Until Then

by McLaughlin, Heidi

  “You’re so good to them, Simi.”

  “They’re my family. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them,” Simone said with a wink as she disappeared into the kitchen.

  Rennie poured herself a cup of coffee and picked up a doughnut off the tray and made her way into the ballroom. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Inside, the ballroom was a winter wonderland. Garland with white lights and red ribbon covered every window casing. Every chair had bows made from tulle, and each table had a wreath centerpiece with votive candles, lit and shimmering. There was a large tree in the corner, decorated elegantly with wrapped presents underneath, and beside it sat a throne with red velvet cushions. At the other end of the room, families stood in line as they waited to have their portraits taken in front of the picturesque backdrop. Rennie was in awe of her friend’s talent.

  “Morning, Ren.” Bowie came toward her and kissed her on the cheek. “Brooklyn is over there, in the corner, if you’re looking for her.”

  “Thanks. This place looks amazing.”

  “It’s all Brooklyn,” Bowie told her as he looked in the direction of his fiancée. “She’s the visionary. I just do what I’m told.”

  “You do more than that, Bowie. You love her, and that’s all she’s ever wanted.”

  “Me too.” Bowie exited the room. Rennie stood there for another moment, absorbing the magic, before she made her way through the crowds of people. She reached Brooklyn, and before the two hugged, Rennie set her coffee down, knowing she would likely spill once she and Brooklyn were together.

  They hugged tightly and rocked back and forth a bit. When they parted, Rennie said, “B, I can’t believe you did this. I’ve seen most of the houses you’ve redone, but this by far is your masterpiece.”

  Brooklyn had a delighted look on her face. “I think this project has been my favorite so far.”

  “I can see why. You’ve brought the North Pole to Cape Harbor. Not only are the kids excited, but the parents look very happy. Heck, I even want to join in the fun.”

  Brooklyn pointed over Rennie’s shoulder. She turned and followed to find her niece sitting at a table with both sets of her grandparents. “You can sit with them if you’d like.”

  Under normal circumstances, Rennie would gladly sit with Brooklyn’s family, but Rennie wasn’t feeling herself. She was worried about Graham and Grady, even though Grady was in the best place he could be at the moment, and she felt a strong disconnect with Theo . . . her thoughts went to him immediately.

  “What’s wrong, Ren?”

  She shook her head slightly. “I may have forgotten to tell Theo I came here.” Rennie felt about two feet tall. A sense of guilt washed over her. As of late, she was insensitive toward Theo and absentminded when it came to him. “Fu—” She covered her mouth to keep the slur trapped inside.

  Brooklyn took Rennie by the arm and pulled her toward the back of the ballroom, through the glass door, and out onto the covered balcony, away from the party. “Spill.”

  “I don’t know, B. Things are off between us. It’s like when you’re on the highway, and you see a sign for the town you want to go to, but you stay on until the next exit—I feel like Theo got off on the first exit, and I kept driving. We’re not on the same page for anything, which is stupid because nothing has changed between us, except I haven’t seen him since before he went to Japan.” Rennie sighed heavily. “I just think we are both overworked, and everything will be fine once we go on vacation after Christmas.”

  “Isn’t he spending Christmas with you? Honestly, Ren, when you called and said you were coming, I thought something had happened between you because I didn’t expect to see you until Christmas morning. I know it’s only a couple days away, and I love you dearly, but why aren’t you with Theo?”

  Rennie stared at her friend, hoping the answer would appear on her face. It didn’t, and Rennie had no idea what to say other than “I don’t know. I need to go call him.”

  Back in her room, Rennie threw on her oversize sweatshirt, picked up her phone, and went out to sit on her balcony. She pulled her legs to her chest and dialed Theo’s number. Her call went right to voice mail. She tried again, only to get the same result. By the third call, she opened her mouth to leave a message but thought better of it. They needed to talk. He would see her missed calls and call her back, hopefully sooner rather than later.

  Her thoughts drifted over the past month, and she tried to pinpoint when her relationship with Theo slipped. It could’ve been Thanksgiving, when he hadn’t called. Not that she would’ve noticed, because she was busy with Graham and Grady’s situation. It seemed everything was fine before then, but why the change in her? Admittedly, it wasn’t because she had spent an uncomfortable weekend at the hospital with her friend, regardless of their past. Something bugged her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  Rennie’s phone rang, and Theo’s face displayed on her phone. She held it in her hand for a moment and looked at him before answering. “Hey,” she said.

  “Hi. What’s so urgent?” he asked in a hushed tone.

  Rennie paused. No “Hi, love” or “Hello, sweetheart,” and he whispered. Why would he whisper if he was in his apartment?

  “Where are you?”

  “At home, why?”

  “Why are you whispering?” Her tone was accusatory and demanding.

  “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked sweetly. Rennie heard a door click and wondered what was going on. Why was he short with her and speaking in hushed tones?

  “Is there someone there with you, Theo?”

  “Renee, what is going on?” His demeanor changed to forceful and serious.

  “Nothing. It just seems like you’re whispering and being secretive.”

  “I’m busy,” he said. “I’m trying to pack for San Diego.”

  Rennie’s teeth clamped down on her lower lip as her mind said “Fuck.” She had forgotten about his trip. Even worse, she’d told him she couldn’t go, and yet she’d taken vacation early because her boss had pissed her off. “Oh, right. I forgot about the trip.”

  “You forgot I was leaving?”

  “No, it slipped my mind. Anyway, I just wanted to talk. I miss you, Theo.”

  “I’ll be in Seattle in a few days, and then we’ll be in Canada together.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What is it?” he asked. She could tell him where she was and have him drive to Cape Harbor, or she could go back to Seattle. The thing was, she had already brought all her Christmas presents with her, along with her work, and she really didn’t feel like being alone. She stood and leaned over the railing. Down below, she spotted a couple of guys milling around on the beach. For a moment, she thought one of them could be Graham coming to hang out with Bowie, but Graham was on his way to Port Angeles to see Grady for family therapy. Why was Graham at the forefront of her thoughts suddenly?

  “Renee?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry, just thinking.”

  “About?”

  “About Christmas.”

  “What is there to think about? We have a plan.”

  Rennie sat back down and sighed. She had to rip the bandage off, no matter how bad it was going to hurt. “Theo, I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind lately and decided last night to drive up to Brooklyn’s.”

  Theo was silent for much longer than Rennie thought he would be. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it.

  “Let me see if I can understand this. I ask you to go away with me, and you tell me no because you have to work and then the next day decide to go to Cape Harbor?”

  She was the worst girlfriend in the history of girlfriends. “I’ll make it up to you, Theo. I’m sorry. When I thought about coming here, I should’ve called you and made arrangements to meet up. When you come back, fly into Seattle, and I’ll pick you up, and then we can wake up the next day, order room service, and never leave my room.”

  Theo cleared his throat. “I don’t want to spend Christmas w
ith your friends, Renee. You know this. I only agreed to drive up Christmas afternoon because I want to make you happy. Waking up in a hotel is not how I want to spend our holiday together.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’ll go back to my place. Everything will be as planned.” As she said the words, tears pricked in her eyes. She wanted to spend time with everyone she loved, even her parents, but they were who knows where. Brooklyn and Brystol were her family, and this was where she wanted to be. Why couldn’t he see that?

  Theo sighed. “Don’t. We’ll compromise. I’ll come up, but I want you to do me a favor.”

  “What is it? I’ll do anything to fix this.” She would. She loved him that much to do whatever he asked unless it meant giving up her family in Cape Harbor.

  “I know we talked about my company opening a field office in Seattle. It’s looking more and more unlikely. I hate the distance between us and want to wake up to you every morning, Renee.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “After the first of the year, I’d like for you to look for jobs in Spokane. I know it’s not what we discussed, but it makes the most sense.”

  Um . . . no, it doesn’t.

  “Theo, I’m not sure what to say.”

  “Say nothing,” he told her. “Think about it. Look at firms that might interest you, or look for office space and think about opening your own firm. Peruse neighborhoods with big fancy houses you want to live in. After the first of the year, you’ll come over here, and we’ll tour. I’ll take you to all my favorite spots. We’ll go ice-skating at the park and make love by the fire. Love, I think this is for the best.”

  She didn’t, and she didn’t foresee her mind changing anytime soon. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

  “I love you, Renee. I’ll call you when I get to San Diego.”

  After she told him she loved him in return, they hung up. Rennie stayed in the chair and let tears stream down her face. She loved where she lived, her job, and being close to Brooklyn. If she moved, she’d be six hours away, and her weekends at the inn would come to a halt. Rennie wasn’t sure if she was okay with that.

  She went back into her room and changed into sweats. Rennie was content to hang out by herself for a bit. She opened her laptop and searched through her streaming service to find a rom-com to watch. As luck would have it, each movie she was interested in had to do with weddings or babies, neither a topic she wanted to think about.

  Rennie closed her laptop and picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. When she reached Walter’s name, she pressed the icon and put him on speaker.

  “Hello?”

  “Walter, it’s Renee Wallace. How are you?”

  “Merry Christmas,” he said instead of answering her. Walter was a retired police detective who couldn’t give up the job. He started doing investigative work to keep his mind fresh, and Rennie used him as much as she could. “To what do I owe the pleasure on this fine day?”

  He made her smile. Every time they spoke, he had this way of cheering her up. “I have a job for you.” Rennie opened her folder on the Chamberlains and gave him a full rundown of everything going on.

  “So, you want me to look into this girl, her friends, family, and the days leading up to the accident?”

  “Yes, I have a hunch that it was my other client who provided the alcohol.” She explained that Graham and Grady were twins, and even though extensive alcohol use made Grady look older, the men still looked very similar.

  “I’m intrigued.”

  Rennie laughed. “I knew you would be. Start after the first of the year. My client hasn’t been served yet, but I’m expecting it any day.”

  “I’m on it. Have yourself a merry Christmas.”

  “You too, Walter. Give Lois all my love.”

  Rennie felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders once they hung up. Walter would uncover the truth, which would undoubtedly point the finger at Grady. However, if Rennie remembered correctly, the burden of proof would fall on the plaintiff, and the way Rennie looked at this case, it was a lot of he said, she said. However, she would confer with Jefferson after the first of the year to make sure.

  Feeling a bit better, she went back to her laptop and turned on a movie. She lay down, and it wasn’t long before she dozed off. When she woke, the credits scrolled on the screen, and there was a suggestion for a similar movie waiting for her. She reached for her phone and found a message from Graham.

  Graham Cracker: I owe you dinner. Tonight? My place?

  Without hesitation, she told him she’d be there.

  SIXTEEN

  “Is that a snowflake?” Graham’s mom pointed to the windshield. “Oh, there’s another one,” she said, only for the wipers to clear the window. “Turn those off, Graham. I want to see if it’s snowing.”

  “If he turns the wipers off, Johanna, he won’t be able to see. And if he can’t see, he’s liable to drive up right into the damn ocean. Let him drive,” George shouted from the back.

  For whatever reason, whenever George sat in the back of Graham’s SUV, he felt the need to yell to the passengers up front. He didn’t speak loudly. He screamed because he said no one could ever hear him. Graham heard him plenty but chose most of the time to ignore his father.

  In the days since Grady’s hospitalization, George Chamberlain found himself at odds with his wife and other son. Johanna and Graham refused to play by George’s rules when it came to Grady, and each had put their foot down. Graham wasn’t sure what changed his father’s mind, but he suspected it was when the doctor told them, without a doubt, if Grady didn’t get sober, he was going to die. It wasn’t an if but a when.

  When Graham picked his parents up for family therapy, he expected George to grumble, to claim illness, or to declare there was a can’t-miss game on television. Still, he surprised his son and wife by walking to the car and climbing into the back seat without any prodding. Of course, the situation was this: if Johanna and Graham wanted George to go with them, they were going to have to deal with his constant yelling.

  You’re driving the wrong way.

  You didn’t stop at the stop sign long enough.

  Are you sure you’re going the right way?

  Did you buy a ticket for the ferry?

  We won’t make it in time.

  Put the game on, will ya?

  The demanding tone, gruffness, and volume of chatter gave Graham a headache. If it wasn’t his father saying something, it was his mother and her eagerness to have a white Christmas.

  “I don’t think it’s snow, Mom.” Graham leaned forward and looked out the window toward the sky. It was gray, overcast, and trying to rain.

  “Someday, I would love a white Christmas,” she said quietly as she gazed out the passenger window.

  “We can take a ride east if you’d like,” he said, offering to take his parents to the mountains. “We could rent a lodge and have a nice quiet Christmas. No outside distractions.” Even though he offered, he knew his mother and father would never take him up on it, nor would it be feasible this close to Christmas to find an available lodge to rent.

  “It sounds nice, but your father would never go for it. He can’t stay away from that damn television or the Loyal Order of the Sasquatch. Did you know they don’t like women in there? We’re allowed, of course, but every time I walk in there, the place goes silent. It makes me wonder what they’re talking about.”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say women,” Graham said through laughter. He loved how worked up his mother became over his father’s Sasquatch group. A couple of times a year, the group came into the bar for lunch. They always chose to sit in the back, and anytime Graham or any of the staff members got too close, they’d zip their lips.

  His mom swatted him and laughed. “Knowing your father, he’s in there complaining about having to make his lunch when I go out with the gals.”

  “You’re talking about me like I can’t even hear you, Johanna.”

  “I know
you can, George,” Johanna huffed.

  “Well, what do you and the gals talk about?” Graham prodded as he drove toward Port Angeles.

  Johanna blushed at Graham’s question. “Women stuff.”

  George and Graham chuckled. “So, it’s okay for you and the ladies to talk about us, but we can’t talk about you?” George asked as he leaned forward, sticking his head between the seats.

  Graham had seen a slight change in his father, one he attributed to Grady’s most recent accident. He would never wish harm on his brother, but in a way, he was thankful for everything that happened Thanksgiving weekend. George and Grady needed a wake-up call.

  She brushed him off. “It’s not the same, and you know it. We talk about new cleaning products we’re using or how we got a certain stain out of a shirt. You silly men . . . well, who knows what you guys go on and on with for hours.”

  “Talk about sports, who caught the biggest fish, and how retirement is treating us.”

  Graham smiled. For the first time in a while, he enjoyed spending this time with his parents when they were like this. It had been a long time since he had seen his father act playfully toward his mother. He even saw his father hug his mom the other day, which made Johanna cry, and when Graham asked her why she had tears in her eyes, she said it had been years since he’d touched her.

  When they pulled up to the ferry booth, Graham showed the attendant their reservation. After they parked on the ferry, Graham helped his mom out of the car and held on to her until they were seated on the top deck. Surprisingly, his father followed. Their last trip on the ferry, George had stayed in the car. As soon as the boat pulled away from the port, Johanna excused herself, telling Graham and George she had to use the restroom, and left the two of them alone.

  The Chamberlain men looked out the window, watching the passing scenery. A young boy stood next to George and pointed out the window. “What do you see?” George asked him. Graham turned his attention toward his father and watched him interact with the young boy.