More Than You Know Read Online Free PDF Page A

lights reminded her of the county fair back home, and the wind that drifted through the open windows of the car smelled like the cool, gray ocean. The next morning she woke up—uncertain of where she was or how she’d gotten there. Bleary-eyed, she’d looked around and noticed that all the furniture was draped in white sheets—except for the bed on which they lay—which was covered in a blue quilt. The smooth tan skin of Will’s back was uncovered and she realized she was wearing his shirt—thankfully, it was over her shirt. She wondered how much more of him was exposed under the quilt and tried to remember. When he woke up, he teased her for not remembering; but finally, with a long sigh of regret and a heart-melting grin, he revealed that she didn’t need to worry—nothing had happened.
    Later, they’d closed up his parents’ beach house, stopped at Box Lunch for breakfast wraps and coffee, and walked along the deserted beach, watching the sandpipers being chased by the waves and listening to hungry seagulls begging for handouts. As the sun slipped from the sky, they’d finally made their way back to Providence and he’d kissed her good night under a streetlight on Benefit Street and promised to call.
    The next several months had been a whirlwind. As the attraction between them grew, their strong-willed personalities surfaced—and the results were often tumultuous and tearful. So when Will proposed to Rumer three years later, on the night she graduated from RISD, everyone who knew and loved them held their breath and wondered if their fiery relationship could last.
     
    Well, it had lasted, Rumer thought, sipping her coffee, for almost twenty-three years; but it hadn’t been easy. And now it looked as if the naysayers might have been right after all. Maybe they didn’t have what it takes to make it. The only thing holding them together was Rand. Tears stung Rumer’s eyes. At least her mom hadn’t lived to see them fall apart. She would’ve been heartbroken.

3
    B eryl was lost in thought when she turned onto Route 3, and at least ten minutes passed before she realized that the last remnant of the day’s bright sky was over her left shoulder, and not her right. She groaned. “What did I do?” Anxiously, she searched for the next highway sign and, sure enough, she was headed north toward Manchester. “What’s the matter with me? I’ve traveled this road a thousand times.” She shook her head; even though she was just shy of forty-five, ever since her mom’s diagnosis, she’d become increasingly aware of her own mental blunders and “senior moments”—and the more aware she was of them, the more they seemed to happen. “I’m going to be right behind you, Mum.” She pulled off the next exit, praying it wouldn’t take her around Robin Hood’s barn. “Thank you,” she murmured, turning off the ramp and immediately seeing a sign for 3-South.
    Her thoughts turned to Rumer and she prayed her sister’s flight would be on time. She looked at the setting sun, now on her right side, and knew that was the direction from which Rumer was coming. Suddenly, she caught herself beginning to imagine tragic scenarios; then she heard her mom’s voice echoing in her head: “Beryl, why don’t you allow yourself the joy of looking forward to someone’s visit instead of worrying that something bad is going to happen while they’re traveling?” It was true—her mom knew her too well. It was almost as if she could read her mind. She glanced at the clock and realized she had plenty of time but felt bad knowing the lost minutes could have been spent stopping by the shop to feed Thoreau. She pictured the gray tiger curled up on the armchair alone and recalled how often he’d nestled on Mia’s lap, purring contentedly. Somehow, that wise cat had sensed the quiet change taking place in his old friend, and although he’d always been affectionate, he’d become increasingly attentive during those last several