The guest room felt too big. Too quiet. Too empty. I stood in the middle of it for a long time after the housekeeper left, my small suitcase still sitting unopened by the foot of the bed.
I finally moved, unzipping the suitcase and pulling out my clothes one by one. A couple of simple dresses, jeans, t-shirts, the necklace from my mother. I arranged them neatly in the massive walk-in closet that could have fit my entire old bedroom. It felt ridiculous. Pathetic, almost. My things looked lost in all that space.
I sat on the edge of the bed and touched the necklace again, running my thumb over the small pendant. “What am I doing here, Mom?” I whispered. No answer, of course.
A knock made me jump. The housekeeper, Mrs. Hale, she’d introduced herself earlier, poked her head in.
“Dinner wil
