you want to write down the code?’ Rose asked.
Reen narrowed her eyes. ‘No thanks.’
Rose opened the door. ‘After you.’
Reen walked through, cautiously taking one step at a time as she didn’t know the way to Mom’s room. Rose took the lead. Was this her way of showing how superior she was to Reen? Reen wouldn’t put it past her.
‘Over here,’ Rose said, gesturing toward one of the doors.
Rose entered the room, disappearing inside. Hesitating by the door, Reen craned her neck to look down the hallway, delaying the inevitable.
‘Reen,’ Rose called from inside.
Reen gritted her teeth and stepped through.
From the open windows, a cool breeze filtered through the room. Even though it was incredibly hot out for late afternoon, the familiar scent from the ocean tickled her nose. In the distance, waves crashed over the sand, beckoning her to jump into their comforting embrace. The water wasn’t in the backyard, as it had been at home, but it was closer than Reen had experienced in her time away from The Burrow.
A half-closed cream-colored curtain separated the two beds, forcing Reen forward to see her mother after all these years. Each footstep matched the slow pound of her heartbeat in her chest.
Reen’s eyes fell to the dresser. There were several picture frames from their home, including one she hadn’t seen in years. For one Mother’s Day, Reen had glued several types of shells from the beach onto a cheap frame. She recalled how Mom had lit up at the gift.
‘It’s the one you made,’ Rose said.
‘Yeah, I know.’ Reen kept her hands by her sides. One of the shells was missing, and she wondered if Rose had saved it or thrown it away. Reen wanted to look in the drawers to find it, buying herself a little more time.
‘Pearl,’ Rose said, and Reen stiffened. ‘You have a visitor today.’
Reen steeled herself and turned, facing the one person she hadn’t intended seeing ever again. At least not here. Before Mom’s diagnosis, Reen had visions of her mother popping up in random locations at each new place she visited. At a local diner or Reen’s apartment. She imagined Mom showing up at one of her jobs and begging her youngest daughter to come back home. Or at least opening communication between them again. But none of those dreams were real. They were only in Reen’s mind. She hadn’t thought of them in some time. A heaviness settled in her chest.
The sleeping woman lying on the bed wasn’t who Reen expected. It appeared as if a lifetime had passed since she’d seen Mom last. The long brown locks of hair, which Reen had braided as a child, had turned stiff and gray. Her face was more serene than ever, but she’d aged so much in the time since Reen had lived in The Burrow. It didn’t seem possible, but the proof lay in front of her.
‘Mom?’ The word fell from Reen’s lips. Even though she knew she’d said it aloud, Mom didn’t move.
‘The doctor says she’s been sleeping a lot. I try to come when she’s awake, but that’s not always predictable,’ Rose said.
‘What happened to her?’ Reen asked. ‘I thought she had dementia or whatever. This – she looks horrible.’
‘Nice,’ Rose said, rolling her eyes. ‘She can hear you, even if she’s asleep.’
‘What do you want me to say, Rose?’ Reen lowered her voice. ‘You didn’t preface this properly.’
‘I told you she wasn’t doing well. Did you need a photograph? If you asked questions or visited more often—’
‘Don’t do this,’ Reen said, pushing away from the bed. It jostled under her touch. She froze, staring at her mother. But the woman on the bed didn’t move a muscle. ‘Don’t guilt me about not visiting. Just because she’s like this, it doesn’t forgive everything.’
‘Doesn’t it?’ Rose said. ‘She tried to contact you. She wanted to apologize. You made that difficult for all of us. By the time you reached out, it was too late. She wasn’t herself anymore.’
Reen drew in heavy breaths through her nose. The room tilted slightly, and the scents of the ocean and cleaning products filled her head, making her dizzy. ‘I can’t do this.’ She fled the room, barely hearing her sister’s voice calling for her.
Rose caught up with Reen before she reached her car. Reen recalled memories of Rose charging from base to base during the softball games Mom and Dad dragged Reen to as a child. Her sister was still as quick.
‘I know it’s hard. It’s not easy for me either,’ Rose said, barely out of breath.
She hated that she allowed Rose to continue the conversation she didn’t want to have.
‘I don’t want to talk about this,’ Reen said, rubbing her temples. Searing pain radiated from her head. She wasn’t sure if it was the scent of the seawater or the inevitability of a fight with Rose. She regretted coming back.
‘I don’t want you to leave,’ Rose said, grabbing her keys from her bag. She fumbled with the ring, plucking one out of the bunch. ‘Here. Take my apartment for the night.’
Reen gritted her teeth. ‘I was going to stay in one of the inns.’
‘You don’t have to. I’ll stay with Shane tonight,’ Rose said. ‘You’ll have my place to yourself. I don’t want you to pay for a hotel. You can stay as long as you want.’
‘I have to go,’ Reen said, even though she didn’t. The longer she stayed, the more her memories surfaced, and the familiar pull of her home became stronger. Those tendrils wrapped around her limbs and started to not-so-gently pull her back.
Rose sighed and shook her head. ‘Dinner still stands for tonight. But no pressure. Let me know if you change your mind.’
She wouldn’t.
‘I know it’s a lot to handle,’ Rose said.
Reen wanted to get Rose off her back, so she took the key from her sister. ‘What’s the address?’
Rose told her.
‘I’ll leave the key in the mailbox or something. I’ll let you know.’
Rose nodded. ‘It was good to see you.’ She reached out a hand as if she were going to touch her but thought better of it.
‘You too,’ Reen said. Her throat was thick. She got into her rental car and tossed Rose’s apartment key into the cup holder. She pulled out of the spot, toward the exit. Checking her rearview mirror, she spotted Rose going back inside The Cottage. To do what? Stare at Mom?
Reen shook her head as a chill rolled down her spine. Rose was a glutton for punishment.
The clock read after five-thirty. She needed a place to hide. Like hell was she going back to Rose’s apartment until she had to. Being in The Burrow at all was a reminder of her past. She’d delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
