The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas

Author:Fiona Lucas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: 2021-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Nine

It was a warm night for September, so when Brody let Lewis out for his last run down the garden for the evening, he didn’t stay at the back door as usual but stepped out onto his patio.

As he waited for his dog, he dialed Anna’s number. If she hadn’t already called him by this point in the evening, he’d got into the habit of phoning her instead.

“Hey,” she said softly when she answered, and he could tell she was smiling, as pleased to hear his voice as he was hers. “I was just about to call you, but you beat me to it!”

Brody began to pace lazily back and forth as they filled each other in on their days. Anna had met her sister-in-law and baby nephew during her lunch break. “Teresa mentioned Gayle again,” she said wearily. “I understand it’s awkward for her and Scott. I have to keep making sure there’s no chance of Gayle and Richard popping round every time I go to visit them. It can’t be fun for them being piggy in the middle.”

“I know you’ve said you’re not ready but hear me out. Let me side with Teresa for a second, play devil’s advocate . . . Because it might not be a bad idea to meet Gayle and discuss how you feel, so you can move forward without all the animosity.”

“I know it might be helpful and, even if just for Spencer’s sake, I can’t ignore her forever . . .”

“But not yet?”

“No. I’m just still so angry with her. I can’t seem to get past it—and this isn’t me, Brody. I’m not that person. I’m not the person who simmers with resentment, who holds grudges.”

Lewis was sniffing around some bushes further down the lawn. Brody strolled out onto the damp grass, feeling the whisper of cool night air on his face. He’d been where Anna was at one point, so stuck in his anger that he’d ended up pushing everyone away. He didn’t want her to end up like that. How could he explain it to her?

Open up. Tell her the truth. Tell her something real about yourself.

Brody swallowed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share things with Anna. He thought about it all the time, like when he’d met the hikers the other day, or only this morning, when he felt triumphant after writing a full paragraph in his notebook.

He turned back to face his cottage, his gaze drawn to the glow of warmth from his study window. It made him think of the little “not elf” sitting hidden out of sight on a high shelf.

“Grief is a funny thing,” he began slowly. “People think of it as sadness, but it’s much more complex than that. It has so many layers, so many tangled emotions—including anger.”

“I know that,” Anna said. “They mention anger in every grief book out there, how you might be angry with the person for abandoning you, even if it wasn’t their fault or their choice.

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