Healing Haven - Book 2 in Haven Series [Complete]

8| Family

The rest of the week shifted around Alyssa in a hazy blur of coming and going at the gallery. Between the hours she put in there, and the hard pace she maintained at the gym, Alyssa went to sleep at night exhausted but oddly satisfied despite hardly ever spending more than a few minutes at a time with Eva. There was always something getting in between them, something pulling her away.

Contractors.

Meetings.

And then of course, Eva had been sucked into her work—struggling to keep on top of the surging demand for more. The art was selling at a record pace with everything flying out almost as quickly as it came in.

Strange, Alyssa thought, while laying out clothes on her bed. This was the closest they'd physically been to one another in six years yet Alyssa had never felt more distant. Or inaccessible.

But today was Saturday and she'd woken refreshed, with both purpose and excitement because today was Thanksgiving, her nieces were finally coming home and Eva had promised that day was going to be about family. Nothing else. They'd finally have a chance to sit down and really connect. And maybe even talk about the things Alyssa had felt piling up on her chest, weighing her down to the point of near suffocation.

Winding around her legs, Cleo purred loudly, arching her back as she stroked across Alyssa's bare legs. Picking her up, she nuzzled Cleo's soft face and tried to keep her spirits calm.

She'd on a bit of a shopping spree the other day, picking out gifts for her nieces. Would they even like them? The pictures she'd seen scattered about Eva's home tugged on her heart, made it ache to think of the years lost. Years they could never get back. Such precious and important milestones she'd missed, especially with Lucy. The impish little munchkin she'd never had the chance to really get to know.

Lucy had only been barely one at the time and just learning how to walk. Alyssa doubted any of them would even remember her, Hailey included. Six years to a child's memory would make her no better than a complete stranger, and knowing that stung.

Misty-eyed, Alyssa angled her head back and breathed slow, even breaths until the urge to cry had passed. She would not get sucked into the pool of emotional negativity. But maybe she'd hold off on the gift giving, at least for a couple of days until she had time to feel them out in case she needed to make last minute exchanges or returns. Feeling better with that new game plan, kissing Cleo, Alyssa dressed quickly, ran a curling iron through her hair. When finished, she finger combed for a more natural shape then stroked on some blush, mascara and lip-gloss to complete the look.

Pleased with the end results, Alyssa pulled on her leather jacket deciding to enjoy the brisk walk rather than drive. Wearing flat soled leather boots, she followed the steep path winding up and around to the back end of Eva's home. At the top, Alyssa admired the view and imagined that the sight would be breathless in the mornings. She tried to picture her sister out here doing Yoga, tending to the vegetable patch which was now lush with green and purple heads of kale, a hardy vegetable that thrived in the cooler temperatures.

It was staggering to think that her sister had developed a green thumb, or an interest in meditative exercise. Crossing the yard, Alyssa worked up and around the side of the house to the front where she found the door unlocked. Pushing inside, she called out but was greeted by the last voice she'd ever expected to hear on Haven.

She'd only just closed the door when a face poked around from the kitchen, telling her that she hadn't imagined things.

Nathan Leeds.

Jesus...he'd aged. The last six years had slapped at least twice that onto his face, with deeply carved edges around his mouth and eyes. His hair—once a thick, lustrous wheat blond he'd spent way too much time perfecting in high school—had thinned out. The hairline had receded a good inch and a half making his face appear longer and more haggard.