Chapter One
Jo’s cell phone chimed and she saw her mom’s name on the screen. It had taken Jo a long time to refer to Maddie, the woman who adopted her when she was sixteen, as Mom, and she still called her Maddie at times. She had never called anyone else Mom, or at least never remembered doing so. Jo’s memories of her birth mother were limited to photos, since she had died before Jo had a chance to know her. From all accounts, she wasn’t deserving of the title. She had overdosed and it was never determined if it was accidental or an act of suicide. Regardless of the intent, her mother’s death had set Jo on a path that ultimately led to her being in foster care.
Her dad, Joseph, was in the military and had been called back with the sad news. He wasn’t in a position to care for a small child on his own, schlepping from base to base. Grandma Maeve, her dad’s mother, had come to the rescue, taking Jo in and raising her as her own. Life with her grandmother had been happy and carefree, although she missed seeing her dad. He came home to Granite Ridge a few times each year, but never for long.
Grandma Maeve was the librarian in Granite Ridge and Jo had spent many hours helping shelve books and losing herself within the pages of others. Grandma wasn’t rich by any means, but was comfortable and what she couldn’t provide in the way of material objects, she more than made up for with the time she dedicated to Jo.
Being an only child, Jo spent most of her free time with adults, and having Grandma for a guardian meant she spent it with more mature adults. She credited that and all the hours she spent reading, with her robust vocabulary and quick mind, not to mention her even quicker tongue. Often, Grandma had to remind her she was not an adult and while she was free to have opinions, not everyone was as open or interested in them as Grandma. That may have explained Jo’s lack of close friends during her school years. She had no interest in their juvenile pursuits and elected to spend time with Grandma Maeve and her friends or with her imaginary friends in books.
Then, soon after Jo’s eighth birthday, the day military families dread, arrived. Grandma Maeve received the news that her only son, Joseph Daniel O’Malley, had been killed in action. The loss of her son was hard on her, but she and Jo persevered, got through the funeral, and moved on with their lives.
Six years later, when Grandma Maeve suddenly died, that’s when Jo’s world began to unravel. There were no other relatives to turn to and Jo was relegated to the foster system. She had endured a year of living with strangers, the last of whom were eventually deemed unfit, thanks to Jo’s own intervention. Nobody seemed to care or listen to her when she wrote letters and aired her concerns. She still remembered portly old Mrs. Wacker, her social worker, who was better fit for a job behind a counter in a shop or as a telemarketer, where her actions or more likely lack of such, wouldn’t impact any living thing.
Things changed when Jo was taken to Mrs. Kirby’s house right before Christmas that first year. Unsure if it would last, but hoping the kind woman’s home would be more than just a temporary holiday placement, Jo met the three younger girls – Stevie, Alissa, and Hailey. The women she now called her sisters. That first Christmas, Maddie explained they would be soul sisters and the bond they felt would always be theirs.
Seeing that one word on her phone, “Mom”, brought all those old memories rushing back to Jo. The call wasn’t unexpected. With Alissa’s wedding scheduled for Christmas Eve, Jo’s phone had been pinging with texts from her sisters and mom for the last several weeks, checking on details.
Jo had picked up her long silvery gray bridesmaid dress on her lunch hour and it was hanging on the back of her office door, along with the matching sparkly shoes and soft faux fur wrap she had purchased. Maddie had been concerned she might forget the dress, so Jo smiled when she answered.
“I have the dress and my shoes. I’m looking at them right now. No need to worry.” Jo glanced at the framed photo on her desk and reached to touch the smooth metal. Although the quality of the photo wasn’t great, Jo treasured it. It had been with her for fifteen years and she remembered that feeling when Maddie hugged them all close and snapped the photo on her phone. The smiling faces of her sisters with their mom in the midst, even all these years later, brought a smile to her face.
“Oh, sweetie, I wish this was a call just to nag you about that. Um, I’ve got some bad news.” Maddie’s normally enthusiastic voice cracked.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Jo’s forehead creased with worry and she poised her pen over her notepad, tapping it on the paper.
“Jed called off the wedding. Alissa is devastated and heartbroken. She’s not up to talking to everyone about it just yet. She also feels guilty, since there’s no way to get our money back on anything.”
Jo had sent a sizeable check to help with the costs when Jed’s family, owners of a very lucrative spirits company in Seattle, had refused to be involved and had in essence boycotted the entire event. Maddie and the other three sisters insisted they would pitch in and help to make sure Alissa had the wedding of her dreams. Maddie and Nan did the bulk of the heavy lifting, but Jo’s career afforded her the luxury of being able to cover a substantial amount of the costs and she had been happy to help.
The pen Jo was holding beat faster, pounding the notepad with sharp whacks. Jo had a whisper of a bad feeling about this from the beginning, when she learned that despite their wealth, Jed’s parents would not contribute or help in any way. She knew Alissa had been deemed an ill fit for their golden only child. They must have upped the pressure they had been applying to Jed and he cracked.
“Poor Alissa. I can’t believe he would wait until now to end it. He must know nothing is refundable at this late date. Although, when you’re used to working with billions, what’s a few thousand? Especially when it’s not your money. We could probably sue him and recoup some of it.”
Jo listened to Maddie’s deep sigh. “Whoa, let’s not go down that road. I’ve assured Alissa the money doesn’t matter, so don’t bring it up. She feels bad enough already. Could you call Stevie and let her know? Maybe use your influence to keep her calm. Goodness knows what she’ll think is an appropriate reaction. She’s liable to show up at Jed’s house with a baseball bat or something. This is such a sad and disappointing turn of events.”
“Yeah, I’ll call Stevie. Don’t worry.”
“Listen, you’ve already got time off and your ticket booked. It’s been forever since you’ve spent more than a few days with all of us. Alissa is here. I think we should go ahead up to Cedar Mountain Lodge and stay for the holidays, like we planned. Take time, let Alissa lick her wounds, surrounded by her family. We could enjoy all the fun activities going on up at the lodge. Do whatever we want, have some downtime, enjoy the gorgeous setting, and the fun New Year’s Eve party they always host. It’s all paid for and I think we might as well enjoy it.”
Jo heard the longing and uptick in Maddie’s voice, full of hope. She was worried about Alissa and wanted all her chicks back in the nest, together for her sake and Alissa’s. Maddie was right, Jo had been laser focused on her career at Hale and Gray, moving up in the ranks, living carefully, and socking away most of her salary in her investment accounts. This was the first actual vacation she had scheduled. She took a few days off here and there, when Stevie showed up to visit, out of the blue, with her motorhome, or when Alissa came over the summer, but never two weeks off away from the city.
Sometimes, Jo felt like she and Maddie co-parented the other three girls. Jo was the oldest, thirty this year, and like Grandma Maeve used to say, she had been born an old soul. Most people that worked with her or met her, assumed she was a least ten years older. It wasn’t due to her appearance, but her serious nature and wisdom beyond her years.
Jo had spent the least amount of time with Maddie and although ashamed of it, was sometimes jealous of the other girls, who had the benefit of being with her for so much longer. Hailey still lived in Granite Ridge, so she got to see Maddie all the time. Alissa was in Seattle and could make the short trip for a weekend visit. Stevie traveled for seasonal cooking work at various resorts, but came home to Granite Ridge often. Jo was the only one who lived so far away from home. She had been an excellent student and with Maddie’s help and nurturing she excelled further and secured a scholarship to college, went on to obtain her law degree, and enjoyed success at the firm she had been with since law school.
That same drive that pushed Jo to be self-reliant at fifteen, was still with her and her quest for a secure future, one where she wouldn’t have to rely on anyone, consumed her and left little time for a social life. Any time she had away from her office, was spent at Love Links, the organization where Jo volunteered to help foster children and where she felt the most gratified, using her legal skills to help those who needed them most.
Losing Grandma Maeve and being at the mercy of the system had left Jo with not just a desire, but more of a crusade to embark on a career that would allow her to amass wealth and secure her future. She had gained a family, sisters, a mom, even a grandma in Maddie’s mother, Nan, but she would never again be reliant on anyone but herself.
She had been looking forward to this trip, the chance to visit with everyone, be surrounded by the love of her sisters and Mom. “I think that sounds great. I’ve been looking forward to relaxing for two weeks.” Jo glanced at the dress. “I guess there’s no point in bringing the dress and all the paraphernalia that goes with it?”
“Sadly, the dress won’t be needed. I know that won’t break your heart, since you’re not one that likes to dress up in fancy clothes. You can kick back and relax, enjoy a well-deserved vacation. I can’t wait to see you and have all my girls together again.”
Jo promised to make the call to Stevie, confirmed she’d meet up with everyone at the lodge the day after tomorrow, and disconnected.
She took a deep breath and scrolled to Stevie’s name. Looking at the time, she realized she only had a few minutes before a meeting. She poked the green button and listened to Stevie’s voicemail greeting. Instead of a message, Jo tapped out a text.
Mom just called and said Jed cancelled the wedding. Before you decide to do anything rash, think of Alissa and Mom. Alissa is struggling and very upset. We don’t need to do anything that will make her feel worse. Mom thinks we should all go ahead as planned and stay at the lodge over the holidays. I agree and am looking forward to seeing you all the day after tomorrow. We can cheer Alissa up and have a nice long visit. Bonus: I don’t have to wear the dress! Heading to a meeting, talk soon. Love you, Jo.
Jo plucked the file from her desk, took her notepad, and left her cell phone. As she walked down the hall to the conference room, she hoped Stevie would heed her words and not do or say anything to exacerbate the situation. Who was she kidding? Stevie wasn’t known for her subtlety.
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