The woman in question glanced over at me, her eyes narrowed.
Yeah, I’d do as I was told.
Pick your battles, Bishop…this one wasn’t worth it.
Frustration pulsed through me with renewed energy since I rolled into Galloway Bay. This town had been my salvation and eventually my home until karma found me and took a devastating swipe, turning every part of my haven into a festering reminder that I didn’t deserve the sanctuary it offered.
I carried the broken parts of me from a shitty life, into this idyllic place. Relieved to have broken free from my nightmare, I failed to notice the broken pieces in me planting seeds that later flared to life in the fertile earth here. Standing ready to shatter any illusions I might have of peace.
Peace didn’t exist. Turmoil…and ironically, mayhem, I had those in spades.
The last of my burger down, I wiped my mouth and tossed my napkin on my plate. What flicker of good mood I’d found soured to shit.
This frame of mind called for hard liquor, a willing woman, or better…both.
But nope, I get to go home and deal with my sister.
My pregnant, moody, perceptive sister.
Life really knew how to deliver a merciless double nipple twist.
Tossing a hundred-dollar bill on the bar, I slid off the stool, but stopped when I spotted Patti waving her hands at me, rushing over with a takeout bag.
“Take this to your sister for me. On the house. Pregnancy is the one time you can eat your feelings with no judgment.”
“Pregnancy or not, it’s no one’s business what goes into our mouths.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
“What is it?”
“Prosciutto and Brussels sprout panini with her favorite pepper jack. Five minutes in that air fryer of hers and it will be just like it came fresh from the pass.”
“Brussels sprouts? She doesn’t like the vile little bastards.”
“Well, she does now…apparently that baby loves him some Brussels sprouts too.”
“Must get it from his dad. Thanks.” I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a squeeze. The lingering scent of her familiar floral perfume eased something bound tight in my chest and I closed my eyes.
“Welcome home,” she murmured before kissing me on the cheek, only to swipe at my skin a second later to wipe the lipstick print she no doubt left there.
“It’s temporary,” I said over my shoulder as I turned for the door.
“We’ll see,” she called to my retreating back.
Galloway Bay would never be what it once was for me. Too many mistakes and long memories would make sure of that.
It could never be home again, no matter how much I wished it could be.
Gravel crunched under my tires as I turned off Old Mill Road onto the winding driveway to the farm. Between the sound and the winking of stars peeking through the pine trees lining the drive, the night ignited dozens of memories, each taking aim at my most vulnerable places.
Gnashing my teeth, I forced them out of my head, knowing even if I planted the seeds of my warmest memories here, those seeds would only grow so far before the broken pieces of me, already flourishing in their maturity, choked them out, leaving them withered piles of lifeless hope.
I’d dared to hope for more once. I’d even reached for what I didn’t deserve only to be knocked on my ass for my audacity.
Damaged goods.
It never failed. Being home played games with my head and assaulted the fragments left of my bitter heart.
Rolling to a stop, I turned off the engine and clutched the wheel. Lamplight burned in the picture window in the living room as it had for decades from sundown until sun up every single night. A gift from my grandmother to my grandfather when they first bought the farm, she insisted it would always be on no matter how late he had to stay up, no matter what went wrong in the middle of the night, lighting the way back to her.
Lilith insisted it would do the same for me, for as long as it took.
She was pushy like that.
Colors flickered from the TV bathing the room in a colorful glow. The fluorescents over the kitchen sink illuminated my sister’s profile as she rubbed her round belly, a peaceful smile on her lips as she talked to her unborn son.
Okay, so maybe it didn’t all turn to shit. Lilith would get her happy ending. She’d always have peace.
She’d been through so much. She saw too damn much, but here in this town, in this farmhouse full of warm memories and familiar scents, she could raise her family with the love and nurturing we’d lost the day our mother died.
The minute I walked in, she would ask where I was. If I told her the truth, it’d start a fight.
Just like that, I was grateful for the panini bag sitting next to me…even if it did have Brussels sprouts lurking in it.
Shedding my impulse to avoid her, I headed inside. Clicking the door shut behind me, I turned the deadbolt before facing her.
“Hey, where have you been?” Lilith asked, cocking a hip against the counter and crossing her arms.
See, called it.
“Stopped in at Banked Track for a bit. Patti sent you this nightmare. Says you like it.” I handed over the bag and tossed my keys on the drop-leaf table before heading to the fridge for one last beer, wishing it was something a hell of a lot stronger.
Lilith’s senses only got stronger now that she hovered on the brink of motherhood. Now, if she just wouldn’t aim her keen talents on me, I might survive the next couple of months.
She peeled open the bag and her lips twitched. “For three hours?”
“You watching the clock now?” With a flick of my thumb and middle finger, I shot the cap at the key rack by the cellar door and watched it sink in the trash can, just like our grandpa taught me when I was a kid.
“You know he’s up there cheering
