Page 21 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)

Chapter Twenty-One

Matilda sat alone in a pile of rubble. The decision to knock down an unnecessary wall in the waiting room, opening the space up to how it had originally been constructed, had been hers.

But now that she’d used a mallet to bring it down, she wasn’t sure she’d done the right thing, and the job was only partially done.

It was much harder work than she’d imagined it would be.

What could be hard about smacking a wall with a mallet?

Turns out, everything! Everything about it was extremely difficult, and she’d found herself breathless very quickly.

She’d had to take a break every thirty seconds or so, leaning on the mallet to catch her breath.

Now that most of the wall was gone, apart from some stubborn framing, she sat in the middle of the rubble and surveyed the damage.

This was all too much. Ryan had said she should hire someone to do this part, but she’d objected, saying she could do it and save them money.

But now she realised he was right. She was out of her depth.

She couldn’t do this. It was all too hard. What was she thinking, taking this on?

She stared at the mallet by her hand on the floor, willing herself to pick it back up. But she was so tired. She pulled her phone from her pocket to call Ryan and tell him she was ready to hire some help, but it rang before she could.

Stella’s cheery voice made her instantly feel better.

“Tilly! I miss you. What are you doing?”

She scrubbed her free hand over her face. “I’m tearing down a wall in the clinic and regretting my life choices. How about you?”

“Aw, you’ll be okay. If anyone can do it, you can.”

Stella had always been her loudest cheerleader. “Thanks, sis.”

“How did your exam go? Are you officially an American vet now?”

“I passed, so I’m all registered. It’s been a blur, honestly and I’m bone tired.”

“Congratulations, that’s fantastic. You always amaze me.”

“You’re very easily pleased,” Matilda said with a yawn. “But thanks, I can’t tell you good it is to talk to you right now.”

“You’ll never guess who I’ve just had dinner with,” Stella said, in a smug voice. “Julie Brown!”

Matilda’s breath caught in her chest. “What?”

“Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to tell you but she called me a few days ago and asked if we could meet up.”

“She’s in Australia?”

“She came over with a friend for some kind of medical conference. James is really nice too. They’re both lovely. We had such a nice time getting to know her. Even Todd liked her, which is a big deal, as you know.” Stella laughed. She sounded happy.

Matilda bit down on her lip. It was hard to hear her sister talking about Julie this way.

Julie didn’t want anything to do with Matilda.

She seemed to be holding the entire situation against her.

But now she’d gone to Australia without saying anything about it.

It hurt to be left out. Matilda’s heart ached in her chest.

She was still playing catch-up. “I had no idea. I thought she was here. I saw her taking out the trash not long ago…”

“Listen to you! You sound American already.”

“No I don’t. I haven’t been here that long. Why did she want to meet?”

“I guess to get to know us. You didn’t tell me how alike we are!

She looks so much like me, don’t you think?

We’re definitely sisters. It was so exciting, finally getting to meet her.

She even has a similar sense of humour and mannerisms. I can’t believe those things can be genetic.

It’s incredible, really. We got along as if we’d all known each other forever. ”

As Stella gushed, Matilda grew more and more quiet.

It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. She hadn’t thought through the consequences of uncovering the truth this far.

She’d realised it would impact her and had known that it could change her own relationship with her family members forever.

But so far it hadn’t seemed to do that, and she’d gained a whole new family as well.

Stella had been cautious about it, but she’d brushed off her sister’s concerns.

Now she understood. Stella hadn’t wanted to be replaced, and now Matilda felt the same way.