Part 20 (1/2)
”h.e.l.lo?”
Honor quickly turned her head at the sound of a female voice coming from the open doorway of the store. She jumped to her feet, almost knocking over her chair. ”Mary?”
The older woman smiled. ”Surprise.”
”Oh my gosh.” Honor rushed into the woman's open arms. They held each other for a long time. Long enough for Bryce to feel like an intruder.
”I've missed you,” Mary said, pulling back. She regarded Honor with big brown eyes filled with motherly love.
Bryce sucked in a breath. He'd never met Mary, but staring at her face he knew who she was. Over Honor's shoulder, her gaze connected with his.
Honor twisted around and when their eyes met, pain spoiled the blue he'd come to adore. Tension so thick filled the s.p.a.ce between them, the only way to end it would be to leave. Suddenly, he'd give anything to have an ocean between them.
”I should head out,” he said.
”Okay. But uh, before you go, I'd like you to meet Payton's mom, Mary. Mary, this is... this is my friend Bryce.” Mary looked between them. Honor never broke eye contact with him. ”Payton's Bryce.”
His gut clenched. Did she still think that? After everything that had happened between them? ”It's nice to meet you,” he said.
”Likewise.” Mary shook his outstretched hand, her expression warm, but also sympathetic.
He had to get out of there before he suffocated. Honor's loyalty would always lay with her best friend, and where that left him he didn't know. But he certainly didn't want anyone's pity.
”Have a nice visit,” he said before he forced a smile and walked out of the store without a glance back.
Honor watched Bryce leave and guilt chewed up her insides all over again. She wasn't sure what she'd done wrong, but hurt had been written all over his face and she hated herself for putting it there. That's what you do, you bring pain.
”That was him, huh?” Mary said.
”Yes.”
”There's something going-”
”Yes.”
”Want to talk about it?”
”No.”
Mary took her hand and led her to the window seat. ”It's okay, you know.” Honor kept her eyes on their entwined hands. It wasn't okay. None of this was okay. ”Sometimes what's meant to be happens from loss.”
Honor lifted her head. ”You really think so?”
”I do. And I'll tell you why. This store for one.” Mary scanned the s.p.a.ce. ”It's coming along beautifully.”
”Thanks. I've named it Driftwood.”
”That's a fabulous name. I remember you and Payton making huts with it when you were little.”
”Uh-huh.”
”She's looking down on you, you know. With a smile and appreciation for keeping her in your thoughts.”
”I think about her every day,” Honor said softly. ”How have you been?”
”Every day gets easier.” Mary glanced down, gave Honor's hand a squeeze and then let go. ”You got the tattoo.”
Honor rubbed her finger across the ink. The way Mary said, the tattoo, raised goose b.u.mps on Honor's skin. ”Yes?”
Mary chuckled. ”You always wanted one. You don't remember? It was Ally's Sweet Sixteen, I think, and you and Payton got Henna tattoos. Pay hated hers, but you loved yours and told your mother that you were going to get a real tattoo before you turned twenty-five.”
A rush of memories flooded Honor. She'd forgotten all about that. ”And Mom said she'd go with me if I was worried about the needle.” She thought about Bryce and how he'd been there for her with his supportive touch and playful word game.
”I guess you did okay.”
More than okay. Honor gave a small nod.
”Have you crossed everything off your list?”
Honor froze. ”What?”
Mary took a deep breath. ”I'm here to make a confession. The list Payton wrote was for you.”
”I don't understand.” Honor stood and wrapped her arms around herself. Mary knew about the list?
”I don't know everything Pay put on it because she wanted to keep some things private, but the list wasn't about her like she told you. She made me promise to come see you before your birthday and tell you that.”
The temperature in the room shot up a hundred degrees, and quite possibly the walls were actually closing in. ”What are you saying?”
Mary got to her feet. ”Payton was dying and she wanted you to live, Honor. She'd watched you close yourself off since breaking up with Lance and she hoped this would be a way for you to reclaim some of your old self. She wanted you to rediscover you could see things through. You've always deserved success, Honor, you just wouldn't let yourself believe it.”
Mary put her hand on Honor's arm. ”And she knew you wouldn't do it for yourself. But that you'd do it for her. So she fibbed a little.”
Honor stumbled back, her head a ma.s.sive jumble of emotions. ”She lied to me?”
”Because she loved you.”
That was true. And she knew Honor better than she knew herself. Maybe it took a lie to make a person find what they were capable of. Honor did feel more accomplished since crossing things off Pay's list. A mixture of relief and courage ran through Honor's veins.
This was all on her now and it felt strangely... good.
Chapter Twelve.
Honor got home Wednesday night and collapsed onto her couch. She'd worked nonstop the past five days, spending all day locked away at the mayor's office and then her off-hours at Driftwood. Decorating and furnis.h.i.+ng the store was the easy and fun part. But things like licenses and insurance and something called a DBA were beyond her scope of understanding. So when Danny had stopped in earlier today, she hadn't questioned what he was doing there. She just asked for help and he gave it.
She let out a deep, satisfied breath. Payton would be proud of her.