Gillian stood blinking on the street as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. She was nearly floating, and she couldn’t help but smile. Becky would be angry with her for taking her time dealing with her baggage, but that was okay. What she’d experienced was worth the apology she would have to make.
Wheeling her suitcase behind her, she crossed the street to where Becky was waiting. The Audi looked a little dirtier than before.
Gillian threw her suitcase into the back and then jumped into the passenger seat. “I’m so sorry it’s taken this long.” She braced herself for Becky’s onslaught.
Becky looked up from her phone. “What are you talking about? You’ve been gone five minutes. I think that’s pretty good. We’re almost back on schedule.”
Gillian glanced at the cracked dial of the clock on the Audi’s dashboard. Becky wasn’t kidding. How could it have been just five minutes? She smiled to herself as she pulled down the car’s visor and looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection was the same as she’d last seen it in the baggage depot. The bags under her eyes weren’t as pronounced, and now there was a sparkle in her eyes.
Becky started down the street as Gillian whistled that song that was so familiar. Then lyrics that had eluded her burst from her lips: “You’re beautiful / you’re beautiful, it’s true.” Gillian chuckled. So that’s what he was whistling.
As she smiled out the front window, from the corner of her eye she saw Becky look at her. “You seem to have perked up a lot. You got your baggage sorted out, then?”
“More than you’ll ever know.” Gillian turned to her sister and tried again to connect. “When will I get to catch up with Brent?”
The Audi slowed ever so slightly, and Becky’s gaze lingered for too long in the rearview mirror.
Gillian decided to persist. It was an important question to ask. “It would be good to know how he’s doing.”
Becky was silent, which was new in itself. Gillian studied her sister, the superhero who needed the cape. The crow’s-feet around Becky’s eyes crinkled as tears welled.
“If we’re going to catch up over lunch, Becky, it would be good to know how you’re really doing. It’s been too long since we’ve really talked, you know, properly.”
Her sister’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel before she choked back a sigh. “Did I tell you Jessica’s wedding dress is based on a design from that Hollywood wedding TV show . . .”
Gillian looked back at the white building as it disappeared into the side mirror. A lone figure stood outside it, and she could just make him out in the distance as they drove away. He was doffing his navy-blue cap.