unspecific,” Paxton said asthey walked to the kitchen. The housekeeper, Nola, was making dinner. Nola had been a fixture at Hickory Cottage for years. Her family had worked there for generations. She was a stickler for manners and respect, and Paxton and Colin had always given it to her. In return she’d given them secret snacks. Colin stopped to forage around in the refrigerator. Nola tsked at him and gave him one of the rolls she’d just made, then shooed them both out.
Colin followed Paxton to the patio, where she stopped and turned to him. “Out with it. Whose couch did you fall asleep on?”
He took a bite of the roll and smiled at her, which used to result in a smile back. Not now.
When he’d set eyes on his sister in the foyer yesterday, it had been the first time in almost a year, when she’d flown up to spend a week with him in New York to celebrate their thirtieth birthday. She’d been so excited by the prospect of finally moving out of Hickory Cottage. But those plans had fallen through—something that had their mother’s fingerprints all over it—and the difference between when he’d last seen Paxton and now was astounding. Unhappiness radiated from her like heat. She was beautiful, and always carried herself well, but she’d stayed too long in this house with their parents, shouldering absolutely everything it meant to be an Osgood. And it was partly his fault. He’d left her alone to deal with this. He’d known what was expected of him, and so had Paxton. But she’d embraced it. He’d wanted to establish something that was his alone, to prove that he could actually exist beyondWalls of Water. To Paxton, nothing existed outside Walls of Water.
“Come on,” Paxton said. “Tell me. Please?”
He finally shrugged and said, “It was Willa Jackson’s couch.”
Paxton looked surprised. “I had no idea you were friends with Willa.”
“I’m not,” he said, finishing the roll in another two bites. “When I was out yesterday, I saw her drop something, but I couldn’t catch up with her, so I thought I’d just drop it by her house. I had no idea how tired I really was. I think I embarrassed her.”
That made Paxton laugh. She didn’t do that often enough.
“So tell me about Willa,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the concrete balustrade.
Paxton adjusted that ever-present tote bag on her shoulder. “What do you want to know?”
“She seems to have a very quiet life.”
“Yes.” Paxton tilted her head. “Why are you surprised? Her family has always been quiet.”
“But Willa was the Walls of Water High School Joker,” he said.
“Yes?”
Paxton didn’t get it. Neither did he, exactly. “I just thought she’d be more … outgoing.”
“She grew up, Colin. We all did.”
He scratched his hand against the side of his face. “Why doesn’t she want to go to the gala? Her grandmother helped found the Women’s Society Club.”
“I don’t know. When I sent her the invitation, I wrote her a personal note about wanting to include her grandmother. But she blew me off.”
“She didn’t want to have anything to do with the restoration?”
Paxton looked confused by the question. “I didn’t ask her.”
“You didn’t ask if she had old photos or old papers? If she wanted to see what was going on inside as it was being restored? Anything?”
“There were enough photos on record to go by. Colin, honestly, this restoration was about contractors and designers and scouring art auctions and estate sales for period pieces. It didn’t have anything to do with Willa. What could she have contributed?”
He shrugged as he looked out over the patio, to the pool, the pool house, and the mountain landscape beyond. The rolling mountains looked like kids playing under a big green blanket. He had to admit, there was nowhere in the world like this place. Part of his heart was still here, somewhere. He just wished he knew where so he could take it
Colin followed Paxton to the patio, where she stopped and turned to him. “Out with it. Whose couch did you fall asleep on?”
He took a bite of the roll and smiled at her, which used to result in a smile back. Not now.
When he’d set eyes on his sister in the foyer yesterday, it had been the first time in almost a year, when she’d flown up to spend a week with him in New York to celebrate their thirtieth birthday. She’d been so excited by the prospect of finally moving out of Hickory Cottage. But those plans had fallen through—something that had their mother’s fingerprints all over it—and the difference between when he’d last seen Paxton and now was astounding. Unhappiness radiated from her like heat. She was beautiful, and always carried herself well, but she’d stayed too long in this house with their parents, shouldering absolutely everything it meant to be an Osgood. And it was partly his fault. He’d left her alone to deal with this. He’d known what was expected of him, and so had Paxton. But she’d embraced it. He’d wanted to establish something that was his alone, to prove that he could actually exist beyondWalls of Water. To Paxton, nothing existed outside Walls of Water.
“Come on,” Paxton said. “Tell me. Please?”
He finally shrugged and said, “It was Willa Jackson’s couch.”
Paxton looked surprised. “I had no idea you were friends with Willa.”
“I’m not,” he said, finishing the roll in another two bites. “When I was out yesterday, I saw her drop something, but I couldn’t catch up with her, so I thought I’d just drop it by her house. I had no idea how tired I really was. I think I embarrassed her.”
That made Paxton laugh. She didn’t do that often enough.
“So tell me about Willa,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the concrete balustrade.
Paxton adjusted that ever-present tote bag on her shoulder. “What do you want to know?”
“She seems to have a very quiet life.”
“Yes.” Paxton tilted her head. “Why are you surprised? Her family has always been quiet.”
“But Willa was the Walls of Water High School Joker,” he said.
“Yes?”
Paxton didn’t get it. Neither did he, exactly. “I just thought she’d be more … outgoing.”
“She grew up, Colin. We all did.”
He scratched his hand against the side of his face. “Why doesn’t she want to go to the gala? Her grandmother helped found the Women’s Society Club.”
“I don’t know. When I sent her the invitation, I wrote her a personal note about wanting to include her grandmother. But she blew me off.”
“She didn’t want to have anything to do with the restoration?”
Paxton looked confused by the question. “I didn’t ask her.”
“You didn’t ask if she had old photos or old papers? If she wanted to see what was going on inside as it was being restored? Anything?”
“There were enough photos on record to go by. Colin, honestly, this restoration was about contractors and designers and scouring art auctions and estate sales for period pieces. It didn’t have anything to do with Willa. What could she have contributed?”
He shrugged as he looked out over the patio, to the pool, the pool house, and the mountain landscape beyond. The rolling mountains looked like kids playing under a big green blanket. He had to admit, there was nowhere in the world like this place. Part of his heart was still here, somewhere. He just wished he knew where so he could take it