The Winter Berry House

‘It’s none of my business, I know that. But are you sure it’s worth it to dredge up all this stuff from the past when you—’

‘When I’m the reason there’s stuff to dredge up in the first place?’ Branch snapped.

His outburst earned him a sidelong glance, but Jason remained calm. ‘Actually, what I was going to say was are you sure it’s worth it when you plan on leaving again at the end of the month?’ He paused, letting that train of thought sink in. ‘I’m not too keen on the idea of either of you getting hurt again. I think you two have been through more than enough.’

‘I’m not trying to hurt Kait.’ The words came out in a defensive rush before he could stop them. But was Jason right? Was that all his plans to spend time with her were going to do, hurt her all over again? Hurt himself?

‘It’s never going to be like it was back then, man.’ Jason sounded apologetic, and for that, Branch was thankful. Maybe he did understand, at least a little, how badly Branch wanted a second chance to make the past less painful and turn the future into what he and Kait had always hoped it would be.

But his friend couldn’t understand, he realized. If he did, he never would have said that, because as much as he believed things were never going to be like they were at eighteen, Jason was wrong.

Because they already were. Kait Davenport once again consumed his mind, and the events of that horrible night were once again front and center in his thoughts from the moment he woke up to the late hour he laid his head down at night. The past and the present had collided. For him, anyway.

Jason steered the truck into the driveway, parking it behind the rental Escape. The engine was still running when he turned to him. ‘Be honest,’ he said. ‘Is there any chance at all that you’d consider staying in Port Landon?’

Whatever response Branch was about to flounder through was interrupted by the crunch of hard-packed snow behind them. Both men turned to watch a BMW pull in behind the truck.

‘Who the—’

‘You don’t want to know,’ Jason interjected, staring at the sporty car with its tinted windows like it was the last thing on Earth he ever expected to see.

A second later, they watched the driver open the door and climb out slowly, and Branch’s jaw dropped slightly. It was the last thing he expected to see.

With wraparound Oakley sunglasses that matched the same glossy black as his BMW, Zach Canton looked better suited for the beach than the sub-zero temperatures of Michigan in December.

‘What’s he doing here?’ Branch’s pulse pounded furiously, his heart banging against his ribcage. He hadn’t seen the man since the night of the accident. With every thump of his heartbeat, he became more and more confident that eleven years wasn’t enough to divide the past from the present. It had taken seconds for Zach to climb out of that car, and that was all it took for then and now to crash into each other, too.

‘I don’t know,’ Jason replied, turning the key to kill the engine, ‘But there’s two things you’ve got to do right now, Sterling. The first is to get out of this truck and find out why he’s here. My windows aren’t tinted, so he can see us. The second thing is to stop your damn whispering. You sound like a moron.’

Branch hadn’t realized he’d whispered his question, but his friend’s candor snapped him back to reality and had him clearing his throat to compose himself. The truck door seemed heavier somehow as he climbed out into the cold. Then again, maybe it wasn’t the weight of the door that seemed heavier, but the weight of his guilt.

‘Branch Sterling. Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour himself,’ Zach shouted, rounding the front of his car to meet Branch at the passenger side. ‘The whole town’s buzzing about you being back in town.’

Zach’s features were harder than Branch remembered, his eyes clouded and shrewd. ‘Just got a few things to take care of, Zach, then I think I’ll be on my way.’ He gave the man a once-over. ‘You look like you’re doing all right.’ He had watched him walk toward him, waiting for an unsightly limp, or maybe an unsteadiness. But Branch saw no tell-tale signs of residual effects from the accident. None that he could see, anyway.

Zach made a show of waving a dismissive hand. ‘I’m doing just fine. It’ll take more than the backend of a truck to slow me down.’

Bile rose in Branch’s throat. Was it just him that found it tactless to mention the accident so nonchalantly, especially after everything it had cost everyone involved?

Jason cleared his throat. ‘What can we do for you, Canton?’ he asked in a clipped tone.

Nah, it definitely wasn’t just him.

Hands in the air, Zach smiled. ‘I come in peace, boys, I swear it.’ The smug tone and obnoxious chuckle that followed gave Branch the feeling that peace was the last thing on his mind, but Jason’s constant glances in Branch’s direction were getting through loud and clear. Just keep your mouth shut and hear the guy out.

‘I actually heard you were the executor of Addie and Duke’s estate,’ Zach continued, nodding his head toward the looming house that stood before him. ‘And the owner of this big, beautiful home now. Thought you might be in need of my services sometime soon, so I figured I’d drop this off.’ Zach produced a glossy business card seemingly from nowhere, holding it out between his fingers.

For a second time, Branch’s jaw went slack. Dumbfounded, he took the card, staring at it as though it was written in hieroglyphics. He knew from the Port Landon Ledger that Zach was a realtor, and a pretty successful one at that, but he never would have expected the man to seek him out about his grandparents’ house. ‘You came here to tell me you want to list my house?’ The word my tasted like acid on his tongue, but Branch refused to let Zach Canton stand here and forget that it was more than some real estate listing to him.

‘I can do you one better than that,’ Zach said proudly, obviously untouched by Branch’s indignant tone. ‘I’ll buy it from you. Top dollar, of course.’ He flashed a smile that made Branch’s insides contort. ‘That’s money in your pocket, Sterling, and then you – as you put it – can be on your way.’

He stared into the man’s sunglasses, wishing he could see his eyes. Did he really mean it as maliciously as Branch was hearing it? Was he really standing here, offering cash in exchange for the only family home he had, just to get him out of town as fast as possible?

‘Zach, I—’

‘Branch needs time to think about it,’ Jason cut in. ‘Zach, he’s only been here a few days. Give the guy some space while he sorts through his grandparents’ belongings, will you?’ He admonished the realtor with every word, while managing to ease Branch’s mind and calm him down. He was giving him an out. From the conversation, and from the ultimate decision.

Zach shifted his gaze from one man to the other, his sneer never wavering. ‘No problem at all. I just wanted to put the offer out there.’ He reached out and tapped the business card, still clutched between Branch’s icy fingers. ‘If you want to talk, you know where to find me.’

Branch and Jason watched as Zach shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and retreated to the driver’s side of his car. The door opened with a muted click, and the sounds of a classic rock radio station floated on the frigid air.

‘Oh, and Branch?’

‘Yeah,’ Branch replied absently. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t looked away.

Zach winked. ‘It’s good to see you.’ He folded himself into the little car and backed out of the driveway. Neither Branch nor Jason spoke a word until the red glow of the tail-lights disappeared around the corner.

Jason looked downright stricken on his friend’s behalf. ‘What just happened?’

Branch stared at the spot the impractical sports car had been only moments before. ‘I don’t exactly know,’ he replied absently. Then, he turned to face Jason. ‘But in response to your earlier question, I might not have a clue what the odds are of me staying in Port Landon just yet, but I think it’s safe to say there’s a certain somebody who’ll do what he can to make sure the odds are even better that I’ll leave.’