Is It Any Wonder (Nantucket Love Story #2) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,116
hadn’t left an indelible mark on either of them.
Until now.
Her father’s mistakes had cost them everything. It was hard not to be livid with him. It was hard not to want him to suffer now that his secret was out. Yet it hadn’t been too long ago she was certain it was her own mistakes that had been what cost them everything. What she would’ve given for someone—anyone—to offer her grace.
A knock at the door pulled her from the boxes she was sorting. She was embarrassed that Mr. Holbrook would have to sit in the middle of this mess, but she imagined he would understand.
When she opened the door, however, she saw that the lawyer wasn’t alone.
She hadn’t seen Cody since the funeral, which felt like an eternity ago. He looked the same, mostly, though maybe a little more tired than usual. She resisted the urge to ask if he’d been sleeping, if he’d been eating, if he still loved her.
Sometimes when she got really lonely, she took out her phone and scrolled through photos they’d taken during their brief romantic reunion. Selfies, mostly, but probably her favorite photos ever. She’d zoom in on his face and, filled with the kind of longing that would only go away with time, touch her index finger to his smile.
Now Cody stood on Maggie’s porch, avoiding her eyes and certainly setting her healing back days, maybe even weeks. She would love him until the day she died—she was sure of it.
She tried to hide every single thought that floated through her mind as she opened the door wider to allow both men to enter. “Sorry about the mess.” She inhaled as Cody passed by her but noticed (sadly) that he barely acknowledged her. The realization stung.
“The old girl sure liked to hold on to things, didn’t she?” Mr. Holbrook’s laugh was jolly, as if remembering Maggie should only bring happiness. As if Louisa’s world weren’t lying in pieces like a cracked egg on the kitchen floor.
At the silence, the lawyer straightened. “Right. Let’s get to it then, shall we?”
Louisa glanced at Cody. “I didn’t realize anyone else would be here.”
He met her eyes then, and she realized it sounded accusatory, like he didn’t have the right to come, which was, of course, not how she meant it. Somehow, though, she didn’t have the ability to explain.
“Just the two of you,” he said, his tone jovial.
“Please.” Louisa motioned to the sofa and both men sat, leaving her with the armchair across from them. Maggie’s favorite chair sat horribly empty.
All at once, the room seemed dead without her in it.
If she listened close enough, would she be able to hear Maggie’s unmistakable cackle echoing down the halls? How did a person simply disappear from the earth, from her life? She hadn’t felt this way since Cody’s dad passed away, and she’d nearly forgotten what it was like. It was different from when Cody had vanished—she’d known he was out there somewhere. She could make up stories about where he was and what he was doing, always careful to imagine him happy and full of life. She hadn’t been able to do that with Daniel Boggs. And she couldn’t do it with Maggie.
“Louisa?”
She could tell by Mr. Holbrook’s tone that she’d missed a question. “I’m sorry—what?”
“I asked if Maggie had discussed any of this with you?”
Louisa folded her hands in her lap, feeling embarrassed by her inability to concentrate. “No, sir,” she said. “She never did.”
“Well, then, we are in for a surprise.”
Louisa’s frown matched Cody’s as they waited for the man to continue. Before that could happen, he had to finish chuckling, sort through a stack of papers, and apparently sit back on the couch just so. Finally he looked up. “Are we ready?”
“Ready,” Louisa said. Hurry up.
It was torture, this sitting in the same room with Cody, this wishing his arm was around her, this knowing that they’d come so close to happiness, only to have it ripped away—again—by their cruel, cruel past.
“Turns out our girl was quite wealthy.”
She didn’t bother to correct him in his use of the phrase “our girl,” though she was absolutely certain Maggie would have.
“No, she wasn’t.” Louisa knew from sorting through some of her bank statements that Maggie was anything but poor—but she wouldn’t say the old woman was wealthy.
“Oh, but she was.” He chuckled again. “I’m not sure even she knew how wealthy. She never really cared much for the details.”