The Sisters' Secrets: Reen

by Katlyn Duncan

  ‘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 bac
k 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.