Providence by Leigh Hays

Author:Leigh Hays [Hays, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635556216
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2020-01-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Snow glowed orange in the city’s ambient light, and the street was relatively empty in front of her studio. Providence was home to several colleges, and its nightlife dwindled over the holidays. Lindsey walked with them while Sera sniffed along the sidewalk, finding a particular tree with minimal snow piled in front of it. “Where do you want to get coffee?”

“I was thinking the Point Street Café. It’s on the way home. And dog friendly.” Which really meant that the owner let Rebekiah bring her dog inside on cold nights, health codes be damned.

Rebekiah’s phone dinged. She glanced at the name. Collette. They’re putting in a stent. Surgery scheduled for tomorrow.

She texted back. Okay. With a sigh, she put her phone back into her pocket.

“Who’s Collette?”

Rebekiah chuckled. “That’s a good question.” She glanced at Lindsey. “Sorry. She’s Thea’s ‘companion.’” She used air quotes. “I don’t know what Thea calls her, but they have lived together for ten years.”

“And Thea?”

“My mother’s ‘friend.’ After my father died, she moved in. She lived with us until my mother died. Took care of my mom after she got sick.” Thea’s relationship to her family had never been defined but always assumed. As a teenager, Rebekiah hated that ambiguity, and they fought constantly.

“Were they together?”

Rebekiah shrugged. Her mother had relationships with both men and women. Thea remained the constant. “I don’t know. But Thea loved her.”

“What happened?”

She answered for the present and not the past. “She had a heart attack.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Lindsey touched her hand, and Rebekiah grabbed it and squeezed. Lindsey did not let go.

She drew comfort from the touch as she spoke. Her gentleness made it safe to share, and she opened up. “She wants me to come home.”

They walked down Westminster. The light brightened; most of the street was shut down, but ghost lights shone through the plate glass displays. Amid the closed stores, a restaurant or bar stood open with a few customers outside smoking. “And you don’t want to?”

“Thea and I have a difficult relationship. Collette says it’s because we’re too much alike. I don’t know about that.” She shifted her hold on the leash, and Sera moved toward the middle of them. “We had a fight. A few years ago. We’re not speaking right now. And it’s Key West. Even if I wanted to go, there’s Sera. I don’t know who’s around for the holidays, and I can’t put her in a kennel. She hates sleeping alone.”

“I’ll take her,” Lindsey said.

Rebekiah paused and pulled Lindsey to a stop. She had heard the excuses roll out, knowing full well that her pride was holding her back. A pride that had replaced her anger and hurt over the years. “You would?”

“Yeah. I’m back for a week and a half.” She held up her hand. “Barring any catastrophes. I could take care of her for the week.”

Rebekiah stared. Lindsey held her gaze. The whole night was surreal. She finally got her to agree to pictures only to have her turn the tables and want something more.

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