Second Chances in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #3)

58. Epilogue

Epilogue

A ngie and her sisters were all gathered in their mother’s backyard. As it was so warm, they were having Sunday brunch outside. Gail and Esther and Suzanne were absent, having rented a cottage in the Finger Lakes for the week.

They’d turned the calendar page to August, and it wouldn’t be long before summer was over. Angie pushed that thought from her mind, deciding to enjoy the beautiful day.

They all took turns carrying brunch items outside. The sound of a neighbor’s mower filled the air. Birds chirped along the back fence, flitting from one birdhouse or feeder to another.

For the first time in a long time, she felt like herself. She had the energy levels of the old Angie. That didn’t mean she spent more hours at her café; it meant she had more time and energy to enjoy life.

She’d made a batch of her cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese frosting and was in the process of tackling one with a fork. She and her mother and sisters were lined up on lawn chairs, watching all the birds at the feeder and the bumblebees flying lazily from one flower to the next.

Louise kicked off the conversation. “Has anyone spoken to DeeDee recently?”

No one spoke up at first.

“Gosh, it’s been a couple of weeks,” Maureen said. “It was a text, though.”

“Same here,” Nadine said.

Angie thought back. “I called her two weeks ago, but it went to voicemail. She texted me the next day and said she was super busy with rehearsals and would call me when she got a chance.”

“That’s what I mean,” Louise said. But they weren’t sure what she was getting at.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Nadine asked, sipping her coffee.

A robin flitted around in the grass, chirping and picking up seed that had spilled from the feeder.

“Well, I always talk to DeeDee three times a week. But lately, she has one excuse after another. She’s going off to rehearsal, she has a date, or she’s going away. But I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean?”

“For instance, she told me the name of the play she’s in, but then when I spoke to her again, she gave me a totally different name.”

“Do you think she’s not working at the moment?” Maureen asked.

“That’s exactly what I think.” Louise said.

“What about the boyfriend?” Nadine asked.

With DeeDee, there’d never been any shortage of boyfriends. Vivacious and pretty, she was never alone for long.

“She never mentions him anymore. And when I ask about him, she always says something vague like ‘he’s fine.’”

“You think they broke up?” Angie asked.

“Yes. I think she’s possibly unemployed and hurting after a recent breakup.”

“Plus, she’s gone off the grid with us,” Maureen said.

Louise looked worriedly at her daughters. “Something’s not right. I can feel it in my waters. I was thinking of flying down there, but she’s so thin-skinned.”

DeeDee had always been high-strung and sensitive, ever since she was a child. Angie didn’t know if it was her personality or if it was from being the youngest of four girls. She couldn’t say either way.

“No, Mom, you don’t have to go, I’ll go,” Maureen said.

Nadine piped in. “I’ll go too.”

“Me too,” Angie added.

“Do we want to fly or drive?” Nadine asked.

Florida was about a twenty-hour drive.

Angie raised her hand. “A road trip might be fun.”

“I think so too,” Maureen said.

It was agreed then that the three of them would clear their schedules and drive off as soon as possible to see what was going on with their youngest sister.