Somewhere Over the Freaking Rainbow - By L.L. Muir Page 0,25

with lighthouses in the corners, Jamison was disappointed to find the letter very short with large letters taking up space.

Dear Lori,

I caught Mickey in Parker’s barn the day after your wedding, in the arms of Parker’s wife. He laughed and offered to leave Colorado for good if I’d loan him the money to do it. I gave him enough to see him to Hell.

I wanted to spare you a bad marriage, aye? Would you not have done the same?

I love you. I won’t last long without the sight of you.

Forgive me.

Da

In spite of all the letter said, of the questions answered not to mention the father issues, the letter raised one silly question in Jamison’s mind:

Where did Skye fit in?

CHAPTER TEN

Jamison read the letter aloud, following his mother around the kitchen while she slammed things around, pretending not to listen. Finally, when his mother dissolved into tears, he handed her the little blue page and a wad of unused tissue and went to his room. He figured she’d be ready to go to the Recovery Center in about an hour or so.

There were still a few things of his grandmother’s in his room; a housecoat on the back of the door, a fishing pole mounted above the window, and a strange little table next to the bed. She used to keep old Harlequin romances in the drawer. He’d tossed the books, but the table was all right staying. The bed, finally, was his own.

The housecoat had to go, and as he was taking it off the hook, his eye caught on an envelope propped up against the blue and silver drum that had served as his piggy bank for as long as he could remember. He might have never noticed the envelope if he hadn’t been so recently obsessed with finding a mysterious letter.

He draped the quilted housecoat on the back of his desk chair, taking a second to feel the satiny fabric his grandma had been so fond of. He remembered finding her in her bedroom one day lying on the floor in her pajamas, laughing her head off.

“Watch this, Jamie,” she’d said to him. Then, wearing her satin pajamas, she stepped back into the corner, then ran and jumped on her massive bed, sliding across the tricot sheets, and with no friction to stop her, landed again on her butt.

She hadn’t repeated the trick, claiming that she’d never walk again if she did, but the two of them had laughed for a week, every time their eyes met.

Jamison smiled. He’d been so worried about his granddad he hadn’t spared much time thinking about Grandma. If she were alive his life would have gone happily along as it should have.

Strange. He didn’t remember writing on that envelope, but it was his handwriting, only it was more legible than usual. And there was something heavy inside.

To be opened if something happens to me.

He would have laughed, but then he remembered Texas. He could very well have written something four years ago and forgotten about it. But knowing that he was safe now, that it was all behind him, he didn’t want to open it. He didn’t want to know what the lump was, or relive any of it. He was home. Life was going to be tough enough. He didn’t need any more grief—even old grief.

He dug through a green metal tackle box, another one of Grandma’s treasures he’d decided to hang onto for a while. There was an old Bic lighter she’d kept handy for when she wanted to melt a good and tight knot on a fishing line.

He flicked the lighter and a healthy flame jumped to attention, like a genie, happy to finally be let out of the box. That’ll work.

He pulled out the mesh garbage can and held the letter above it, then flicked the Bic again. This time the genie was hungry and made quick work of the envelope. Unlike his mother’s old letter, this one wasn’t discolored and crusty, or at least not until the flame aged it, liking its way along one side, the blackened edge rolling along behind the fire, begging for more attention.

The fire went out, but the envelope was only half gone.

He flicked again, starting with the lower corner, and the flame jumped to do its duty again, to eradicate the entire state of Texas. About a quarter of the envelope was left, the corner he’d been holding.

He shifted his fingers to the very tip and flicked the Bic again,