A Thousand Sunsets (Band of Sisters)

by Rice, Marianne

  “You’re right,” he said with a sigh. “Liv spends a lot of time here because it beats the alternative.” He kept his back to Drew—it was easier than making eye contact—and stared out the window. “Our mom’s house isn’t a healthy place for her to be.”

  He watched Drew in the reflection of the window as he set his beer down on the counter.

  “She leaves Liv alone all day and often at night. During the school day it’s not so bad, but on weekends and school breaks, it’s a bit much. I can’t let her stay home alone so I bring her to work with me, which isn’t exactly fun for a young girl, and she spends her weekend nights with me. And lately some weeknights as well.”

  “You’re doing an amazing thing by being there for your sister. She’ll hold these memories and your love close to her for the rest of her life.”

  “I don’t know what I’m doing.” He turned and leaned his back against the wall. “I do what I can, but I haven’t let her be a ten... eleven-year-old girl. I don’t know what eleven-year-old girls even do. Or need.”

  “I imagine they need what any kid needs. Love and attention. Sounds like you’re giving her both. Your kid sister gave you more hugs at her birthday dinner at my house than I gave my sister in a year at that age.”

  “I’m more like her father than a brother. Not sure if you noticed, but there’s a bit of an age gap. Twenty-two years.”

  “No shit. I should be calling you Grandpa instead.” Drew opened the package of Oreos. “Here. Dessert before dinner. It always makes me feel better.”

  “Thanks.” Owen took a cookie and separated the layers.

  “You even eat your Oreo like a kid.”

  “Don’t tell me you bite into it like a savage?”

  “I prefer to dunk mine. I don’t suppose you have any milk?”

  “Wow. We are losers. What happened to the beer and the belching?” Owen opened the fridge and set the gallon of milk on the counter.

  “Small increments. One beer tonight, maybe a gin and tonic next time we go out.”

  “Isn’t that an old person’s drink?” He poured two glasses of milk and slid a glass across the counter to Drew.

  “Which is why I think it’ll be perfect for you.”

  The oven timer went off breaking their cookie silence. He slipped on a pair of hot mitts and took out the two meat lovers pizzas.

  “Dinner is served.”

  “Where do you keep the china?”

  “The cabinet with no door.”

  “Which one?”

  It couldn’t be more obvious with one cabinet housing glasses, another cereal boxes, and the third a stack of paper plates sitting on top of four normal plates.

  “Wise ass.” Owen slid the pizza cutter through the cardboard flat pizza. “It’s a self-serve kitchen.” He picked up two pieces and plopped them on his plate.

  They stood at the counter and chowed down one pizza and made a decent dent in the second.

  “So is the Black Fly Diner open seven days a week?” Drew asked around a mouthful of pizza.

  Owen knew what he was doing. Bringing the topic of his mom back into the picture. Part of him wanted to tell him to mind his own f-ing business, but maybe he could do it. Maybe he could share a little bit. Unload a piece of his burdens without getting too close.

  “It’s closed Monday and Tuesday.”

  “What does your sister do on those days?”

  The man had tact asking it that way instead of asking directly about their mom. “She watches a lot of television, makes beaded bracelets, reads some. Cooks.”

  “Does she have any other hobbies?”

  “No. No chance to explore any others.” Owen dropped the thin crust to his pizza on his plate. “Our mother is the hands-off type. She believes in her kids learning to be independent at an early age.”

  “I take it your father is not in the picture.”

  He pushed off the counter and clamped his hands behind his neck as he paced the kitchen. It was too soon; he wasn’t ready to talk about their father.

  Owen dropped his hands and came back to the counter, picking out an Oreo from the package. “He’s not and it’s better that way.”

  “It’s the same way with Brooke’s father as well. Family doesn’t necessarily mean blood. She considers Charlie, Gina, and Skylar her family. Her relationship with them is stronger than any she could possibly have with her blood relatives.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” There’d been some gossip around town about Brooke and her father, and even about Drew and his connection to the camp.

  Owen wasn’t into gossip and frankly, didn’t care one way or the other. He did his job rebuilding the burned cabins and replacing the rotted wood, and then left.

  “Sometimes those who appear to have it all together on the outside are the most broken on the inside.”

  “Since you live in a sweet abode, sleep on a pile of money with your beautiful wife, you must be a major crackpot.”

  He wouldn’t have joked about it if he hadn’t seen the family pictures all around his house and hadn’t met some of them throughout the fall while working at the camp. They were your typical upper-class all-American family. Owen didn’t resent Drew for what he had. It wasn’t like he flaunted it or snubbed his nose for his humble earnings.

  “I have my skeletons as do we all.”

  “Don’t tell me you have a BDSM room in your basement or run a sex club in the city.”

  “No. I keep all my dead bodies in the shed. Just ask my sister. And for the record, I visited a sex club in New York City once. It was for research.”

  “Right.” Owen barked out a laugh. “How did that go over with Brooke?”

  “It was a few years ago. You can read about it in The Jack of Clubs.”

  “I knew it was only a matter of time before you started pushing your books on me. Typical salesman.” He took a sip of milk and grinned extra wide when he felt the milk moustache on his upper lip.

  “You’re an ass. The perfect match for Charlie, who has an equal amount of sass in everything she says and does.”

  “Nope. Not happening.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s not interested.”

  Drew snorted. “Says who? You two couldn’t keep your eyes off each other during dinner at my house.”

  “She was stuck to Liv’s side the entire night.”

  “Which was why your eyes were glued to her.”

  “They were not.”

  “Were to.”

  “Wow. If these are the kind of comebacks you use in The Jack of Clubs, no wonder it’s a bestseller.”

  “Nice tactic, but the subject hasn’t changed. So why not pursue this thing with Charlie?”

  “Your resume is long enough as it is. No need to add matchmaking to it. Sounds like you and Charlie have more in common than she and I.”

  “Interesting you should say that.” Drew took an Oreo and dunked it. “Brooke said the same thing to me before we started dating.”

  Owen tensed. “You and Charlie dated?”

  “Woah. Ease up.” Drew held up his hands and took a step back. “Down boy. No, Charlie and I never dated, but Brooke implied we’d be a better match.”

  “Why?” He relaxed his shoulders a notch, but the wariness hadn’t left him yet.

  “Because we both like to cook.”

  “I hate cooking.”

  “So does Brooke. See? Opposites attract.”

  “In some cases. Not in ours.” He picked up the empty cardboard circle the pizza had been wrapped in and chucked it in the trash.

  “Why are you so hell bent on not being interested in Charlie. The feeling is mutual, so you don’t have to worry about being rejected on the playground.”

  “She’s made it pretty clear how uninterested she is. It’s like she got the vibe I was into her, so she shoved me onto Gina.”

  “Gina? She’s not ready to date. We wish she would. She’s had a difficult time with—” He stopped himself and wiped the crumbs o
ff his hand. “Charlie is pushing you onto Gina?”

  He’d caught a glimpse of the scars on the back of her neck but those couldn’t be why she wasn’t ready to date. She was a beautiful woman. A few scars shouldn’t hold any man back. Respecting her privacy, and wanting his own, he didn’t push Drew for details.

  “Like I said, Charlie isn’t interested in me.”

  “But you’re interested in her.”

  “Stop sounding like a girl. This conversation is over.”

  “If it’s meant to be, you two will find each other.”

  “That’s deep. A line from author A.R. Beckett?”

  “Nah. He writes messed up crap. All the characters are nut jobs in his books.”

  “Should I not be surprised to find myself in your next thriller?”

  “Oh, you’re the main character. A ladies’ man who runs an underground BDSM club in his vintage nineteen-thirties style house in the middle of nowhere land. The women go missing and all fingers—literally, he chops them off as souvenirs—points to him.”

  “You are sick,” Owen laughed.

  “Thanks for the material.” Drew punched him in the shoulder and accidentally knocked over his milk. “Shit. Sorry. Got any paper towels?”

  Owen reached over the fridge and took down a roll, catching a whiff of his underarm. “Damn. I need a shower.”

  “I didn’t want to say anything before.” Drew waved his hand in front of his nose with one hand while he wiped up the spill.

  “Sorry, man.” He knew he stank, especially after working all day and an intense two hours at the gym.

  “I’m kidding. Hell, when I get on a writing roll, I forget to shower for days. Brooke has to remind me sometimes.”

  “I can only imagine the kind of sweat you build up sitting on your ass all day at your computer.”

  Owen liked the teasing jibes he and Drew gave each other. Something he hadn’t done since he was in his teens, and then his insults to his buddies had been a lot more crude and disrespectful. More than half of the insults he hammered on them were true, and the shit they gave him was spot on as well.

  Grown up razzing was nicer. Cleaner. More his style in his old age.

  “I’ll get out of your hair then.” Drew picked up their plates and tossed them in the trash.

  “Thanks for coming over. We’ll have to do it again sometime. I’ll even shower first. And change my sheets. Maybe even clean up around here.”

  “Sounds good.” Drew stopped at the front door, and his joking manner turned more serious. “And your house isn’t a dump. It’s aged, yeah, but it’s clean. You don’t have empty pizza boxes and broken beer bottles littered about. Even your kitchen sink is clean. That’s impressive. You’re a good guy, Owen. Liv is lucky to have you.”

  Bonding with Drew was nice. While he didn’t bare his ugly soul, he unloaded traces of his insecurities and was given a new friendship in return.

  The glass was half-full. This was his new mantra. He tried to remind himself of that after his shower when he climbed into his bed alone.

  Always alone, except for those nights when a thunderstorm shook the house and Liv was scared. Maybe he should get a dog. Someone else to love him unconditionally like his sister.

  If only he had time to care for a dog, his sister, his self. And a woman.

  Not any woman.

  Charlie.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Charlie did her best to distance herself from Olivia as much as she could. She’d watched from afar when Olivia giggled with Gina while they made fairy houses and watched from the lodge’s windows when she played in the water with Arlyne. It was good she was making friends. It was what Owen had wanted for her.

  When Olivia ran into the kitchen asking if Charlie was going canoeing with the rest of them, she wanted to say yes, but made up a lame excuse about needing to do food inventory. The less time she spent with Owen’s sister the better it was for all four of them.

  Gina finally wore a smile almost as wide as the ones she wore before the roadside bomb tore away the flesh on her back and the happiness in her heart. Charlie was not about to take away the new sparkle in her life.

  “But you promised we’d go again,” Olivia whined.

  “I know honey. Gina’s out there and so is Brooke and Sarah and the other counselors. You’ll have a great time.”

  Olivia gave her one of her infamous squeezes and ran off hollering to Arlyne. It was for the best, she tried to convince herself.

  The morning dragged on until she heard the line of cars and parents coming to pick up their children. Normally she was on the frontline saying goodbye, assuring the parents of how well their child did at camp, but not today.

  Today she needed to be alone. To reassess. It’s not like she’d been dumped by a boyfriend or anything. She could still be friends with Owen while he and Gina started their new relationship, or friendship, or whatever it was they were starting.

  The laughter from behind the lodge carried through the open windows of the kitchen. The deep laugh penetrated through her as did Gina’s soft laugh and Olivia’s giggle. Charlie couldn’t make out their words and leaned closer to the window for a quick peek.

  Gina’s hand rested on Owen’s shoulder and he gave her a familiar smile. It was all too much. And then he tilted his head and caught Charlie’s eye through the window. His smile faltered and she backed away from sight mentally berating herself for being such an idiot.

  She took out a pad of paper and started a grocery list for the upcoming weekend’s campers. They were children with celiac disease. No gluten, wheat, barley, rye, or malt, and there was danger of cross-contamination. Even though the kitchen was spotless, she’d disinfect all the stainless steel and glassware before using to prep the foods.

  She’d met with a nutritionist a few weeks ago to learn about all the precautions she needed to take, and the ingredients to stay away from. Scrubbing and having to be super-aware of her ingredients would keep her mind off of—

  “Hey.”

  Owen.

  “Olivia had a great time,” she said, not turning around or lifting her head to acknowledge him. “I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it.”

  “She’s already started. Thank you for having her this week.”

  He wasn’t the quietest of walkers—kinda hard when he was six foot something, solid muscle, and wearing work boots. She bit her lip and lifted her gaze. Owen leaning against the other side of the center island shouldn’t cause her panties to twist in discomfort.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “Brooke’s the mastermind behind it all. And Gina did most of the work.”

  “Are we staying for dinner?” Olivia called from the lodge, running through the open door to the kitchen. “Can we stay longer?”

  Owen looped his arm around her neck in a playful headlock. “What have I said about inviting yourself places?”

  “I think dinner sounds like a great idea,” Brooke chimed in from behind them.

  “We’re not weaseling our way into another dinner invite.”

  “There’s no weaseling about it. Drew tells me you two have a bromance going.”

  “What’s a bromance?” Olivia asked, her hair flopped over her face.

  “It means Drew hasn’t stopped texting me about his guy night with your big brother a couple nights ago. I thought he’d be excited to see me tonight since I haven’t been home for three days but I’m pretty sure he’s more excited to plan the next guys’ night.”

  “The last camper has left.” Gina joined them in the kitchen, resting her head on Brooke’s shoulder. “Another successful event, I’d say.”

  “We make a good team.” Brooke patted her hair.

  Charlie studied the four of them. Happy. Content. And Olivia squirming in her brother’s arms loving all the attention. He needed a break. From what Brooke said about Drew loving the time with Owen, she was sure the feeling was mutual. What thirty-something guy wanted to spend every waking minute with his kid sister?
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br />   “How about a double date?” All heads turned in her direction. “Since Olivia and I didn’t get much time together, I call the eleven-year-old as my date and you four can go out.”

  Gina picked her head off Brooke’s shoulder, who raised a curious eyebrow at Charlie. “You’ll stay with Olivia?”

  Owen shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and took a step back, staring down at the stainless-steel counter.

  “Can we bake another cake?” Olivia asked.

  “Sure.” Charlie prepared herself for the little body that came crashing into hers. “And then go out for a canoe ride at dusk. It’s super pretty on the pond at night.”

  It went against her original plan of bonding with Olivia, but if it meant Gina and Owen could have time together...

  “I, uh, can I talk to you for a sec, Charlie?” Brooke left the kitchen expecting her to follow, which she did, all the way down to the water’s edge and completely out of earshot from the cozy threesome in the lodge.

  “What’s this double date all about?” She fisted her knuckles on her hips and peered down at Charlie. Brooke did the badass intimidating glare better than any woman, hell, any man she knew.

  “You said Drew and Owen hit it off. I figured he could use another night without the responsibility of his sister.”

  “Why can’t Gina babysit? Or better yet, why don’t we all do something together like we did for Olivia’s birthday?”

  “Because Gina and Owen...” she licked her lips and flicked her hair back and feigned nonchalance, “they’re cute together, don’t you think?”

  “You’ve been the one singing Owen’s praises. We all had our bets on how long it would take for you to get him in bed.”

  “What can I say?” She lifted a shoulder. “I enjoy men. If not Owen, I’ll find someone else. Besides, I think Gina would be good for him.”

  “Funny. When I mentioned you’d be good for Drew he nearly flipped. Seems like Owen may feel the same.”

  “I know. That’s why I’m setting him up with Gina. I’m not fit for either of them.”