Today's Reading
She turned off her engine and stared at the house for a moment as thoughts whirred around her mind. They were mostly nostalgic ones that hit her more in the feels than she was ready to deal with on a day that had been nothing but one disaster after another, so she did what any normal chronic avoider would do. She buried those feelings deep down with the other topics she didn't care to dive into at the moment. Or ever.
Plus, she really needed to go inside so she could get out of these wet clothes. She was starting to chafe.
Cora grabbed her suitcase-sized camera bag and her drugstore goodies from the back seat and headed through the drizzle to the front door. Then she knocked.
Yes, she was aware that technically speaking she didn't have to knock. For starters, her name was on the rental agreement. She had the code that unlocked the front door.
But the bigger reason she didn't need to knock was that her family stood on the other side of the door.
There was a day when no Prestly sister knocked on a door, ever. Cora couldn't count the number of times Savannah or Bianca had barged into their shared bathroom while she'd been in there. There was a very loose definition of privacy among them.
Of course, that had been before, when life looked different.
It was only a matter of seconds before the door flung open to reveal both of her sisters standing in the doorway.
"You're here!" Savannah and Bianca squealed in unison and threw their hands up in the air in celebration. The bright lights of the interior shone like a spotlight as they posed, smiles beaming, energy level off the Richter scale.
Yeah. It was going to be a long month.
To any onlooker, it was impossible to deny that the three women were sisters. The Prestly girls had the exact same shade of chestnut-brown hair and rich walnut eyes they'd gotten from their mom and the same button nose they'd gotten from their dad. But there were differences, too. Savannah was the shortest, with always-perfect curls that fell to her shoulders. Bianca, whose hairstyle changed with her mood, was currently sporting new curtain bangs and chunky, wavy layers. Long, lean Cora had always preferred her straight hair to be long with as little fuss as possible.
But if their matching features didn't tip off their relation, the matching pajama sets Cora's sisters were wearing—bubblegum-pink pants with white polka-dots, and a white T-shirt with Sister Squad printed on the chest—were a dead giveaway.
Before Cora had a chance to change her mind and turn around, her younger sister Bianca grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside. "Oh my gosh! That took you forrrrrevvvverrrr." Bianca threw her arms around her sister in a dramatic hug.
"Yeah, I know," Cora mumbled. "I lived it."
"We're just glad you made it," Savannah said. "But you're soaking wet."
"Rainstorm." Cora gave a What-do-you-do? shrug.
"No worries." Savannah ushered her into the entryway with a protective arm. "We've got you covered. Bianca, get her bag."
Except, could this even be called an entryway? They were only two steps away from the front door, but they were already in the middle of the living room / dining room. Cora glanced around, trying to take it all in. Had the cottage always been this small?
Savannah thrust a bubblegum-pink bundle into her hands. "Looks like once again it's matching jammies to the rescue!"
"No one has said that ever. Not even this time."
Savannah gave her a warning look.
So maybe their hairstyles weren't the only differences among them. Savannah propped her hands on her hips. "Are you going to put them on? Or make fun of them while your wet clothes turn your entire body into a prune?"
Bianca giggled.
"Fine." Cora huffed as she carried her bubblegum bundle to the hall bathroom, although hall seemed like a bold title for the alcove between the two bedrooms. She could've sworn this was all larger last time she was here.
"We used to have matching jammies every time we came," Savannah called after her.
"We used to be eight." Cora's voice echoed inside the tiny bathroom.
She peeled off the wet clothes, dropped them on the floor and stepped into the dry set. While Cora maintained the pajama pants were the most obnoxious color of pink, she had to admit they were really soft. If she was going to be stuck wearing something for three days, at least it was comfortable.
...
