Read Online A Family Affair: Summer: Truth in Lies, Book 3 by Mary Campisi - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mary Campisi
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him.
She could not risk her mother learning the truth, and she didn’t doubt Ramona Casherdon would expose Tess’s dark secret if necessary. The woman had traveled hundreds of miles for a face-to-face meeting, which meant she was on a mission to save her nephew, no matter the collateral damage. At least she’d forewarned Tess about her mother’s health.
Heaven knew, Olivia Carrick was not about to offer up information as to the nature, or even the existence , of a possible problem. How sad that her mother couldn’t confide in her. Olivia always said she was of strong German stock, the kind that showed little fear and even less emotion. Such self-sufficiency must have made it difficult for Thomas Carrick to measure up, and maybe that had been the problem. Maybe after a while, he’d stopped trying.
Forty-three minutes later, Tess h eaded into Magdalena and down Main Street. Lina’s Café, Barbara’s Boutique and Bakery, Victor’s Pharmacy. The years hadn’t altered much. Maybe a coat of fresh paint or a fancier sign. How could so little have changed and yet so much be different? A lifetime ago, she’d been making wedding favors, laughing with Bree and Gina, and talking about her future. In a flash of blood and horror, it was over, all of it gone; JJ, Cash, nursing, her future. Everything.
Tess pulled into the driveway of the old two-story and turned off the engine. In some ways, the house looked exactly as it had every spring. Bursts of color surrounded the quiet place in a gathering of red, orange, yellow, and pink. Clusters of tulips lined the pathway to the front door or scattered in beds alongside purple balls her mother called allium. White and fuchsia azaleas blossomed against a backdrop of shiny leaves, and her father’s favorite, giant daffodils guarded the mailbox like sentries. The bombardment of color and shape, and later, fragrance, began in late March and ended in November when the last rose bloom froze on its thorny branch.
D espite the camouflage of color, the house looked like a weary soldier on duty. There were lifts in the roof, a few shingles curled from wear and the elements. Thomas Carrick had never been much of a handyman and words like routine maintenance were foreign to him. Once again, the task fell to Olivia. The tan siding had been newly power-washed and the windows sparkled, no doubt Uncle Will’s handiwork. Her mother said he’d been coming around to help out with this and that, adding more insulation in the attic, repairing a few door hinges, installing a programmable thermostat. Olivia said that losing Aunt Julia had been hard on him, even though they’d all known the multiple sclerosis would take her sooner rather than later, but still, being prepared was never really being prepared .
Tess dragged the suitcase from the trunk and made her way up the sidewalk. When she reached the front door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Eight years was a long time. Things changed. Maybe her mother locked the door these days, though probably not. Still, Olivia might prefer that her daughter knocked. After all, Tess had chosen to leave—no, practically run away—at a time when, despite her mother’s silence and assurances that all was well, Tess had known all was not well, and she’d left anyway.
She should have stayed and battled through the despair and pain with her mother. Wasn’t that what families did? Got through it together? She should not have called Cash a murderer in front of half the town and refused to see him. But most of all, she should not have accepted Riki’s offer to get away and then to get rid of the baby. She’d kept these truths buried so deep, they hadn’t been able to surface for years and yet, less than ten minutes back and they’d bubbled to the top, threatening to spill over and into her. Threatening to suffocate her.
“Tess!” Olivia Carrick stood on the other side of the door, arms open wide, a smile on her lips. “ How wonderful to see you!”
Tess
She could not risk her mother learning the truth, and she didn’t doubt Ramona Casherdon would expose Tess’s dark secret if necessary. The woman had traveled hundreds of miles for a face-to-face meeting, which meant she was on a mission to save her nephew, no matter the collateral damage. At least she’d forewarned Tess about her mother’s health.
Heaven knew, Olivia Carrick was not about to offer up information as to the nature, or even the existence , of a possible problem. How sad that her mother couldn’t confide in her. Olivia always said she was of strong German stock, the kind that showed little fear and even less emotion. Such self-sufficiency must have made it difficult for Thomas Carrick to measure up, and maybe that had been the problem. Maybe after a while, he’d stopped trying.
Forty-three minutes later, Tess h eaded into Magdalena and down Main Street. Lina’s Café, Barbara’s Boutique and Bakery, Victor’s Pharmacy. The years hadn’t altered much. Maybe a coat of fresh paint or a fancier sign. How could so little have changed and yet so much be different? A lifetime ago, she’d been making wedding favors, laughing with Bree and Gina, and talking about her future. In a flash of blood and horror, it was over, all of it gone; JJ, Cash, nursing, her future. Everything.
Tess pulled into the driveway of the old two-story and turned off the engine. In some ways, the house looked exactly as it had every spring. Bursts of color surrounded the quiet place in a gathering of red, orange, yellow, and pink. Clusters of tulips lined the pathway to the front door or scattered in beds alongside purple balls her mother called allium. White and fuchsia azaleas blossomed against a backdrop of shiny leaves, and her father’s favorite, giant daffodils guarded the mailbox like sentries. The bombardment of color and shape, and later, fragrance, began in late March and ended in November when the last rose bloom froze on its thorny branch.
D espite the camouflage of color, the house looked like a weary soldier on duty. There were lifts in the roof, a few shingles curled from wear and the elements. Thomas Carrick had never been much of a handyman and words like routine maintenance were foreign to him. Once again, the task fell to Olivia. The tan siding had been newly power-washed and the windows sparkled, no doubt Uncle Will’s handiwork. Her mother said he’d been coming around to help out with this and that, adding more insulation in the attic, repairing a few door hinges, installing a programmable thermostat. Olivia said that losing Aunt Julia had been hard on him, even though they’d all known the multiple sclerosis would take her sooner rather than later, but still, being prepared was never really being prepared .
Tess dragged the suitcase from the trunk and made her way up the sidewalk. When she reached the front door, she hesitated. Should she knock? Eight years was a long time. Things changed. Maybe her mother locked the door these days, though probably not. Still, Olivia might prefer that her daughter knocked. After all, Tess had chosen to leave—no, practically run away—at a time when, despite her mother’s silence and assurances that all was well, Tess had known all was not well, and she’d left anyway.
She should have stayed and battled through the despair and pain with her mother. Wasn’t that what families did? Got through it together? She should not have called Cash a murderer in front of half the town and refused to see him. But most of all, she should not have accepted Riki’s offer to get away and then to get rid of the baby. She’d kept these truths buried so deep, they hadn’t been able to surface for years and yet, less than ten minutes back and they’d bubbled to the top, threatening to spill over and into her. Threatening to suffocate her.
“Tess!” Olivia Carrick stood on the other side of the door, arms open wide, a smile on her lips. “ How wonderful to see you!”
Tess
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