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Livy didn’t stay in Salt Lake City with Meg and her family like I expected. Instead, she drove to Wyoming to spend the week with her sister. When a snowstorm hit, she ended up at an inn with a handsome stranger. He’s not a stranger anymore.
Meg spent the week with her family and her twin brother’s best friend, Noah, at Nordquest Ski Resort. It seems she and Noah aren’t enemies any longer. They might actually be more than friends. That’s a plot twist I never saw coming.
I missed out on so much, and I regret not being there for them. Probably as much as they’ll wish they had been here for me when they find out the whole story of my week.
I try composing a text to let them know I’m coming home early, fresh from a broken engagement, but I have no enthusiasm for the task. They’ll be rosy with newfound love, and I’m melancholy about missing Owen.
It was pride that kept me from telling him goodbye this morning. My reason for avoiding him for most of this year is my reason for not wanting to face him now: I’m a black hole of debt.
I have read none of his texts, though the little red number is telling me the count is up to seventeen. By now, he’ll know I broke off my engagement to Spencer, and that I’ve left. I hope he’ll get the message and not expect anything from me when we’re both back in Salt Lake. Even friendship feels dangerous at this point.
Not being able to resist seeing his face, I pull up the video Max sent me of Owen trying to dance. When it ends, I play it again. And again. It’s like pressing on a bruise just so I can feel the pain.
My pity fest is interrupted when my phone rings with an unfamiliar number. I would normally ignore it, but it’s a Maine area code and my curiosity motivates me to answer. Maybe something happened at the cabin. Or maybe it’s Owen, and I’ll get to hear his voice for a few seconds before I hang up.
“Hello?”
“Is this Layla Adler I’m speaking to?” an unfamiliar female voice asks.
I hate how I’m disappointed it’s not Owen. “Yes.”
“This is Sofia Vega. I’m Mrs. Rheta Eccleston’s attorney. She asked me to inform you that a certified check for one hundred thousand dollars will arrive Monday morning bycourier at your address in Utah.” She rattles off my address. “Is that the correct address?”
My heart stops. My lungs refuse to function. I can’t speak.
One. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars.
Enough to cover Nana’s care for the next year. Or to pay off my bank loan and most of the credit card debt. I cover my mouth with my hand so Sofia Vega doesn’t hear my gasp as my body begins to function again. It sounds more like a sob.
“Ms. Adler? Is that your address?”
“Yes,” I croak. But why is Rheta sending me money? I’m not engaged to her grandson anymore. She has no reason to give me anything.
Sofia Vega continues. “Mrs. Eccleston has also set up a fund that will disperse eight thousand dollars a month for the next ten years to go toward the care of Mrs. Ellen Adler. My contact information, as well as the parameters of the fund, will be included with the certified check. Do you have questions?”
I find my voice so I can inform her, “I can’t accept this.”
“Yes, she thought you might say something to that effect.” She’s grinning on the other end of the line. “Mrs. Eccleston wanted me to tell you that you can take her help. She only wishes the best for you. I suggest you graciously accept and send her a thank you card. Good day, Ms. Adler. Have a happy New Year.”
She hangs up. I sit in shock. Did this really happen? Am I dreaming? The tears on my cheeks are real. As is the cold air blowing on me from a nearby vent. Now that I’ve determined the call happened, I need to decide if I should take what Rheta has offered.
It doesn’t take me more than ten seconds to decide yes; I am accepting her generosity. She has no ulterior motive. She gives monetary gifts to people, businesses, and organizations she believes in. I don’t feel like I owe her anything in return, like I did with Spencer, or that I’m indebted to her like I would with Owen. This is a gift offered in love, free and clear. A thank you card feels paltry compared to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but I have nothing else to give her except my undying gratitude.
Tears stream down my face, but I’m also laughing as I rock backward and forward in my seat. I have my life back. My future opens before me and it is bright.
“Are you okay?”
I wipe my eyes and turn to the young teenager sitting beside me. I’m glad she asked because I need to tell someone.
“My nana will have everything she needs.”
Her nose scrunches in confusion. “Okay.”
I rub at my cheeks as more tears fall. I woke up this morning dreading the years ahead of me, and now they’re full of possibilities.
The crowd lining up to board the plane parts as someone pushes his way through. The man looks like Owen pre-Maine. He has the same long stride, trimmed beard, and cocoa-colored eyes. Instead of wearing slacks and a button-up shirt, he has on a t-shirt and shorts during winter. At least he has on a jacket with a green scarf hanging from his neck.
I recognize the scarf because I made it. That, more than anything else, convinces me that this isn’t a man who looks like Owen. ItisOwen. When he sees me, he jogs over andkneels on the ground at my feet. His grin melts away when he notices the tears on my cheeks.
