Chapter 9
Rebecca sat curled on the old settee by the parlor window, a quilt around her shoulders. Morning light shined weakly through the lace curtains, painting the room in faded gold. The house smelled faintly lavender soap Tina's scent, lingering like memory.
Her phone lay heavy in her hand. She scrolled past Bryan's name, past messages from work, until her thumb scrolled over Mom. Deana Weatherman Spendle.
Rebecca hesitated only a moment before pressing call.
The line rang twice before her mother's voice answered, brisk but warm. "Bec? Honey, are you all right?
She was the only one that ever called me Bec.
Rebecca closed her eyes, the sound of home tugging something deep in her chest. "I'm fine, Mom. Just needed to hear your voice."
A pause, then a sigh. "You sound tired. Is this about the move? About Hollow's Edge?"
Rebecca's throat tightened. "Yes. And no. I've been remembering Grandma. Tina."
Silence stretched, heavy. Deana rarely spoke of her mother.
Deanna sighed "Tina you didn't even know her. What's got you thinking of her?"
Rebecca pressed on. "What was she really like, Mom? I only ever heard whispers. Was she was she happy here?" Her mother's voice came quieter, more fragile than Rebecca expected. "Your grandmother was a bright light. She lit up the room. Everyone loved her. Strong she had to be with us kids and dad being sick like he was. But restless. She asked too many questions. Some of them about the Edgeworths. That's all I'll say."
Rebecca's chest ached. Her Grandparents gone too soon But the stories about Harry Winston always brought a smile to her moms face.
So even Mom knows the silence Hollow's Edge demands.
"Would you come visit me?" Rebecca asked softly. "Here. In the town. I think you should see it. And I could use you close."
Deana hesitated. "That town took my mother, Rebecca. I swore I'd never set foot in it again."
Rebecca's hand drifted to her abdomen, trembling. "Mom I'm pregnant." The words spilled before she could stop them.
The silence on the line broke with a sharp inhale. "Pregnant? But you and Bryan are divorced."
"It's his," Rebecca whispered. "I didn't know until I came here. Dr Greyson told me."
"Oh, Rebecca." Her mother's voice cracked, a mix of worry and sorrow.
Rebecca swallowed hard. "Should I tell Bryan? We're divorced. He's already with someone else. I don't know if dragging him back into this is the right thing, or if it'll just make everything harder."
Deana's tone firmed, the Weatherman fire flaring through. "You tell him, Rebecca. Whatever's between you and him, a child deserves the truth. He can choose how to be part of it or not. But don't let Hollow's Edge teach you silence. Don't bury this like they buried your grandmother."
Rebecca blinked back sudden tears. "You really think I should?"
"I do.
Rebecca's voice broke. "I should have stayed in Connecticut close to you."
She pressed the phone tight to her ear, listening to her mother breathe on the other end, the sound of distance and connection both. For the first time since she'd come to Hollow's Edge, Rebecca felt something other than dread. She felt her grandmother's fire echoing through her mother, through her, through the child she carried.
But when she glanced toward the parlor mirror, her reflection wavered. For just a heartbeat, she thought she saw another face in the glass sharp, storm-gray eyes watching.
And then it was gone.
Weird.
She chatted for about an hour with her mom about the town and th house she was staying in. She promised to call in a few days and when her mom was satisfied she said her goodbyes.
Rebecca sat at the small kitchen table, the phone cold in her hand. The house was quiet, but not silent it never felt silent here. A floorboard creaked above, the pipes groaned faintly, like the house itself was listening.
Her thumb scrolls over his name. Bryan Earl. Ex-husband. Ten years of her life. Ten years she had thought would last forever, until they didn't.
She pressed call.
The line rang a few times and just when she was about to hang up his voice came, familiar and sharp all at once. "Rebecca? This is a surprise."
She swallowed hard. "Hi, Bryan."
A pause, awkward. "How's Hollow's Edge? You settling in?"
Rebecca gave a small chuckle . "It's different. Not like anywhere else."
Another pause. She could hear voices in the background laughter, a woman's voice, muffled but warm. His girlfriend. The sound made her throat ache.
"Bryan," she said quickly, before she lost her nerve. "I need to tell you something. And I don't want you to hear it from anyone else."
His voice cautious. "Okay. Go on."
Her hand trembled. She pressed it against her stomach, grounding herself. "I'm pregnant."
Silence. Not just on the line in her chest, her ears, her blood.
Finally, his voice came, low and disbelieving. "Pregnant? Rebecca, We've been divorced for six months."
"I didn't know until I came here," she whispered. "It's early. But it's real. Greyson Edgeworth he's the doctor here confirmed it."
His exhale hissed through the speaker. "So it's mine."
"Yes."
Another pause. She imagined him pacing, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when overwhelmed. "And what do you expect me to do with this? What do you want from me Money? I'm with someone now, Rebecca."
Her throat burned. "I don't expect anything. You know very well I can take care of myself so Money was never a thought. Mom said I should tell you. That the baby deserves the truth. You deserve the truth. That's all."
The line was quiet again. Then his voice came, softer than before. "You blindsided me. But thank you for telling me." "I'll need time."
Her eyes filled with tears, but she kept her voice steady. "Take the time you need. That's all I can give you."
They said their goodbyes, the words formal. When the line went dead, Rebecca laid the phone face down on the table. The old clock in the hall ticked loudly, too loudly, filling the space left by his silence.
She pressed her hand to her abdomen, whispering to herself, "At least he knows."
But in the glass of the darkened window, she thought she saw a reflection that wasn't hers storm-gray eyes watching, gone the moment she blinked.
She grabbed her phone and searched fo Dr Greysons office.
Clara answered on the third ring. "Rebecca are you alright?" The called ID had informed her no doubt that she was calling.
"I'd like to make an appointment to see the Dr."
"Oh Sure thing" Clara stated she could come anytime after noon today and Dr Greyson would be in his office.
"Perfect"