The Suite Spot (Beck Sisters #2)(33)

Mason parks the truck in the unloading zone and while I’m taking Maisie from her car seat, he puts our suitcases on the curb.

“Where’s your suitcase?” Maisie asks him.

“I’m not going to Florida with you,” he says, but when her face begins to pucker into tears, he squats down to her level, a gesture that makes my heart feel like it’s going to break out of my chest and offer itself to him.

“Hey, listen,” Mason says gently. “I have to stay home and take care of Yōkai while you’re hanging out with your daddy and your grandma—”

“She’s called Oma.”

“Right, Oma,” he says. “You go visit Oma and I’ll keep Yōkai company until you get back, okay?”

“Okay.” Maisie flings her arms around Mason, nearly toppling him backward. He steadies them both and pats her gently on the shoulder.

Thank you, I mouth.

He gives me a thumbs-up.

I take Maisie’s hand and she pulls her tiny suitcase behind her as we go through the sliding doors into the terminal. I glance over my shoulder. Mason is standing on the curb in front of the truck. He’s still wearing sunglasses, so I can’t see his eyes, but he lifts his hand in a wave before turning to go.





CHAPTER 12



Aspaldiko

Basque

“the euphoria and happiness felt when catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a long time”



Anna is waiting for us at the end of the concourse, and I almost don’t recognize her. Her pale hair is pulled back in a loose braid and her fair skin is tanner than I’ve ever seen it. But more than that, she looks … less fragile. She’s still my tiny, beautiful sister, but she’s gained some necessary weight, and her smile is real. She’s happy. Maisie tugs her hand out of mine and runs straight into her arms, screaming, “Auntie Anna! Auntie Anna!”

“Look how tall you are!” Anna exclaims. “You must be a grown-up lady now, right?”

Maisie giggles. “I’m a little girl.”

With my daughter clinging to her side like a limpet, Anna reaches over the suitcases and hugs me. She smells like sunscreen and a lemony soap that reminds me of Mason. “God, Rachel, I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

Anna carries Maisie as I walk alongside her, pulling the suitcases.

“When did you get here?” I ask.

“We flew in yesterday.”

“Keane came with you?”

“Yeah,” she says. “I figured if I was going to keep circling the globe with the guy, it might be nice if you and Mom finally got to meet him.”

I sneak a quick glance at her hand to see if there’s an engagement ring there. “Is this your weird way of saying you’re getting married?”

She laughs. “Maybe someday, but for now we’re … us.”

“Auntie Anna.” Maisie touches Anna’s cheek to get her attention. “I have a cat.”

“You do?”

“Her name is Yōkai.”

Anna gives me a quizzical look.

“The cat actually belongs to Mason, my boss,” I explain. “She’s a terror on four legs to everyone but Maisie and we have no idea why. They sleep together every night, and Yōkai waits for her to come home from preschool.”

At the mention of preschool, Maisie launches into a run-on story that begins with school, bounces from Leo to riding the Kelleys Island ferry, and ends with a color-by-color description of the Mexican blanket in Mason’s truck. By the time she finishes, we’ve arrived at Anna’s rental car. I’m touched that she remembered to rent a car seat.

“How’s Mom doing?” I ask as we leave the parking garage.

“I thought she’d be more nostalgic about leaving the house,” Anna says. “But she says it feels like closure. Like, Dad is finally gone.”

“But there are so many good memories attached to that house.”

“You’re right, but she still has us, and we can make new memories no matter where she’s living. And I think that’s where her head is right now.”

“Have you seen the new place in person?” I ask.

“She wanted to wait until you and Maisie got here.”

“God, that’s so sweet.”

“Before we get to the house and the hugging and the kissing and the Maisie-squeezing starts, I just wanted to apologize for … being such a brat,” Anna says. “I know I got on your last nerve so many times after Ben died.”

“Please don’t apologize for that,” I say. “I didn’t understand until I got fired. And I know that doesn’t compare to losing Ben, but it shouldn’t have taken me losing anything to be better at empathy. So, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“Thank you,” she says with a small smile. “Now, tell me about the job.”

“It’s amazing,” I say, and I feel like Maisie, babbling nonstop to Anna about having a hand in designing the hotel and my antique-buying excursions. I tell her about the island and book club. “I’ve even been going to yoga class.”

“How do you like it?”

“I’ve only been a few times, but so far I love it.”