(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoiler, etc.)

Chapter Thirteen: "Stars Up Above"

Evy

She swiped the screen of her phone, unlocking the device. Her chat history with Benjy displayed and her brow furrowed as she read the last message she sent him. I'm off to Sonoma with Mom to meet Cait's new baby. I'll text you when I'm home.

His response?

I'll see you when you're back.

That was days ago and nothing since then. Nothing.

With a sigh, she tossed her phone away again and flopped back against the sofa cushions. It had been an awkward week. She had barely been home between going to Islamorada for Allie's graduation and then going straight up to Sebastapol for the birth of her newest niece. Through it all, Benjy had barely spoken to her. He was disappointed she withdrew from the summer semester. He was upset that he knew her family would blame him for the decision. But, most of all, he was upset she had lied to him. Like everyone else, he thought she was going back to school next week.

She sighed. He wasn't wrong about her family blaming him. Every single one of them who had the opinion she was on the fast-track to ruining her life blamed him. Mom. Casey. Cait. Sean. At least Mom wasn't as angry with her anymore and Caitlin was so distracted by her new baby that they didn't even speak about school when they were together.

Now, she and Mom were home. They had gotten back late the previous evening. But, she hadn't texted Benjy. Not yet. She was frightened to find out that he was still upset with her…and she was annoyed that she was frightened. "Hey!" She glanced up as Allie came in from the patio. Forcing a smile to her face, she sat up as she asked, "You want to go down to the beach?"

She shook her head, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "No, I don't think so. I'm so exhausted, you know?" Allie frowned and she immediately felt bad. She had spent zero time with Allie since she and Diana finally arrived in Sunset Beach. "But, like, let's do something tonight. Ok?" They weren't like normal aunts and nieces. They were more like friends. They always would be. They were too close in age for anything else. Allie immediately beamed as she continued, "Want to go to the movies? I think Snatched just came out and it looks funny."

"Yeah, it does," Allie said at the same time the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

She nodded vaguely and turned back to her phone, reluctantly unlocking it. She should text Benjy. Or FaceTime him. Or just call him. Something. The contrary feelings of fear and annoyance coursed through her as she stared down at the phone. "Evy?"

Her head flew up at the sound of Benjy's voice and she stood quickly. "H-hi," she stuttered, her eyes moving over his tentative facial expression. "How did you- I mean, did someone tell-"

"My dad heard from Meg, who heard from Casey, that your mother was back in town. I figured that meant you were too."

She felt her cheeks flame as she blushed, embarrassed. She knew she should've gotten over her fear and just texted him. She was right to be annoyed at herself. "Sorry," she said meekly as he came around to her. "We got home so late and-"

"It's ok," he said simply. But, his tone and body language suggested it was very not ok.

She sighed and, with a slight nod, looked past him to where Allie stood by the pillar and stared. "Could you give us a minute, Allie?" As she rolled her eyes, she said, "Maybe you can check the times for the movie tonight?"

"Whatever," she muttered as she turned and went up the stairs, her feet loud.

She turned back to Benjy and meekly explained, "She's mad at me too. I don't think I've given her the attention she wants."

"Yeah, well, maybe she should learn to live with disappointment," he said and she flinched at the coldness in his voice. "Like the rest of us do."

She nodded quickly and looked down at her feet. Shamed by Mom and now Benjy. "Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?"

He sighed deeply. "I know you are." She looked up as he sighed again, nervously rubbing his mouth. "You should've just told me you withdrew from your classes." A long and uncomfortable silence unfolded between them. With a shuddering sigh, she took a step closer to him. "Please don't lie to me again," he finally said. "I've been lied to too many times before."

"I promise," she sighed as she threw her arms around him. A moment later, she felt his arms around her and she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in his neck. "I promise, I promise, I promise."

"Your family still think it's my fault?" he asked.

"Mom doesn't," she said pointedly as she leaned up. "She knows it was me." With a sigh, he nodded and glanced down. "Hey," she whispered, cupping his face. She returned his frown with a smile before she leaned in and kissed him. "Forget about them," she whispered against his lips.

"Evy-"

"Please, forget them." She hugged him close as she rested her forehead against his chin. "My brothers and sister won't change. But Mom's on our side and that's all that matters."

"Fine."

Another deep and long sigh rose out of his throat and she forced a bright smile to her face. "Want to see a picture of my new niece?" He finally smiled and nodded. Quickly, she reached for her phone and unlocked it. "She's the most beautiful little baby." She held out the phone and showed him a picture as she explained, "Her name is Rory. Rory Charlotte Salinger."

"Rory…for Gregory?" he asked softly.

Her throat tightened as she nodded, tears burning her eyes. "Dad would've loved her."


Olivia

I stood on the patio, my arms folded tight as I looked down at the pool. Casey's three children splashed through the water, racing each other from one end to the other. It wasn't all that long ago that it was Evy in the pool, leaping from the ledge into Gregory's outstretched arms. Before her, it was Caity and Sean, taking turns diving to the bottom for plastic clam shells and plastic pearls. When my mother first saw the house, she thought it was terribly indulgent that we had a pool and a Jacuzzi and were steps from the ocean. But, it was necessary. Gregory hated the beach because of the mess the sand would leave behind. I hated the pool because of the chlorine and chemicals. And, compromise wasn't a word in Gregory's vocabulary. We would have it all.

Settling is for losers, Liv.

I flinched, his voice echoing in my mind as clearly as if he stood beside me. The way a zing of electricity shot through me when I first heard him say that. The way I all but threw myself into his arms. He had laid the path and I eagerly took it and never looked back.

Evy's laughter cut across the evening air and I glanced up. She was curled up in Benjy's arms as the two of them shared a lounge chair near the shallow end of the pool. My eyes narrowed as I heard her giggle his name. "Ah, young love," and I turned slightly as Morris stood next to me. "They seem to be back on good terms."

I shrugged and moved closer to him, my right shoulder brushing against his left arm. "I suppose. She's like Gregory in that respect. Always able to smooth everything over." I looked up at him as I whispered, "Always able to talk her way out of anything and make everyone forgive her."

"Things alright with you and her?" he asked and I nodded. Morris has nearly edged Bette out for the position of my closest confidante these last few months. Especially these last few weeks. He was the only one I could talk to about Gianni Cappello. Without knowing who the mysterious man was, it was the only name we had for him. "She really is like Gregory," he mused and I felt my eyebrow arch. A moment later, he chuckled and explained, "You couldn't stay mad at him for long either."

With a halting chuckle, I smiled and looked back at the pool. "I couldn't," I whispered. "Not when he was so determined to fix things." Our eyes met quickly and I cleared my throat before I gestured to Evy with my chin. "As for them, they're…sweet."

Morris' deep laugh rolled over me as he exclaimed, "That sounded like it was painful for you to say."

With my arms folded against my chest, I shrugged. "Benjy is growing on me." But, it was true. Every time he was at the house, every time I saw him reach for Evy's hand, every time he looked at her and beamed, he became someone I disliked a bit less. "Gregory would have despised him."

"Oh, of course. Think he would've even let it get his far?"

My throat tightened as I gazed out at the horizon. "If he was here, Evy wouldn't even be dating Benjy." I sniffed quickly as a tight boulder settled on my chest. But, it was true. Evy wouldn't have been here the last few months if Gregory hadn't died. Her path might not have crossed with Benjy's at all. After all, he was four years older than her. They weren't friends when they were growing up. "I suppose that doesn't matter anymore," I sighed, forcing myself to clear my throat. "Will you stay for dinner?" I asked, my voice tight as I changed the subject. "Casey's wife, Diana, is cooking. You haven't met her yet, have you?"

I could keep changing subjects for the rest of my life. But, it wouldn't change anything that really mattered.

Would it?


Casey

"Casey, give the dressing a good shake." He nodded and reached for the mason jar, shaking it vigorously. "I think- I think that's everything. Let me just cut up the bread and then we can eat."

He was kind of impressed how quickly Diana and Allie settled into Gregory and Olivia's home. Maybe it was because they heard from Harrison and Nicola about what it was like living here every day. But, when he watched how easily his wife moved around the kitchen after only being there for a few days, it felt like a sign. Or something. It felt like everything was as it was supposed to be. His wife and his three children were all together with him again. Olivia and Evy were back from Sonoma, which meant it was the first time they'd all be eating dinner together. As a family. The Richards family.

"Case, we need eight plates, right?"

"Nine."

She looked over her shoulder as she reached into the cabinet. "We're five. Olivia and Evy make seven. Evy's boyfriend is eight."

"Morris makes nine." Even now, he looked through the window as the other man stood chatting with Olivia on the patio. "He's here every day. Better get used to it."

"Oh-hh?" she asked, her voice rising to a teasing pitch.

He put the mason jar down, the glass clinking against the marble countertop. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head as she quickly sliced up two loaves of French bread and dropped the pieces into a serving basked. "He's here every day. Olivia doesn't see anyone except family and Bette. And, now him. Do you think they might be becoming more than just friends?"

His jaw dropped. "No way. NO. God, Di, Gregory hasn't even been gone six months."

She brushed the bread crumbs from the cutting board and into the sink. "Mom started dating Harold three months to the day after we buried Dad."

He shook his head. "That's completely different. Your mother didn't even like your dad."

With a shrug, she looked up and sighed. "I just mean…well, Olivia's attractive. She's only in her early sixties. That's young when you think that people are living into their nineties and longer. This isn't the end. She still has her life left to live."

His head continued to shake as he reached for the bread basket. "You weren't living here when Gregory was still alive. You didn't see what they were like together." With a small, but sad, smile, she touched his arm as he concluded in a whisper, "She's not the same anymore. Every now again, there's a flash of the way she used to be, but it's gone as quickly as it appears."

She pushed herself onto her toes and kissed him. "She's grieving. I know that. I just think at some point, her grief will stop dominating her life. And, when that happens, there's no reason why she wouldn't start dating. If not Morris, then someone else."

This wasn't the sign he thought everything was pointing to. "I don't know," he murmured as Harrison walked into the kitchen. "Hey, buddy!" he said, forcing a cheerful voice. "Can you grab those two trays and bring them outside? Mom and I will be out in a minute with the other two."

Their teenage son nodded and carried off platters of tossed salad and roasted vegetables. "When do you think you'll talk to Olivia about changing our last name?" Diana asked as she unscrewed the mason jar and spooned the dressing over the grilled chicken.

"Soon."

She eyed him. "When is that? The lawyer said it could take a few months to get the court order. The paperwork won't go through before Allie starts at Arizona State, but it would be nice if Harrison and Nicola could start the new school year with their new last name."

Alexandra Richards. Harrison Richards. Nicola Richards. Diana Richards.

Casey Richards.

Casey Richards.

"Tomorrow," he promised, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "I promise."


Morris

He had long ago stopped feeling the painful ache that came with being around Greg's family without him. Except now, the sharp pain had lessened to a familiar dull throb. It was always there. Especially any time he caught sight of Olivia's downcast expression.

Shadows curled up from the palm trees, shrubs, and flowers lining the perimeter of the patio. Pale lights shone through the leaves, twinkling and dancing as the wind gusted through the greenery. On the patio table, enough candles and light from the house let him see the way Olivia's thoughtful gaze was directed to the horizon. He knew she wasn't looking at the stars up above in the sky. Instead, he knew she was torturing herself by forcing her mind to remember what wasn't there. Forcing her mind to figure out why Gianni Cappello lied. Forcing her mind to understand why anyone would have an alternate version of what happened that January afternoon on a deserted hillside road outside of Florence.

"Stuff it, Allie!"

"You stuff it, Harrison!"

He and Olivia both glanced up as Casey and Diana tried to settle the disagreement between their two eldest children. Across from them, Evy and Benjy's heads were together as they whispered, ignoring everything unfolding around them.

"You think you're Queen Bey, but you're really just Becky with the Good Hair!"

He flinched. Damn, he thought to himself as Olivia turned to him and rolled her eyes. "That's the wonderful thing about grandchildren," she muttered. "I let their parents deal with their arguments."

With a chuckle, he nodded and began, "Maya's three daughters are mean little shits to each other. The last time-"

"La-la-la-la-la! I can't hear you!" Harrison taunted.

"That's it! Harrison, your bedroom. Now!"

Olivia gasped and pressed her hands to her face, suddenly whimpering. He leaned forward quickly as Evy shot up from her seat. "Mom? Mom!"

He put his hand on Olivia's arm, feeling the way it trembled. "Olivia? Olivia, what's wrong?" he asked as she jerked away from the table, the silverware clattering against the plates. She was breathing heavily as a moaning cry rose in her throat. "Someone call 911!"

"Oh, God," he heard Olivia whimper as she pressed her fingers to the sides of her head. "Oh, God. I remember," she moaned as she squeezed her eyes shut. His stomach flipped and he watched the way her expression was twisted in pain. "I remember…everything."