“Late April. No, I’m not feeling okay. I cry all the time, can’t stand my husband but I’m unbelievably horny. I want to eat everything that’s not nailed to the floor, can’t sleep for more than twenty minutes without getting uncomfortable, and I hate how I look.” It was kind of wonderful, being honest. God knew it had been a long, long time.
“So . . . normal, in other words.” Katie laughed and ate another piece of salami. “This shit is amazing, by the way.”
“You’re staying for a few days, right?”
“Sure. I’d love to sleep in one of these rooms and look out at that there ocean. Eat your good food. Meet your husband and tell him all about you.”
“Kaitlyn, I . . . I don’t want him knowing where I grew up. How our town was, our parents.”
“Why not? Look at you now! You’re loaded, you have this place, you’re like Oprah or something. Good for you, I say. Really. You got everything you wanted, Missy. You should be proud of yourself.”
“I married money. The first time, that is. Dennis.”
“Yeah, I remember that name. Harminee was sure broken up when he died.”
“He was a good guy.” Tears flooded Melissa’s eyes . . . pregnancy hormones and nostalgia. “He really was. Incredibly generous and even-tempered. He was a surgeon, and he was one of the best. He adored Ophelia. They were thick as thieves, those two.”
“Why’d you leave New York? Oh, man, this wine is amazing! At least, it is to this poor jailbird junkie.” It should be good, Melissa thought. It cost $300 a bottle.
She shifted before answering her sister. “I guess I wanted a change. Thought it would be good for Ophelia to grow up in a small town.”
“How long you been here?”
“A year. She does well at school and takes French lessons. She said she wants to play softball in the spring.” She paused. “She has friends here, Katie.”
“Well, she can have friends and do all that back in Wakeford. Mama and Daddy said they’d let us live there for free while I look for work, but I want to get my own place, you know? For me and her.”
“There are French tutors in Wakeford now?”
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, so much like Ophelia. “Probably not. But I’m her mother, Missy. She should be with me. Besides, you got one on the way. You don’t need mine anymore.”
“I’m her legal guardian,” Melissa said. “She has a good life here.”
“Does she? She says she can’t stand your newest husband. Has some complaints about you, too, for that matter. She wrote to me when I was in prison, you know.”
“Of course I know. I encouraged her to. Who do you think mailed the letters? I didn’t want her to think you just abandoned her. But you can’t take her.” What were the complaints? God knew she’d given the child everything a kid could want for the past five years. Was it five? Gosh, it was! “She’s been with me almost half her life.”
“Well, we’ll see what she thinks, won’t we? Because legal guardian ain’t no mother. Hate to break it to you.”
Melissa put her hand on her stomach and took a slow, calm breath. “Obviously, we can talk more about it. But I haven’t seen you in so long, Katie, and I really am so glad you’re here to visit.”
That might not have been the case when Dennis was alive . . . it definitely wouldn’t have been the case when he was alive, because he’d thought she was an aspiring doctor with a first-rate education. With Bradley, she hadn’t had to spin so many lies. Her money told its own story. Tragically young widow with a huge heart, raising her niece, throwing money around the community. He didn’t ask many questions, anyway.
Kaitlyn was right. So what if Bradley found out she was white trash? She wasn’t anymore, and as Katie said, she had every right to be proud. She’d made this life for herself and for Ophelia, and it was a beautiful life at that. Sort of. It looked beautiful, anyway.
“All right,” Katie said. “We’ll call a truce for a couple days. I missed you, too, sissy. And I could get used to this lifestyle. Show me your closet. I bet it’s stuffed to the gills.”
They talked for hours, laughing, telling each other stories. Melissa let her help herself to clothes, because who knew when she’d fit back into them? Besides, she could get new stuff.
All that loneliness inside Melissa seemed to melt away. Sisters. There was no one who knew you better or loved you more.