by Marika Ray
Oakley climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut before I could get to my feet. She went to the trunk to get the fingerprinting machine that had failed to work yet again. One downside to working in a small county was the lack of resources for things like machines that actually worked when out in the field. I met her at the back of the car, feeling like I owed her one hell of an explanation for how I’d been behaving.
“Are we going to talk, or are you just going to—”
“Wyatt?” A female voice squealed from behind me. I turned, dread snaking up my spine. I knew that voice well.
“Emmeline?”
My sister, younger than me by seven years, came sauntering across the parking lot, her towering wedges, low-cut summer dress, and wide-brimmed hat looking all kinds of out-of-place out here in the country. She had a wide smile on her face, her hands clasped below her chin as her huge suede bag—probably worth more than the cruiser we’d driven all day—swung off her shoulder.
“It is you! Oh my God, let me look at you.” She moved around me in a circle, faster than I could gather my thoughts.
Oakley stood off to the side, her head tilted, watching my sister like you would an exotic animal from the zoo. Emmeline stopped in front of me, cutting off Oakley, and peered up with her face all scrunched up.
“You’re so cute in your little uniform, bubby,” she cooed.
Jesus H. Christ. She was using the nickname she’d given me when she was a baby. I heard Oakley snort while my balls shriveled up. Damn, the poor bastards had been frozen and leeched of their manhood all in the span of one day.
“Em. This is my partner, Oakley.” I took my sister’s arm and tried to move her out of the way. She nearly went down in her ridiculous shoes, but I steadied her. “Oakley, this is my sister, Emmeline.”
Oakley’s smile turned more genuine, and she stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Emmeline’s shoulders came up to her ears, and she bounced on her toes. “Oh! I’ve always wanted to meet a real live lady cop! You are adorable. And quite badass. I’m so impressed.”
She threw her hands out wide, and I cringed. Emmeline flung her arms around Oakley’s shoulders and squeezed her tight, rocking side to side before Oakley could push her off, which she did lightning quick. Emmeline almost went down again, but I kept her upright. I was used to that being my job. The girl never wore appropriate attire, and it fell to me, as her brother, to watch out for her. I wondered who took care of her lately, now that I wasn’t around.
Oakley eyed us both like we weren’t to be trusted. The woman always had good instincts. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Em’s bottom lip rolled out, and I knew the epic pout was coming. “What kind of brother doesn’t talk about his favorite little sister, Wyatt Clifford?”
Oakley let out another snort, louder this time.
I cut her off with a bark. “Don’t.”
Oakley’s hand covered her mouth and if my balls hadn’t already shriveled to nothing, they’d have died a silent death now that Oakley knew my middle name.
“You’re my only sister, Em,” I pointed out.
She instantly brightened and poked me in the arm. “I know. Which is why I’m your favorite, silly.”
Em swung around to grab Oakley’s arms before I could think of a way to separate these two. I couldn’t handle any further humiliation. Things were tense enough between Oakley and me without inserting my little sister.
“Hey, sis…you got biceps! It’s just so good to meet a coworker of Wyatt’s.” She smiled, and despite the humiliation, my heart had a tender spot for this over-the-top, well-meaning sister of mine.
Emmeline dropped her hands from Oakley’s arms, which was a good thing because Oakley looked ready to do one of her kung fu maneuvers on her. As much as she irritated me, I didn’t want my sister hurt. Faster than a baby finding something to jam in their mouths, Em poked Oakley’s Taser on her duty belt.
“What’s this?”
I choked, words crushed in my throat before I could warn Em not to provoke Oakley. Never mess with an officer’s duty belt. My partner grabbed Emmeline’s arm and twisted, lightning fast, spinning her upper body onto the trunk in an impressive hold.
“Okay, that’s it.” Oakley wasn’t even breathing hard. “Control your sister, Smith.”
My sister, God bless her, just smiled while her cheek remained smashed against the car. “Oh, that was impressive! Maybe I should become a cop and order people around. So fun!”
I’d had enough. I wedged between the two women, rescuing my sister and hauling her away from Oakley without even a goodbye. Emmeline, the clueless social butterfly, couldn’t handle that though.
“So long, badass lady cop!” she shouted over her shoulder, stumbling to keep up with my long strides across the paved parking lot.
“Fucking shoes,” I grumbled, fishing around for my keys in my pants pocket.
When I got the truck unlocked, I practically pushed Emmeline into the passenger side. I came around the front and hazarded a glance at Oakley. She stood where we’d left her, one hand on the trunk of the cruiser, a perfect combination of confusion and comedy on her face. I got in the truck and told my brain to quit thinking about Oakley. I had a situation on my hands.
Emmeline was here. In Auburn Hill.
“I think it’s so cute how Oakley calls you Smith. Is that like your nickname or something?” Emmeline clicked on her seat belt and practically vibrated in her seat, waiting for me to drive her…well, somewhere.
“What are you doing here, Em?” I asked, cranking over the engine, feeling a sense of desperation crawl up my spine. My past life and my current life were colliding, and I didn’t like it one bit.
Em’s gaze settled on me, her smile dimming faster than the daylight outside my windshield. “I haven’t seen you in so long, bubby. I miss you.”
Fuck. My heart lurched in my chest, and the guilt slammed home. I’d been so busy trying to outrun my past life, I’d forgotten the people I’d left behind too. My mom and sister had become collateral damage. The thing was, you could never really outrun your own family.
I twisted in my seat, meeting Em’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Emmy. I’ve been busy with my career.”
She smiled sadly, and I instantly remembered the face she’d made when our childhood cat had died when she was still in elementary school. “Too busy to see me?”
I scraped a hand across my face, feeling like the worst brother in the world. Shit, I probably was. Emmeline had lost her father too. She shouldn’t have to lose her brother.
“It’s hard to come home,” was all I could get out between the squeezing of my heart and the scrape of my throat.
Em, the one who always knew when I had reached my breaking point, threw me a lifeline. She waved her hand through the air like my ditching her was already forgiven.
“I totally know what you mean. Mom hired the meanest housekeeper. That woman is a straight-up villain out of a Disney movie. I mean, the place has never been cleaner, but I’m scared to be in the same room as her. I don’t blame you for not coming home.” She folded her hands on her lap, her bright smile looking only slightly forced. “So! I came here to you instead. Take me to get coffee, big bro.” She frowned. “Wait! Please tell me they have coffee here.”
I chuckled at the horror stamped across her face. “Yes, they have coffee here. It’s just a small town, not Mars.”
Em peered outside the window and I saw things from her point of view. Open farm land that currently held various shades of brown surrounded the station. It looked a bit desolate when you were used to the city and manicured lawns.
“Is there, like, a downtown or something?” she asked hopefully.
I put the truck in gear and headed out of the lot toward Main Street in Auburn Hill. Coffee, the local coffee shop, would be the perfect place to introduce Emmeline to Auburn Hill. She’d either love it like I did, or hate it on the spot. There was really no in-between with newcomers.
We didn’t talk the rest of the way to town because of Em’s nose being plastered to the window. As the farmland receded and the houses started popping up, she bounced in her seat every time she saw something of interest. And with Em, everything was interesting. Growing up, my parents had frequently whispered about Em’s childlike fascination with things, thinking she’d eventually grow out of it. Spoiler alert: she didn’t. And while it sometimes irritated me, I loved that about her the most.
I’d arrest way fewer people if they all just had Emmeline’s outlook on life. Oh, you stole my bike? Let me see what color you spray-painted it! You slept with my wife? Dude, I’ve always wanted to try a threesome! It was insane, but she was the happiest person I knew.
“Oh my God, bubby! It’s so cute!” Em’s squeal at the first glance of downtown Auburn Hill had me grinning from ear to ear. That was settled. She loved the town.
I found a parking space just a few yards down from Coffee, having to pull Emmeline away from the window of Hell Girl, the women’s clothing shop in town.
“I’ve never seen boots like those! They literally have flowers embroidered on them at the top.” Em tried to wrestle her arm away from me, but I’d dealt with stronger people than my little sister. “They’d look so cute with my dress!”
“Let’s get coffee first, okay? Then maybe I’ll let you loose on the retail shops.” Good Lord, did Em know how to spend money on a shopping spree. I’d been away from that lifestyle long enough that it startled me how different I’d become from my sister.
Emmeline bobbed her head at me as I opened the door for her to Coffee. She pranced right up to the register and waved at Dante. The poor guy just stared at her like she was a famous actress. I didn’t blame him. The hat was over the top for a town like this, but Em wouldn’t have known that. She rarely traveled outside of big cities or exotic locations. Small towns were just a cute little made-up thing they portrayed in Hallmark movies.
“Hi! I’m Emmeline, Wyatt’s sister. I’d love love love a three-shot latte with oat milk, extra foam, and agave. You have agave, right?”
Dante swallowed hard. He still hadn’t blinked.
“Hey, Dante. Lukas not working today?” Figured I’d step in and help him out.
His gaze shifted to me, and he unfroze. “Um. No, he had the early shift.” His eyes darted back to Em. “Sorry, we don’t have oat milk or agave. But I can do a latte with either whole milk or two percent.”
Em pursed her lips. “Okay, two percent, then. And I can just do sugar or whatever you all use to sweeten things.” She waved her hand around in the air and Dante watched it flutter.
“And uh, I’ll take a decaf coffee, black. Thanks, man.” I plopped a twenty on the counter and put a hand on Em’s back to lead her to a vacant table in the corner of the coffee shop.
“Ew. Who drinks it black? And decaf? It’s barely five, Wyatt. What has this town done to you?”
I chuckled, sitting down and realizing I’d missed Em. “I’m a responsible adult who has a job. I can’t be drinking caffeine when I have to be in bed in a few hours.”
Her button nose wrinkled. “Again, I say, ew. I don’t understand why you even have a job. Our trust funds are loaded. Wait!” She slapped her hand down on the wooden table between us, her jaw dropped. “Did you blow all the money?”
“Shh!” I shook my head, lowering my voice to get her to follow. The town gossips did not need to know my financial status. “No, I didn’t. But I refuse to use it. I didn’t earn it. I enjoy holding down a job and coming home tired, but proud of my efforts.”
Dante came by the table and delivered our drinks. He didn’t look either of us in the eye, but I saw he’d made a heart in the foam on Em’s latte. What the hell? I never got a heart on my coffee.
“Ooh! Who’s that?” Em took a quick sip, but forgot the latte as she ogled Jazzie, one of the scientists at F.A.R.T.
Somehow I didn’t think Em would understand the naming conventions in this town. “That’s Jazzie.”
“Is she super smart? She’s got these killer glasses that remind me of a seventies porn star, but they’re so working for her! I should ask her where she got them.” Em went to stand up, but I reached over to put a hand on her arm.
“Hold up, sis. What are you doing here, exactly?” Emmeline wouldn’t drive all the way here without an ulterior motive. I didn’t doubt she loved her big brother, but a three-hour round-trip drive wasn’t something she’d do unless it was important.
Em lost the smile and picked at her thumbnail. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Don’t get mad, okay?” she said, flicking glances up at my face.
I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t like whatever was coming. “Just spit it out, and I promise not to bite your head off.”
Em bit her lip and then took a sip of coffee, stalling. When I rapped my knuckles on the table, she jumped and finally started talking.
“Mom isn’t doing well right now, Wyatt. She’s lonely and not herself. In fact, she blew off the ladies’ luncheon last week and stayed in bed. She didn’t even get dressed.” Em looked appalled. “She’s not playing tennis anymore, she’s not seeing friends. She didn’t even spend the gift card I got her to Neiman Marcus for Christmas!”
As if that was the final nail in the argument's coffin of Mom not being okay, Emmeline sat back in her chair and looked at me expectantly.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Emmeline’s face went through a weird series of twitches before settling on angry. She sat forward, bumping the table and disturbing the heart on the foam of her latte. It now resembled a distorted blob.
“That’s it? I’m sorry?” She jabbed her index finger on the table. “No. That’s unacceptable. You’re coming home next weekend.”
Since when did Em get bossy like that?
I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”
“We are having a small family gathering and you will be there.” She inhaled deep, like she had a whole slew of reasons why she thought I should be there. I’d cut to the chase.
“So I can celebrate Dad being dead two years? No fucking thank you. Hard pass.”
Emmeline jumped up, her chair tipping back and clattering to the cement floor. She grabbed the front of my uniform shirt and pulled, not budging me from my seat, but getting my attention just the same.
“Get your ass back home, brother. We are a family. It’s about time you remember you have one.”
She let go of my shirt, grabbed her latte, and spun on her high heel. She was out the door and waving to Mrs. Trudowsky on the sidewalk outside before I could formulate a response. Heads had swiveled in my direction at Em’s outburst. They probably thought I’d been handed my ass in a lover’s quarrel. If only they knew it was much worse.
If I didn’t want to break the family ties I still had, I’d have to face the one family member who had me tied in knots. The saddest thing was, he wasn’t even here anymore to argue with. He’d up and died before I’d said my piece.
A legend in his field of work.
The guy whose legacy nipped at my heels and kept me up at night.
Dear old Dad.
18
Oakley
* * *
The curtain almost whacked me in the face when my phone rang. You’d think a cop would be better at spying. As it was, I hadn’t even seen movement at Wyatt’s house since he and his sister had come home late last night. I didn’t know why I cared, or why I bothered to spy on him.
Fine. I had a sneaking suspicion why, but I refused to address that currently.
“Hey, Esme,” I said into my phone, walking away from the window and into my bedroom to get dressed. I had a day off and I intended to use it to run some errands.
Not spy on Wyatt.
“So…” she drawled, and it was like nails on a chalkboard. “Any more sexy times with you-know-who?”
I sighed, wishing my face didn’t have a blushing problem, and I had kept things with Wyatt a secret from my busybod
y sisters.
“No. In fact, we’re in a bit of a fight at the moment.”
“Oh. Well, that sucks. Is he worth fighting for?”
I flopped back on my bed, thinking about that question seriously. Of course, Esme would get right down to the heart of things so quickly. “I think so, but I don’t know. He seems to have a lot of baggage and secrets. Not sure I can live with that.”
“Like, an ex who stalks him for that big cock, or what?”
That got me to smile. “No. Like a sister who showed up yesterday. Didn’t know he had a sibling. And not just any sibling. The girl was a straight-up fashionista city girl with deep pockets. Made me realize I know nothing about where Wyatt came from, his family, his childhood. I mean, I was sitting in the sheriff’s office, ready to transfer so I could date the man, and I don’t even know him!”
“Oh, girl. You got it bad for Wyatt, don’t you?” Esme sounded shocked. “Let’s call Amelia. She’s married and therefore an expert on love.”
That had me sitting up. “I didn’t say anything about love.”
Esme made a tsking noise in my ear. “You were about to ask to transfer to a different department and you don’t think this is about love? Come now, sister of mine. You aren’t that dumb.”
Well, ouch. That stung.
“Maybe we should call Amelia…” I muttered.
“Look. Get dressed and wait for me to text you with details.”
Esme hung up without waiting for me to agree. That was the thing with Esme. You had to pick your fights. She was a steamroller about every damn thing, so sometimes it just wasn’t worth fighting her.
I wish I could say I was a better woman, but underneath the badge, I was as catty as the next. Leaving my house to meet up with my sisters an hour later, I’d showered, blow-dried my hair, put on makeup, and switched outfits at least ten times. All of this was foreign to me, but what I did know was that I’d walk out of my house looking like a million bucks just in case Wyatt should look out his windows and see me. I wanted him to know our little fight yesterday was his fault and look what a gem he was missing. The saunter out the door to my bike would have worked better had I not had to strap on a helmet and take off on a motorcycle the size of a tricycle, but I had to start somewhere with my flirtation skills.