all the packing and everything. Anyway, she said it was a present for you.”
Vicky sat up. “A present?”
“Yeah. Seems she went around yesterday giving goodbye presents. She’s leaving first thing tomorrow morning, apparently. A bit early.”
Vicky’s brow was wrinkled. “Who else did she give something to?”
“Julie for sure. Annabeth gave her the necklace that her husband gave to her right after he proposed.”
“She what?”
“Oh, I almost forgot… she left a message with your gift, too.”
“OK.”
“She said her husband Cam gave this to her after she beat cancer and so for her, it represents strength and new beginnings. She said that she wants you to have it because you’ve made this whole new life for yourself, and so you’re the best person to give this to.”
Vicky listened with a rising sense of worry. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
She opened the box and stared at its contents. “Oh, my God.”
“What is it?”
“Her engagement ring.”
They stared at each other in shock.
“This is all wrong, Phil… no way Annabeth would give this way. Unless –”
“Unless what?”
Vicky launched herself out of the bed. “I need to get back to the ranch. Right now.”
“What? Why?”
She was getting dressed at roughly the speed of light. “I’m not sure. I just – I just need to go see Annabeth.”
Phil got out of bed too. “You think she’s going to hurt herself?”
“I don’t know… but I do know that giving away items with real emotional and sentimental value is what people do just before they take their own lives.”
“Holy fuck,” Phil said. “I had the feeling something was off with her, but I figured it was about the anniversary of Cam’s death. I didn’t think that .”
“I know… and I may well be wrong, but I need to make sure.”
“Should I call Julie, have her go over to Annabeth’s cabin?”
“No. No, don’t do that.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“No, it’s OK. I’ll go alone.”
He followed her through the living room, watched her frantically search for her car keys. “Why do you want to do this? And alone?”
“Because, sweetheart,” she said. “I know all about wanting to die and planning to end it all. I thought about it every day for years, and more than once, I almost went through with it.” She opened the door. “If anyone can reason with her, hopefully I can.”
**
Annabeth watched the sun set over the Rockies and she sighed. That’s what she had been waiting for; the blazing orange and yellow and pink rays were stunning. That was the last thing on her list and she checked it off. All done, now.
She walked over to the kitchen counter and slowly opened the bottle of wine she had set aside for this night. The sleeping pills were in a bowl and she was surprised how harmless and innocent they looked. Almost like candy.
She opened the cupboard and took down one of the beautiful wine glasses. She had already written Julie a huge check to replace the broken dishes from the night before, and a handwritten apology. She really hoped that Julie would forgive her. For everything.
Annabeth poured a glass of wine and sat down near the window facing the mountains.
OK, just one glass of wine, to relax you. Then a few pills. Slowly now. No rush. Don’t screw this up.
As she sat and sipped, she remembered drinking this wine when Cam proposed, drinking it at her wedding. She smiled at the memories, then her mind jumped to Julie and Jake’s engagement. She wondered what kind of wine they were going to have at their engagement party with the staff, what kind of wine they’d have at their wedding. She wondered if she’d like the wine. She wondered what Julie’s dress would look like.
Then she thought about Vicky and Sonia moving in with Phil, and Phil’s invitation to the housewarming party. She wondered what their house would look like, and she imagined it as warm and open and bright, bursting with life and love. She wondered what
Vicky sat up. “A present?”
“Yeah. Seems she went around yesterday giving goodbye presents. She’s leaving first thing tomorrow morning, apparently. A bit early.”
Vicky’s brow was wrinkled. “Who else did she give something to?”
“Julie for sure. Annabeth gave her the necklace that her husband gave to her right after he proposed.”
“She what?”
“Oh, I almost forgot… she left a message with your gift, too.”
“OK.”
“She said her husband Cam gave this to her after she beat cancer and so for her, it represents strength and new beginnings. She said that she wants you to have it because you’ve made this whole new life for yourself, and so you’re the best person to give this to.”
Vicky listened with a rising sense of worry. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
She opened the box and stared at its contents. “Oh, my God.”
“What is it?”
“Her engagement ring.”
They stared at each other in shock.
“This is all wrong, Phil… no way Annabeth would give this way. Unless –”
“Unless what?”
Vicky launched herself out of the bed. “I need to get back to the ranch. Right now.”
“What? Why?”
She was getting dressed at roughly the speed of light. “I’m not sure. I just – I just need to go see Annabeth.”
Phil got out of bed too. “You think she’s going to hurt herself?”
“I don’t know… but I do know that giving away items with real emotional and sentimental value is what people do just before they take their own lives.”
“Holy fuck,” Phil said. “I had the feeling something was off with her, but I figured it was about the anniversary of Cam’s death. I didn’t think that .”
“I know… and I may well be wrong, but I need to make sure.”
“Should I call Julie, have her go over to Annabeth’s cabin?”
“No. No, don’t do that.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“No, it’s OK. I’ll go alone.”
He followed her through the living room, watched her frantically search for her car keys. “Why do you want to do this? And alone?”
“Because, sweetheart,” she said. “I know all about wanting to die and planning to end it all. I thought about it every day for years, and more than once, I almost went through with it.” She opened the door. “If anyone can reason with her, hopefully I can.”
**
Annabeth watched the sun set over the Rockies and she sighed. That’s what she had been waiting for; the blazing orange and yellow and pink rays were stunning. That was the last thing on her list and she checked it off. All done, now.
She walked over to the kitchen counter and slowly opened the bottle of wine she had set aside for this night. The sleeping pills were in a bowl and she was surprised how harmless and innocent they looked. Almost like candy.
She opened the cupboard and took down one of the beautiful wine glasses. She had already written Julie a huge check to replace the broken dishes from the night before, and a handwritten apology. She really hoped that Julie would forgive her. For everything.
Annabeth poured a glass of wine and sat down near the window facing the mountains.
OK, just one glass of wine, to relax you. Then a few pills. Slowly now. No rush. Don’t screw this up.
As she sat and sipped, she remembered drinking this wine when Cam proposed, drinking it at her wedding. She smiled at the memories, then her mind jumped to Julie and Jake’s engagement. She wondered what kind of wine they were going to have at their engagement party with the staff, what kind of wine they’d have at their wedding. She wondered if she’d like the wine. She wondered what Julie’s dress would look like.
Then she thought about Vicky and Sonia moving in with Phil, and Phil’s invitation to the housewarming party. She wondered what their house would look like, and she imagined it as warm and open and bright, bursting with life and love. She wondered what
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