OPENING THE DOOR, I smiled when I saw Nate standing there. “I hope you know getting this key away from our mother was damn near impossible.”
I patted him on the back as he walked in. “But not impossible.”
“No, nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it … and lie.”
I let out a chuckle. “What did you tell her?”
“That I was meeting an old friend in Helena and she was interested in old Victorian houses. Just the idea that I might meet and settle down with a girl here in Montana was enough for her to hand me the keys no questions asked.”
Laughing, I shook my head as Nate looked around. “Where is your evil girlfriend who tricked me into promising her my life? Mom would be so upset if she knew she wasn’t the one showing Ava the house.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “That was your own stupidity to make the bet with her. And she’s upstairs with her head buried in Kate’s old sketches and Mom will never find out.”
He flopped down onto the sofa and kicked his feet up. “Don’t you think it’s crazy Ava is a designer and that is what Kate wanted to be.”
With a shrug of my shoulders, I replied, “It’s a coincidence that’s for sure.”
“And wedding dresses. You don’t find that a little … weird?” he asked lifting his eyebrow in question.
The moment we found the sketches, I could see it in Ava’s eyes how thrilled she was. When she opened the last sketchbook Kate had been working in, Ava gasped and stared at it. I finally just let her be as she poured over the books.
“I know Ava was thrilled to find Kate’s designs. Especially the stuff she was working on before she died. She kept going on and on about how talented Kate was and for being so young.”
Nate looked away. “I don’t understand why she had to die when she had such a full life ahead of her.”
I nodded but didn’t speak. Kate’s death had taken a toll on all of us. Dani and Jennifer, especially. The three of them had always been so close. Kate had always liked her alone time in the old house, but when the three of them got together it was endless laughter and romantic daydreaming.
We sat there for a few moments as we looked around. Our sister had died in this house, but for some reason it never really hit me until this very moment. “Why do you think this house meant so much to her?”
Nate shook his head. “I don’t know. She said she felt like she was more creative here. Like it was her secret garden or something.”
I nodded my head. “Ava says the same thing. She also keeps talking about how she feels like there is a presence here in the house.”
“Creepy. I’ve never felt comfortable in this house and I’m not really sure why.”
“Ryder?” Ava called out from up behind us. When we both turned to see her sliding down the stairs on her ass.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Nate asked with a snicker.
I jumped up and ran over to her, taking the sketchbooks from her hands and handing them to Nate. “Why didn’t you tell me you were ready to come down?”
With the sweetest smile ever, she scrunched up her nose and said, “Well, you were talking to Nate and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Once I got her standing, she looked to Nate as he smiled and asked, “So? Are we headed to Helena?”
I could tell my brother was enjoying this little adventure probably as much as Ava, even though he would never admit it. That, or he knew a girl in the city and was planning on hooking up with her tonight since we would be staying overnight.
“Yes! I’m so ready, but first I have to show you both something your sister was working on.” She took one of the sketchbooks and put it on the table, opening it to the last drawing.
“She seemed to have a thing for gowns and wedding dresses. This dress, though … I can’t even form the words in my head. I have to show you for you to understand. Nate, will you hand me that pad over there?”
Nate spun around and walked over to the desk and picked up the color pencils I had on the sketchpad. When he looked at the wedding dress, he lifted his eyebrows. “Wow … Ava, is this your design?”
Her cheeks turned red as she took the pad. “It’s mine, yes. Ever since I got to the house, I’ve never felt so creative and I couldn’t wait to start on my own designs after I finished up what Maurice had sent me. I truly felt like I could really step outside my normal thing, and by normal I mean the limits to which Maurice lets me step. But after a few days in the house, I started to picture this dress in my mind. I started it a week ago in my spare time. When I saw what Kate had been working on … well … needless to say I was stunned by the similarities to which her and I design.”
Placing her drawing down next to Kate’s, I could believe my eyes. “Here, y’all take a look for yourselves.”
“Wow,” I whispered as I took both gowns in. Clearly Kate hadn’t finished hers, and Ava was almost done with her design.
Nate leaned in closer. “If I didn’t know any better I’d … I’d say …”