Buried [Completed]

Chapter twenty-four

"Sorry the place is such a mess." 

Jamie sat at the table in the trailer. Stripped of the stuff that was meaningful to her, the rest in boxes, disassembled, ready to be picked up by Goodwill tomorrow, the place was not only a mess, it was bleak. Dougal had already loaded his box into his car. He hadn't even bothered checking to see what was inside. She was worried about him. He looked sad and tired, his dark hair a crazy mess, his face unshaven. 

"To be expected, I guess. Moving is always a hassle." 

He set a paper bag on the table then pulled out sandwiches and colas. 

"Tuna," he said, picking up a half and taking a bite. 

Had he chosen tuna sandwiches on purpose? Their mother must have packed a thousand of them for their lunches over the years. So much so that Jamie had grown to hate them. Still, she dutifully picked up a half. 

"I took the family photos over to Kyle's. I'll be happy to divide them up with you, if you want." 

"No. You keep them." 

She took a bite, found it tastier than she'd expected. Dougal was still chomping at his, looking around as if he couldn't even remember a time when he'd lived here. Yet he had. For eighteen years. Fourteen of those years had been with her, yet she couldn't say she knew the man sitting opposite her very well. Dougal had always kept so much of himself hidden, unlike her and their mother. For Jamie it was natural to talk about problems when she was upset, and to share her joy when she was happy. 

She remembered Dougal calling her a chatterbox, complaining to their mother that she never shut up. He hadn't been a mean brother, though. He'd helped her with her homework, and taken care of her when she was sick and their mother had to work. He'd done a lot of ignoring her, too, especially as he grew older. 

"I'm glad you've decided to stay in Twisted Cedars for a while. Maybe you can come over for dinner sometime." 

His dark eyes, like always, seemed to be holding something back when he looked at her. 

"It's better if we just get together for lunch every now and then." 

"You don't need to be jealous of him, anymore. You're a successful author. You have no need to feel inferior to anyone." 

"You think I'm jealous?" 

Jamie shrugged. Of course he wasn't going to admit it. 

"What I meant to say is that he's my husband now. That makes him part of your family. I think it would be nice if you could try to get along." 

Dougal said nothing to that. He finished his sandwich, then took a long drink of the cola. 

"So who bought the place? Do I know them?" 

"You do. You hired her to clean out the Hammonds' cottage before you moved in." 

"Liz Brooks?" He looked around the double wide as if trying to imagine her living here. 

"Yeah. Apparently she likes our town and plans to stay. She'll take over the cleaning business when Stella retires... and that day can't come too soon for Stella. The arthritis in her knees is really killing her. Plus... losing Mom really took something out of her." 

Dougal nodded. He finished the last of his sandwich and stood. 

"I should be going." Jamie cleared her throat and looked away. "Um... when I was cleaning out Mom's jewelry drawer, I found something interesting." 

"Yeah?" 

He was out the door already. She had to run to catch up to him. 

"A letter. From our dad."