The Sister’s Secrets: Reen. Katlyn Duncan

don’t,’ Reen said, trying to keep the snap out of her tone. As much as she missed the relationship from their childhood, it hadn’t been the same for a long time. Rose’s refusal to go into the water had been the start of their separation.

      Further up the beach, the door leading to the back porch opened, and a man stepped out. Reen shielded her eyes to look at him. She didn’t recognize him as a typical local. He hadn’t yet settled into the pot-bellied laziness of most of the older men. Though, he couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Rose. Reen guessed that was most likely why her sister had pounced on him.

      Rose glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. He waved but didn’t attempt to come closer to them.

      ‘He’s cute,’ Reen said, drawing her sister back to the conversation.

      ‘Thanks.’ Rose’s smile reminded Reen of a time when she’d been in love too. ‘How’s Maryland?’

      ‘I live in West Virginia now,’ Reen said.

      ‘Oh,’ Rose said. ‘Sorry.’

      ‘When are we going to see Mom?’ The name sounded foreign on her lips. In the time she’d been away, any question about her family she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand, and a brief excuse about them living in Connecticut.

      Rose cleared her throat. ‘I thought you could settle in first.’

      Reen’s grip tightened on her bag. ‘I’m not settling anywhere.’

      Rose’s lips pressed into a smile. ‘Come on. You should stay for a little while. Let’s catch up.’

      Reen shook her head. It was the last thing she wanted. Rose always buried her true feelings in polite tones. Reen never forgot Mom pushing them out of her life after Dad died.

      ‘Once I see her, I’m headed out. I’ll grab the next flight out of here.’ Reen didn’t have a lot of money and wasn’t frivolous with what she did have. She wanted to uphold her wandering persona in front of her sister. It added an extra thrill to keep Rose on her toes.

      ‘When are you leaving?’ Rose asked.

      Reen dug her toes into the sand. Why had she taken her shoes off? The water made her vulnerable. She never wanted to be that way around Rose.

      ‘Tomorrow morning,’ Reen said.

      ‘Then we have time. I wanted to talk to you about something else.’

      ‘Does it have to do with Mom?’ Reen asked.

      Rose nodded. ‘I – well, Shane and I had the strangest experience—’ Her words cut off as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle in her head.

      Reen waited a moment, before crossing her arms over her chest.

      Rose blinked as if coming out of a dream.

      ‘What is it?’ Reen asked.

      Rose shook her head. ‘I’ll tell you about it after we see Mom at the Whinding House.’

      ‘Okay,’ Reen said, unsure of what Rose wanted to tell her. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem important enough for her to press for more information before going to the nursing home.

      ‘We can take my car,’ Rose said, walking toward the house.

      Reen wasn’t ready to be alone with Rose, cramped inside of her car. ‘I’ll meet you there. I have a rental.’

      Rose’s lips twisted. ‘We’re both coming back here. We can take your car—’

      ‘I’m not coming back here,’ Reen said.

      ‘Do you have somewhere to be?’

      Anywhere but here. ‘I don’t want to stay here with you and your boyfriend.’

      ‘I never expected you to stay here with us. Shane was going to cook dinner tonight. I planned for us to stay at my place, together. You know I don’t live here anymore.’

      ‘Neither do I,’ Reen said. It was easier for everyone if they kept their lives the same instead of changing everything now.

      ‘You really can’t visit us for one day? Your family?’

      Reen looked away.

      Rose licked her lips. ‘Not much has changed, has it?’

      ‘I’m here to see Mom. This isn’t going to be a big reunion.’ Reen let out a sigh. ‘I don’t know what you’re expecting from me. Mom made it clear who was important after Dad died. I have a life elsewhere.’

      Rose pressed her hands against her forehead. ‘I thought you would be over that by now. Mom is sick. Why can’t you let this go?’

      Reen opened her mouth to say something, but she caught Shane out of the corner of her eye, sauntering toward them. ‘Is everything all right over here?’

      He had a slight limp, but that didn’t detract from his good looks. This guy wasn’t Rose’s type at all. He wasn’t polished and perfect, like her sister. She usually chose the pretty ones with no personality.

      Reen’s hackles rose, ready for him to get on her case too. No doubt Rose had told him one-sided stories about her.

      ‘I’m Reen,’ she said, holding her hand out for him. Her dad had always said the sign of a good person was his or her handshake.

      Shane passed the test. His smile was kind too.

      After shaking her hand, he placed his on the small of Rose’s back. A pulse rushed through Reen. As much as she could pretend that she had been around the country, having the time of her life with whomever she wanted, all she had really done was hide. She’d had a few one-night stands, but she didn’t allow herself to fall into a long-term trap with anyone. She knew what happened when she opened her heart.

      Rose bumped against Shane and her lips curved. Their faces lit up, and Reen looked away as if she’d been staring at the sun. At least someone in their family was happy.

      ‘Reen isn’t staying for dinner tonight,’ Rose told Shane.

      Shane jutted his lip out and nodded. ‘I’m making lasagna, but I can make something different if you’d like.’

      Reen barely heard him as the rush of her heartbeat filled her ears. Rose was trying a different tactic by putting her on the spot with Shane. Reen wouldn’t falter. ‘I have an early flight in the morning.’

      Shane and Rose shared a look but didn’t push.

      ‘We should get going,’ Rose said, and kissed Shane.

      Reen’s chin tipped downward as she witnessed an intimate moment between Shane and her sister. She turned and walked toward her car. ‘I’m headed out. I have the address for the nursing home on my phone.’

      ‘I’m right behind you,’ Rose said.

CHAPTER TWO

      On the way to the nursing home, Reen took the path of least resistance, the same as she had when she first drove into town. She wasn’t interested in a nostalgic drive through the streets. Instead, she kept to the coastline. She wanted to be closer to the water. In her brief time in The Burrow, she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity.

      After Rose had given Mom up to the Whinding House, Reen had researched the facility. It seemed nice enough, but it wasn’t home. Mom belonged by the ocean. It was something Rose hadn’t understood for a long time. When Rose was eleven, she sleepwalked into the water and had refused to go near it since. Reen had tried her hardest to convince her sister it wasn’t a big deal, understanding that Rose used to feel the same way about it as she and Mom did. But it was no use for her big sister. The water continued to draw Reen and Mom to it as if it was their true home.

      Reen pulled