Rewrite the Stars by Christina Consolino (classic fiction TXT) 📗

Lexie and Delia stayed quiet, and while no one else demanded my time, I glanced again into the rearview mirror to spy on the girls, whose slender necks were stretched back, their heads resting on the car seat head rests, mouths hanging open and eyes closed.

“You sounded a bit harsh there, to Charlie I mean.” Theo said.

“I what?”

“You didn’t need to yell at him is all.”

“I didn’t—”

“To me it sounded like you did.”

Arguments were never fun, especially in tight surroundings when the kids were within earshot. “I’m...sorry. I didn’t intend to sound that way. It’s been a long trip. We can talk about this another time. Little ears and all.”

Theo nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m sorry too. Maybe I misheard. I’ve had a tough few weeks. And months. Actually, it’s been rough for a couple years. You know that.”

Yes, and I sympathized with him, what his life was like, and where he was headed in the future. If he knew all I was going through, he’d have no sympathy for me. There was no way I wanted to reveal anything to him on a car ride up the interstate. He deserved more than a shoddy conversation.

A safer conversation topic would allow Theo and me to speak quietly while at the same time let me release some of my frustration. “So, I planned out this vacation with the idea we’d run it like we have any other year.”

“Which means?”

“Well...I’ll need to get to the store for groceries pretty much right away, but I want to meet the babysitter first.” Before we’d left Kettering, I’d called a few people we knew at Walloon, who suggested contacting a local church for babysitters. Not that I didn’t trust Theo, but he needed this vacation in a way I didn’t, and stress from the kids—which came at any time—meant we should keep a babysitter handy for those times when I needed to work.

As luck would have it, a family we knew had a cousin, a woman in her early thirties named Lena, who was between jobs and would be happy to help. “After such a long car ride you won’t want to go to the store, will you? You can chat with her and see if she’ll work out.”

“You’re right. I won’t want to get back in the car. But we can get a few things from the general store tonight and then go in the morning. What do you say?”

The grocery store bag between us stood three-quarters full, and I mentally checked everything I had loaded into it and the small travel cooler. We’d be fine with what we had and a gallon of milk from the small general store at the heart of the village. “Let’s see what time we get there, and then we’ll make a decision.”

“Sounds good.” Theo clumsily reached for my right hand and took it in his. His long fingers, which used to be so warm, now brought a chill to me, and they seemed to cling to mine, as if to gather heat and...what else? “You always know what to do, Sadie. How do you do it?”

That was the second time in as many months Theo had spoken those words. I swallowed a large lump in my throat and forced a stiff smile onto my face—the best I could do to cover up the lie spreading between us like a blood stain. If you only knew, Theo. If you only knew.

Chapter 20: Sadie

Because I didn’t have time off from work (or life), I left for the Walloon branch of the Crooked Tree Library at the first available opportunity, which was 4:00 p.m. on the Monday after we arrived. I stepped up the library’s wide, wooden stairs and opened the heavy, oak door, the rush of the warm air blasting against my body. Michigan was having an exceptionally warm November, but that term, warm, was so relative. Fifty-two degrees, in my mind, didn’t even touch lukewarm. Now seventy-five degrees and sunny—I’d take it.

Once I’d nodded a quick hello to the library volunteer at the front desk, I settled into a cozy chair in the corner of the magazine section. The wall opposite the magazine racks housed floor-to-ceiling windows backing up to a chorus line of magnificent pine trees, making the room feel as though you were in the middle of a forest. Plugging in my laptop, I switched my phone to vibrate and placed it on the desk, then opened the lid of my computer. A few projects required my attention, and the details of the book covers were logged into an excel spreadsheet. The necessary accompanying site online loaded as my computer dinged, indicating a new email message.

from: Jackie Mills <Jackie.R.Mills@percolettiwinn.com>

to: Sadie Rollins <Sadie.M.Rollins@percolettiwinn.com>

date: Mon, Nov 12, 2018 at 4:13 PM

subject: Vacation

Hi, Sadie! I hope you made it to Walloon Lake safely. How was the trip? As long as usual? Keep me posted on whether you made it there, and I won’t bother you too much! xo Jackie

I should have expected as much from Jackie and was shocked she hadn’t contacted me earlier. She knew the first few days at Walloon Lake would be full of energy and chaos. I had planned on emailing Jackie anyway—and phone service here was often spotty—so I keyed in a quick reply.

from:  Sadie Rollins <Sadie.M.Rollins@percolettiwinn.com>

to:  Jackie Mills <Jackie.R.Mills@percolettiwinn.com>

date:  Mon, Nov 12, 2018 at 4:15 PM

subject:  Let’s hope it is a vacation

Hi, Jackie. Thanks for your message. We made it, and because the kids are older, we didn’t have to stop too much (only six times!). Theo didn’t mind the trek, either. In fact, the worst part was Lexie’s request for the Unicorn Song thirty times. Theo decided the whole CD should be burned. I had to literally rip it out of his hands before he threw the CD and case out the window. Good times. Talk to you soon. Sadie.

I kept the email tab open and clicked on the file icon