared at the television tucked in the corner above the rows of liquor. One of them noticed her and then the rest followed. Three of them were overweight, sitting close together, with one thinner one squished in between. The one closest to her moved his mop of hair from his face and narrowed his eyes several times before turning back to his drink.

Two appeared to be in their forties. Reen recognized them but couldn’t put a name to their faces. She’d spent so much time stuffing this place into the depths of her memory she’d forgotten a lot of the smaller details. At least that was a shining light of positivity.

The soccer game on the television blasted, filling the room as if someone expected this place to get busier soon. She glanced at the rest of the room, with tables and chairs scattered around the space as if the last people to leave had done so in a hurry. A crooked dart board was pegged to the back wall.

‘Over here,’ the guy sitting on the end said, patting the stool next to him.

‘I like this one,’ she said, taking an empty chair on the opposite side. His friend laughed and punched him in the arm.

Reen allowed her hair to fall across her face, blocking out the men. She eyed the small bowl of pretzels and nuts and wondered how long it had been there. The men returned to their game, yet she sensed they weren’t going to leave her alone forever.

She glared at the counter, careful not to make eye contact with the guys. Where was the bartender?

The guys had drinks, but she hadn’t seen anyone else in the room.

She pulled her phone from her bag and checked through the messages. There was another one from Jeremy, and she wished he’d leave her alone. How had he survived before she started working there?

Even though Rose had already told her the address, there was a text, reminding her of it. Reen closed the app, before placing her phone facedown on the bar.

Reen didn’t want to remind herself about Mom. When she was out of this place, she always thought of Mom as the younger version that she’d left behind, frozen in time as the woman who shut down and abandoned her daughters when they needed her most. The familiar swirling ache in her gut returned. The men cheered about someone making a goal, and the sound snapped her back to the present.

A blond guy strode behind the bar, and it took Reen a second to recognize him. When she did, the sounds in the room sharpened. Her breathing was loud in her ears.

Brody’s hair was much shorter than she remembered. He’d buzzed it close to his head, making his blue eyes pop even more. In the years since she’d seen him last, he’d lost the childlike roundness of his face, and the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones were more pronounced. When his eyes met hers, she froze. Her heart raced, and she didn’t realize until the sharp pain bit at her palm that her fists were clenched so tight her nails dug into the skin. She tried as hard as she could to keep a passive expression. Freaking out at seeing her high school boyfriend, the guy she’d abandoned, wasn’t going to make it any easier.

‘What can I get—?’ Brody’s words cut off. His head cocked to the side, and his eyes danced over her face. ‘Reen?’

She forced a shaky smile. ‘Hey, Brody.’ A surge of warmth coursed through her. ‘It’s good to see you.’

‘Wow, um. You look different,’ Brody said. ‘Good, different.’

‘Thanks. I think?’

He shook his head and laughed, a sound from her past. She smiled.

‘I didn’t expect…’ He shook his head. ‘What can I get you?’ He opened his hands in front of him.

She glanced at the beer taps. The draft options were unfamiliar to her. ‘What do you suggest?’

He gave her several choices, and she picked the lager from one of the newer breweries in the area. It was just like The Burrow to support other local businesses. Her hometown was so tightly knit and stuck in its ways. She wasn’t sure it would ever change. It stifled her, even years later.

Brody slid a glass in front of her and pressed his hands against the bar. For a moment, she thought he was going to reach over and hug her, but he kept his distance. He was much closer than before, close enough that Reen noted the several-day-old stubble on his cheeks. When she’d known him, his skin had been smooth.

‘You in town to visit Rose?’

‘Mom,’ she said. ‘Rose said she wasn’t doing so good.’

He sighed. ‘Sorry to hear that.’ He rubbed the back of his neck.

She bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smile. His nervous tic gave him away.

‘She seemed okay when I visited today,’ Reen said, sipping from her glass. She predicted an awkward silence between them and filled it quickly. ‘You meet Rose’s new boyfriend?’

‘Shane? Of course. Patrick is retiring soon. You remember him?’

Reen snorted. Patrick McCreary, chief of police, was one person in town she’d never forget. He’d been a staple of her childhood, but not in a good way. If there was one person she didn’t want to run into, it was him.

‘Oh yeah,’ she said. ‘Chief McCreary doesn’t come here, does he?’

‘Not usually. But some of the others might come by after leaving their posts.’

As long as he stays away. She took another sip.

‘Speaking of leaving,’ Brody said, and Reen choked on her beer.

He stood up straight, crossing his arms. ‘I mean, it was going to come up sometime. Did you expect me to forget?’

Reen held up a finger, wiping her hand across her lips. ‘First of all, I had no idea you worked here. I avoided The Siren for that reason.’

‘Good to know,’ he said. His tone held a hint of an edge. ‘And secondly?’

She hadn’t planned to go that far, but since he asked. ‘I’m not here for a reunion. I came to see Mom, and then I’m out of here.’

Brody shook his head. ‘You were going to come back and not say anything to me?’ He scoffed. ‘I’m not sure why I expected you to change at all, Reen.’

She tried to take a minute to collect her thoughts by taking another sip of her beer, but her throat closed. She should have left the second she saw Brody. But, over the years, she’d thought about him more than she would ever admit.

‘Listen—’ The door opened, and a shriek of giggles came from the entrance to the bar.

Every single person in the room turned to the four girls, dressed for the club, not a local dive. Their dresses were too short, and their makeup overdone for an afternoon in The Burrow.

‘This is fer locals,’ one of the older men at the end of the bar slurred. His nose was red, and sweat poured out of his face, enough that it started to soak into the collar of his shirt.

Two of the others locked on the girls and Reen couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

‘Want me to cut you off, Jimmy?’ Brody asked with a smirk. He tossed a peanut from the bowl in front of Reen toward the guy.

Jimmy shook his head quick enough that a few droplets of sweat dripped onto the counter. The others around him didn’t seem to notice.

Reen wanted to turn away. She knew she should have. But one brunette wavy-haired girl broke off from her friends and strode over to Brody. Her friends grabbed a seat in the corner of the room, their eyes glued to their phones.

Brody met the girl at the other side of the bar. She tucked herself against him and leaned her head back, smiling up at him.

Gritting her teeth, Reen turned away from Brody and the girl, but her ears remained perked up; for some reason she wanted to hear their conversation. Somewhere, deep inside of her, she had to know for sure if Brody was serious about this girl.

‘We’ll have rosé,’ the girl said to him.

‘It’s on me,’ said one of the guys. Reen could almost hear his wink.

She giggled, and Reen had the urge to gag. The beer rumbled around her stomach. More than anything, she wanted to flee. But she wasn’t about to show Brody how much he affected her. Sure, he was still upset she’d left. She didn’t blame him. But leaving again would only prove to him what he already thought. She fought against her instincts and settled into her chair. Letting go of a breath, she turned in her seat, lifted her empty glass and wiggled it in front of her. If anything, to separate the lovebirds at the end of the bar.

Brody glanced at her and gave her a curt nod before kissing the girl on the cheek. He turned his eyes to Reen, locking into them. She didn’t budge. He wouldn’t know how much he affected her. Seeing him brought back memories, but they both had their own lives now.

She wasn’t sure how long he’d last with some tourist girl, but it wasn’t her problem anymore.

CHAPTER FOUR

A rough fabric raked against Reen’s cheeks as she pried her eyelids apart. They stuck together again. Shit. She hadn’t taken her mascara off the night before. She hoped they would pull apart on their own. The room was entirely too bright, and she squeezed her eyes closed, just as the night before crashed over her.

Her futile attempt to roll over was a mistake. Her stomach tightened, and she curled into a ball. More rough fabric against her skin pricked at every inch of her body. A loud yawn filled her ears, and she jolted, the movement sending another wave of nausea through her stomach, clawing its way up her throat. She’d had way too much to drink last night.

She wanted to know who’d yawned. Sitting up as best she could, she surveyed the rest of the room. Even though she had Rose’s key in her bag, she knew without a doubt that she wasn’t in Rose’s apartment.

A flash of the group of guys surrounding her at the Brews came back full force. They’d bought her drink after drink. How could she have been so stupid? She wasn’t an amateur, but she had been last night.

As she drew in several breaths to calm her pounding heart, the details of the room sharpened. The sheets were navy, and the plaid comforter sat in a heap at the edge of the bed. Across the way was a small kitchen; only a refrigerator, sink, stove, and a compact countertop hugged the corner of the room. Not far from the edge of the bed was a brown leather sofa and a flat-screen television mounted on the wall.

A studio apartment, belonging to one of the guys from the bar. She sifted through the dark memories in her head, but she came up empty. How did she get there and with whom? Through the window, Reen recognized the street. She was in an apartment above the bar. The familiar view outside Burrow’s Brews mocked her. At least her commute hadn’t been long. Maybe that was a selling point for her when she had been an idiotic drunken mess.

She darted to the side of the bed and slowly – painfully – swung her legs until they dangled off the edge. Her shirt clung to her body, but her crumpled jeans were on the floor next to the bed. Her hand fell to her stomach, and she winced, wondering if she’d drunkenly agreed to a one-night stand. The thought brought another wave of sickness through her, and she bounded to the other side the room to the door across the way. She prayed it was a bathroom.

The knob moved further away from her reaching hand. Before she could blink, she smacked into a hard and naked chest. A towel covered his face as he rubbed it against his hair.

‘Whoa,’ the guy said as Reen shoved him out of the way. She only had eyes for the toilet. She fell to the floor, her knees smacking against the cool tile. There wasn’t much in her stomach, but it squeezed the life out of her.

A cold cloth appeared on her neck, and she mumbled a thank you to the stranger. When she finished, she glanced over her shoulder. He was gone. Unwilling to soil this guy’s apartment any more than she already had, she wiped her hand across her mouth and went to the sink to wash up. Even though her insides were empty the room still moved on its own.

‘Here,’ Brody said.

Reen glanced at him through the mirror and then whipped around.

No, no, no. How did she end up at Brody’s place? She tried to remember anything from the night before, but she came up blank. Her stomach lurched again, but with a painful swallow, she managed to keep everything down.

He stood there, in a towel, holding a glass of water. ‘Drink this. I tried to get some water in you last night, but you didn’t want any. You smacked my hand and spilled it everywhere.’ He nodded his head toward a pile of sheets on top of a wicker hamper.

She took the glass from him and stared into it, unable to meet his eyes. Relief and embarrassment flooded her. ‘What happened?’

‘You wouldn’t tell me where you were staying.’ He smirked as if recalling a particularly amusing moment. ‘So, I brought you here.’

She forced the water down her throat. ‘We didn’t…?’

His eyebrows knitted. ‘Sleep together?’

She winced again. The light coming into the room overwhelmed her more than before. Or maybe it was her straining not to look at his chest. The last time she’d seen it, there hadn’t been much definition. Unlike now. There weren’t any gyms nearby, at least as far as she knew. Those muscles were all homemade from some activity around town. ‘So, we didn’t…?’

Brody smiled. A hint of amusement danced in his eyes. ‘I slept on the couch.’

A breath whooshed out of her.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I’m going to make you some toast and get some aspirin into you. It will help.’

She followed him like a lost puppy across the space. This time, when she looked around, she saw each inch of the apartment as Brody’s instead of a stranger’s. She should have known he’d come to her rescue. The room was simplistic without many decorations or adornments. The wall behind the bed was exposed brick, giving the room a little rustic appeal. She never imagined a place like this above the bar.

Brody had always been a clean and neat kind of guy, but this place was almost sterile. Maybe he’d just moved in?

‘How long have you lived here?’ she asked, unable to help herself.

He pulled a toaster from inside one of the lower cabinets of the kitchen. ‘Three years, give or take.’

So, not new. ‘It’s nice.’

‘I’m not here much. Between shifts at The Siren and downstairs, I only sleep here.’

‘Why so many jobs?’ It couldn’t be that expensive to stay in The Burrow, especially with a shoebox apartment.

He hesitated. ‘I like to keep busy.’

He placed two slices of bread in the toaster and then grabbed a container of butter from the refrigerator.

‘I’m not sure I can handle dairy this morning,’ Reen said.

‘It’s not for you. I was an adult last night.’

He’d meant it as a joke, but Reen couldn’t help the flush in her cheeks. She had acted like someone who couldn’t handle herself. Coming home brought all the memories back to Reen from when she was a teen. Instead of keeping her guard up, she’d been careless and ended up in a situation far from the one she’d imagined.

‘I’m going to finish getting dressed,’ he said, and slipped past her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

She released a breath and hung her head in her hands. While away, anytime Brody had crept into her thoughts, she had shut them out. Now, she was inside his apartment while he changed behind the door.

Her bag hung from her chair, and she took a moment to check her phone. Surprisingly, there weren’t any texts from Rose. But she’d stayed with Shane the night before. Reen wondered when Rose would figure out that she hadn’t stayed at the apartment. The conversation played out in her head, adding to the ache in her temples. She needed to get to Rose’s place as soon as possible so that she would be none the wiser.

The toast popped up, and Reen jumped.

Brody strode out of the bathroom dressed in jeans and a blue and white striped T-shirt. With clothes on, he was easier to look at. Though, her stomach still fluttered.

He handed her the dry toast and buttered his. The sound of the knife over the hard bread raked against her brain.

‘You all right?’ Brody asked.

‘Not so much. I haven’t done that in a long time. Why did you let me?’

He laughed, and she winced again.

‘I tried to cut you off earlier, but you got a little mean.’

The night had been a haze. ‘I did?’

‘I mean, I’ve seen worse.’

‘Sorry,’ she muttered.

‘Don’t worry about it. I know seeing your mom probably wasn’t easy. You get a pass from me. If you want it.’

Even though the details of last night were fuzzy, it had more to do with Brody than Mom. If it were possible, she felt even sicker because of it. Her anger with Mom had melted increasingly throughout the years. Seeing her yesterday didn’t bring it up again. Now, she was a sick old woman stuck in a bed. Reen would be a monster to be upset with Mom in her current state.

It wasn’t just that Brody had moved on with his life, but everyone had. Mom had gotten older, Brody and Rose seemed to have it all together, while Reen was flailing in her life. Jumping from place to place whenever she got the itch. Would it be so much to ask that her hometown remained in the bubble she’d placed around it?

Reality crashed over her, and she dropped her toast onto the plate. ‘I should go.’

‘Let me drive you,’ he said.

She lifted her eyes to his. ‘I thought you had to get to work.’

‘I do,’ he said. ‘Do you want to walk?’

Not in the least. ‘I have a car here. A rental.’

‘You feel okay to drive?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ she croaked. Spending more time with Brody would only add to her hangover.

Brody eyed her, and the silence stretched on between them as he finished his breakfast. They walked together out of the apartment, down the narrow hallway and staircase to the street.

While they weren’t talking about last night, there were plenty of things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t force her mouth to form the words. She supposed it was better that way.

Reen grabbed on to all her years of hiding her feelings, and by the time she and Brody reached her car, she already had a smile on her face, even though she was slowly dying on the inside. ‘Thanks for watching out for me. I promise I’ll never do it again.’

‘Never say never,’ he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

She played with her keys, but even outside, the sound rang in her ears, forcing her to stop. ‘I’m not sticking around very long—’

‘It was good to see you. Even for a little while.’

She cleared her throat. ‘You too.’

They stood there, staring at each other, neither of them knowing what to do. Reen wasn’t about to force Brody into an awkward hug, even though it would have been nice. All she could do was think of his girlfriend, and that was enough to propel her legs toward the car. She’d come back home to say a final goodbye, not to leave a trail of destruction in her wake. It was for the best. Though, she couldn’t help watching Brody retreat down the sidewalk through her rearview mirror.

#

When Reen arrived at Rose’s place, an older woman opened the front door of the house.

‘Can I help you?’ she asked. She was a petite woman with permed hair. The sun reflected off her glasses and shone brightly into Reen’s eyes.

‘I’m Rose’s sister,’ Reen said, shielding her face. ‘I’m staying with her. I have a key.’

The older woman adjusted her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes narrowed as she took a better look. ‘Reen. Yes. I remember you.’

Reen shielded her eyes. Familiarity filled her, but she couldn’t place the woman.

‘Mrs. Collins,’ she said, placing a hand against her chest. ‘I was the school secretary.’

Reen didn’t think it was possible to feel any smaller. The older woman hadn’t aged a day since Reen graduated. ‘Mrs. Collins.’

She winked at Reen. ‘It’s good to see you again, Ms. Barros.’

Reen remembered her well. As much as she remembered teachers sending her to the principal’s office often. ‘You too.’

She gave Mrs. Collins a quick wave and headed up the wooden stairs attached to the side of the house.

Between the heat from the morning and the sun, Reen practically fell inside the apartment. She opened her mouth, feeling the stale, nasty aftertaste of beer. She walked through the space, heading straight for the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, Reen made her way around the apartment, thinking that it was perfect for Rose. Everything in each room called out as something her sister would have. Even the romance novels on the side table by her bed. Mom loved reading those, and in typical Rose fashion, she tagged along with whatever Mom did.

Rose was content to live her life in this place. She was okay with being boring and doing the same things day after day. Brody was the same way – thought he hadn’t always been. When they were together, they would talk about all the places they would travel to in the future. Between his multiple jobs in town, she knew his roots had dug deeper into the sand, anchoring his life to The Burrow.

Even though Dad’s death had rocked her entire world, Reen was happy she’d left when she did. Otherwise, she might have ended up pregnant with Brody’s kid and unable to escape the same life her parents had lived.

Once she finished brushing her teeth, she tossed the toothbrush into her bag and dropped it on the table. It was time to go. Her humiliation might follow her from town, but she didn’t intend on coming back to see the outcome.

The effects of the aspirin and hydration invigorated her, and she went to the refrigerator to see what Rose had to eat.

A picture caught her eye, held against the surface of the freezer by a magnet. She swallowed. One summer, their neighbors snapped a photo of their family on the beach. Reen was ten at the time. Mom and Dad stood behind her and Rose, Mom’s hands on Reen’s shoulders, squeezing them and making sure she didn’t stick her tongue out. Reen couldn’t help a ghost of a smile crossing her lips. The sight of her family, together and happy, brought back so many memories for her. Years of them flooded her mind. She didn’t dare touch the photograph, reminding her of a different time in her life. It seemed like eons ago that she and her family were together on the beach.

Reen glanced around the rest of the room and peered into the small living space. There weren’t a lot of photographs, but most of them were of their family. Mom and Dad’s wedding photo sat on the coffee table. Scattered across the room on other surfaces were the few portraits they’d taken together at the mall around the holidays when Mom used to be obsessed with making memories with their family. That had come full circle, as she’d ended any photographic proof of their family after Dad passed. It was as if Mom didn’t care about anything after that. As if he were the string keeping their family together.

Reen’s stomach churned, and she wasn’t hungry anymore.

The ghosts of her past clung to this place, even though it wasn’t where she’d grown up. It was as if Rose had transplanted the memories to this confined space.

She had to get out.

CHAPTER FIVE

Even though Rose’s place was air-conditioned, the throwback to her past made Reen’s entire body prickle with sweat. She had to get out. She sent a quick text to Rose, letting her know she was leaving.

Rose replied right away as if she’d had her phone in her hand already.

‘I’m at The Siren. Come by to say goodbye.’

She hadn’t thought to ask Brody where he was going to work that morning. If he was going to The Siren, Reen wasn’t up for seeing him again so soon after their goodbye.

Instead of typing a response, she checked flights on her phone, and there was a seat open on one in four hours. It was just enough time to get to the airport and out of The Burrow for good.

Reen typed her reply. ‘Is Brody there?’ She wasn’t up for another awkward encounter.

‘Is something wrong, dear?’ Mrs. Collins called from the front doorway.

Reen moved her hair off her face and glanced at the woman. ‘No, Mrs. Collins.’

When had standing outside become a crime? She got into her car and turned it on, blasting the air conditioning, hoping Mrs. Collins got the hint. The older woman went inside her house, but Reen saw the fluttering of her curtain against the front window.

Reen’s phone pinged.

‘No,’ Rose responded.

Reen tapped her phone against the steering wheel before hearing another text tone.

‘Five minutes. I want to say a proper goodbye to my sister.’

Reen chewed on her lip and debated leaving the key in Rose’s mailbox. The Burrow wasn’t a high crime place. With all the nosy neighbors, no one would break in without someone giving a full description.

The typing dots appeared below Rose’s text. They disappeared before another text.

‘Please, Reen.’

‘OK,’ Reen typed back. Five minutes. She’d say goodbye, and that was it. Reen released a breath and buckled her seat belt. She plugged in her phone and turned on her traveling playlist before backing out of the driveway.

#

Reen took the quickest route to The Siren. Even though the town moved by her in a blur, the flickers of memories from her past filled in the gaps as she kept her eyes on the road. As she passed the pier, she grinned, remembering how many times she and Dad had fished off there. Then, there was the lighthouse. Tingles rippled up her arms. Brody and Reen used to sneak over there after hours and watch the water in the distance, only lit by the rotating light above them. They hadn’t gone as far as to break into the locked building, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. In the summer, the mosquitos were enough to drive them away quicker than they came.

Some of the shops were different, but many were the same. After school, she and Rose would stop by Mr. Talbot’s convenience store and spend their allowance on candy and ice cream, filling up their bellies with sugar before swimming it off when they got home. That was until Rose stopped swimming altogether. Reen had tried so hard to change her sister’s mind, but it was impossible, and it broke apart the secret language the girls shared with their mom. There were no more hours together playing and splashing in the surf, or seeing how far either could hold their breath underwater.

Instead of pushing through those feelings of anger and hurt at breaking their bond as children, Reen sat in them. They were going to help get her out of here that much quicker. Her shoulders tensed, nearly reaching her ears. All the Barros women had the uncanny ability to root themselves in something they were passionate about. Reen wasn’t any different. She’d left at eighteen and hadn’t returned since. Mom refused to acknowledge her children after Dad died, and Rose remained, caring for the shattered remains of their family.

Somehow, she’d stirred the remnants of the mess inside of her and the only way to stop it was to leave. The goal of her visit was to see Mom, and she’d done that. A wisp of guilt tightened around her stomach, but she was determined to leave as soon as possible. Mom wasn’t the woman she remembered, and she didn’t remember Reen. There was no use sticking around to watch Rose finally move on with her life. Her sister didn’t need Reen getting in the way. Rose had everything under control, with or without her.

Three texts came in rapid fire on her phone, and she groaned, already knowing who it was. Jeremy tended to write out every single thought he had the second he had one instead of crafting one larger, cohesive text.

She pulled into the lot at The Siren and parked by the entrance. He asked her again when she was returning to work. Replying with her flight schedule would get him off her back, but she thought better of it. He could wait a little while longer for her response. She’d blame ‘catching up with family’ as her excuse for not getting back right away. She debated on taking her phone inside, but she didn’t want to bother with him anymore, so she left it in the car.

The salty sea air washed over her. In her travels, she’d been careful to stay within landlocked states, so the memories of her past wouldn’t tempt her. The infinite horizon reached into the distance behind the restaurant. She’d miss the view when she left. Since she’d leaped over a huge hurdle, maybe she’d open herself up to unfamiliar places with water views when she moved next.

The Siren looked almost the same as she remembered from the outside. The inside, however, had been completely overhauled. The structure of the room had changed. Instead of the ripped booths outlining the place, there were only four in the center, and the rest were tables with chairs. The pale blue walls were the same, but the pictures and trinkets around the place had increased tenfold. Netting covered one corner of the room with an assortment of plastic sea life attached to the rope. Mermaid tails popped through several of the wooden slats while colorful shells covered much of the surfaces.

‘Reen,’ Rose said, coming from the kitchen. She held a tray of wet glasses in her hands.

Reen turned her attention to her sister, even though she had the urge to keep exploring. Seeing something new in The Burrow surprised her more than she’d thought.

‘How was your night?’ Rose placed the tray on one of the tables and crossed her arms.

Reen blinked, wondering if her sister knew where she’d slept the night before. ‘Fine.’

‘I hope my bed was comfortable enough for you.’

‘Yeah,’ she said, eyeing her sister.

‘Can I buy you lunch?’ Rose asked.

‘You said five minutes.’

Rose shrugged. ‘Airport food is expensive. I could get you something to go.’

‘I really should get going.’

‘When are you leaving? Are you going back to see Mom? I can give you the code—’

‘Now,’ Reen said. ‘I need to get back.’

Rose shook her head. ‘Oh. I—’

‘Don’t do this,’ Reen said, as the ache in her chest bloomed. It was the same every time she had texted Rose. The part of her that still belonged to this place.

‘Are you sure you don’t want anything?’

Reen hadn’t eaten much other than the toast at Brody’s. Her hangover cures tended to be of the greasy variety.

‘Can you make something quickly?’ She had some time to spare and at least if she gave Rose a proper goodbye, she wouldn’t hear about it for the rest of her life.

Rose’s smile beamed. ‘Great, let me get you a menu.’

It was early enough that all the seats were open. Reen slid into a chair at the corner table. In eighth grade, when her crush on Brody began, she’d always sit in the corner booth and watch him wash dishes through the kitchen window. He’d sneak her mermaid milkshakes when his father wasn’t looking.

Suddenly, Missy sat at her table. Her eyes – Brody’s exact match – narrowed. ‘Hey, Reen. Welcome back. How long are you staying for?’

Reen sat up straighter and looked over her shoulder for Rose. As Brody’s older sister, Missy had joined with Rose in taking on the roles of overprotective siblings. Rose and Missy had been best friends since preschool. It worked in her favor when Reen got in trouble at school and had two older kids to help her out. But after she and Brody started dating, Missy dropped that part of the relationship. It could have partially been Reen’s fault since she and Brody didn’t care much for rules when they were together.

‘I’m leaving today.’

‘You saw my brother last night,’ Missy said.

Reen glanced over her shoulder into the kitchen, trying to keep her face impassive. She wasn’t about to let Missy get the better of her.

‘I did.’ Reen looked over her shoulder again, and saw Rose was still in the back. Missy’s eyes locked on hers.

‘I know you stayed with him,’ she said.

Reen recoiled. Nothing stayed a secret around here. ‘I—’

‘He doesn’t kiss and tell, but you remember how small this place is? I’m curious about how many more lives you want to unearth before you leave again. I had to clean up two messes last time.’

Reen tensed, twining her fingers together in her lap. ‘I said I’m going today.’

‘As long as you mean it this time.’

Rose approached the table. ‘What’s going on?’

Missy smiled brightly and winked at Reen. ‘Not much, Rosie. Just catching up with your sister.’ She headed toward the kitchen and Reen said nothing until the quiet whump of the doors leading out of the dining room signaled her departure.

Rose placed a menu in front of Reen. ‘It’s a little different than when you were here last.’

‘I see that,’ Reen said.

‘What did you do last night?’ Rose asked.

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