Are you sure? I thought you were going to wait a few weeks.”
“I don’t know. I just…
I need to do something. Jake’s place is on the way, so I’ll drop off those tools I borrowed.”
Meredith said she had errands to run but would join me later that afternoon. Jake’s been my best friend since high school.
We’ve been through every dumb decision and heartbreak together. Usually, dropping something off at his house turned into a half-hour chat and a beer. But he wasn’t home that morning, so I left the tools in his garage and kept driving.
That meant I got to Mom’s place earlier than I’d told Meredith. The old house hadn’t changed since I left for college—same white siding, same wind chimes clinking by the front porch. But the moment I pulled into the driveway, I slammed the brakes.
Meredith’s car was already there. For a second, I smiled, thinking maybe she had decided to surprise me by coming early to help out. But as I walked up to the porch and got closer, I noticed something that made my stomach twist—the front door lock was busted, like someone had forced it open!
My stomach tightened. I called out her name as I stepped inside. The house smelled faintly like it always had, like dust and my mom’s favorite detergent.
Everything was still. Too still. Just the low hum of the old refrigerator in the kitchen.
Then I saw a soft glow under the basement door. I grabbed the nearest thing I could find, a random candlestick, and walked down slowly, trying to keep my breathing steady. The steps creaked under my weight, and the air was cool and damp.
When I reached the bottom, I froze. There, near the far wall, stood Meredith. Her back was stiff, her hands rifling through boxes and other items.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. My voice cracked, and I hated how uncertain I sounded. She turned sharply, her eyes wide.
“Babe!? It’s not what you think!”
“Then what is it?” I took a few steps closer, glancing behind me at the broken lock. “Why did you break the door?”
She looked down.
“I… didn’t have the key.”
“So you broke in? You couldn’t wait for me to get here?”
“I just wanted to help,” she said, her voice soft.
“I didn’t think you’d mind if I got started.”
“Help? By sneaking in like a thief?” I asked, a little louder now. She flinched.
I noticed how she kept standing in front of the wall shelves, like she was hiding something. There were old, dusty boxes, paint cans, and tools, all untouched since I was a teenager. “What were you looking for, Meredith?”
“Nothing special,” she said quickly.
“I just thought I’d go through some of the old stuff, make it easier for you.”
