Loralee almost laughed at the mental image of her and Merritt wearing fluffy slippers and bathrobes with towels in their hair, curled up on a couch drinking coffee while sharing confidences. She had the disloyal thought that she’d see Owen playing professional football before that ever happened.
She and Gibbes ended up at the checkout even though Loralee still had grocery items on her list. But her energy reserves were below empty, and she was glad she’d had this conversation with him. He was an unlikely ally, but one she felt good about.
He placed his two items on the lip of the conveyor and began loading her purchases onto the belt. She wanted to tell him to go ahead, that she could do it herself, but knew she’d be lying. “Thank you,” she said instead, handing her credit card to the cashier.
Gibbes bagged her purchases and put them in her buggy before buying his own items, then escorted her out to her car, pushing the buggy and even loading her car. He didn’t ask permission. She liked that about him. He saw what needed to be done and did it. It reminded her of Merritt, although Loralee would rather dip her head in honey and lie down on a red-ant hill than say that aloud to either one of them.
“Thank you,” she said as he opened her door and she climbed in behind the wheel. She hit the start button and rolled down the windows, taking deep breaths of cool air.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine—please don’t worry about me.” She looked up at him, recognizing the same shadows she saw behind his eyes that she saw in Merritt’s. “And I’m sorry for your own loss. First your grandmother and then you find out that your brother is gone, too. I know you hadn’t seen him for a while, but I’m sure you’re grieving. It might help if you talk about him with somebody. Just let me know—you know I love to talk, but I’m a good listener, too.”
“You’re a nice person, Loralee. I hope living with Merritt doesn’t change that.”
She laughed softly. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. I understand Merritt. More than she thinks I do. She’s just one of those people who thinks they have to live with their toes pressed against the edge of disaster. She’s been pushed over it so many times she just comes to expect it. I think this place will be good for her. Every time I hear the mermaid’s tears I think they’re clapping to welcome Merritt.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Mermaid’s tears?”
“That’s what my mama called the sea glass.” Her smile fell at her next thought. “I hope you’re not upset that your grandmother left the house to your brother and now his widow is living in it. Especially since you grew up there.”
Gibbes shuffled his feet, uncomfortable. “Family tradition and all. Cal was the oldest son and so the house should rightly have gone to him—or his heirs. And she’s welcome to it.” He looked at Loralee, but she was pretty sure he was seeing something else. “If my grandmother had left it to me, I would have torn it down.”
He stepped back and closed her door, his hands braced on the frame. “Remember to let me know about any doctor recommendations you might need. Call me anytime.”
“I will. Thank you, Gibbes.” On impulse, Loralee touched his arm. “And remember to call me anytime you want to talk. I really am a good listener.”
“I’m sure you are. I’m just not sure anybody’s ready to hear what I have to say.” He pushed off from the car, his smile back in place. “I’ll let you know about the boating.”
After a final wave, he picked up his grocery bag and headed toward his truck. She rolled her window up as she watched him walk away, wondering what demons he still saw lurking in the dark corners of the old house, and if they knew the ones Merritt was running away from.
Slipping her pink journal out of her purse, she opened it at the spot she’d marked with her pen and began to write. The scariest things in our lives aren’t always the bogeymen under the bed. It’s the fear that the small bird with bound wings that lives in the darkest place in our hearts will one day find a way to break free.
She put on her seat belt, then drove back to the house on the bluff, thinking of the dark places in her own heart, and how much time she had before she had to face her biggest fear.
chapter 10
MERRITT