Reclaim - Aly Martinez Page 0,64

chance I attended that shit show.

Yet there he sat, at my father’s funeral, insulting me from the second pew. I scratched the side of my head with my middle finger, hopefully hiding it from old lady twelve hundred and eighty as the line of condolences continued.

The end was near on this circus. Since my father had been cremated, there was no graveside service to attend. Before I headed back to New York, Mom and I were planning to scatter his ashes near the overlook behind his precious papermill.

Nothing like dying and going right back to work, I guess.

The church was almost empty. Even our family had started to thin out, no doubt heading back to our house to eat the mountain of food people had delivered. Seemingly bored with my lack of a reaction, Jonathan got up and walked out too.

Right.

Past.

Her.

My back shot straight, and a smile I had no business wearing at a funeral spread across my lips.

Black dress. Black heels. Scarf wrapped around her head and huge shades covering half her face. It didn’t matter if I hadn’t seen her in three years—it could have been decades. I recognized her immediately. Part of that had to do with the hum in my bones which had always accompanied her presence, as if my body was a flesh-and-blood Nora Stewart detector.

“Would you excuse me for a moment?” I mumbled to little old lady twelve hundred and eighty-one before quickly ducking out the side door.

I jogged around the church, coming back in the front door, most likely looking like a fool to anyone who passed. I didn’t give two shits though.

Nora was there.

She was scanning the room when I tiptoed up behind her and fought the huge to grab her by the hips and startle her like old times. She would have screamed though, and my shit-eating grin was already out of place enough for the both of us.

Leaning forward, I whispered into her ear, “Well, you look ridiculous.”

She jumped, but a squeak was all that escaped as she spun to face me. “Oh my God,” she gasped, covering her heart with her hand. “Damn it. You scared the hell out of me.”

I shot her a teasing side-eye. “That mouth. In a church of all places.”

She moved her hand to her mouth. “Shit, sorry.”

My smile stretched so wide it was almost painful, and my pulse raced from having her there. In Alberton. She’d come to Alberton. For me.

“Damn,” she whispered before shaking her head. “You know what? Maybe we should just get out of the church. That’s probably easier for my mouth.” Grabbing my arm, she dragged me out of the sanctuary, not stopping until we were outside, alone, on the far side of the building. She glanced around one last time before lowering her scarf and pushing her sunglasses up to the top of her head.

My whole body sagged as I drank her in. She looked good, not just the beautiful she’d always been. Nora looked healthy, rested, and… Alive.

I put my hands in my pockets to keep them to myself. “Hello, stranger,” I greeted with a grin and aching cheeks once we were eye to eye.

She threw her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug. “How are you? You holding up okay? I came as soon as I heard.”

I was fine. It was no secret my dad and I didn’t have much of a relationship. I’d spent years avoiding him and only coming home when I had to. In turn, he’d spent years pretending not to notice I was avoiding him. I’d been in New York for four years, and even though my mom had come to visit numerous times, Dad never had.

He was my father though. I was supposed to be devastated, and at some point, the finality of it all would probably sneak up on me, but I wasn’t quite there yet. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I ever would be.

However, it did some serious things inside my chest to know she’d heard my dad died, hopped in her car, and drove three hours to Alberton to check on me.

“I’m okay,” I said, returning her embrace with a bear hug of my own, complete with lifting her off her feet. “How the hell are you?”

Setting her back down, I released her to get another long look at her face. Nora was one hell of an actress, so whatever she was about to say, I wanted to get a good read on her