Breathe

by Jessica Phoenix

  “Of course babe,” I tell her kissing her cheek, then following her inside.

  “Hey, you love birds,” Trish greets us.

  “Morning Trish,” Gia says, hugging the elderly waitress on her way to the back to put away her coat and purse.

  “Hey handsome,” Trish directs at me.

  “Morning beautiful,” I say to her with a wink.

  “You dirty liar,” she says making me laugh. “Want your usual?” she asks, pouring me a cup of black coffee.

  “Of course,” I chuckle, while I pull out my phone to check emails.

  “Hey, Georgie?” Trish yells to the back causing my head to snap up on reflex. Kyles voice from two years ago immediately pops in my head; “I need you to help me find my little sister Georgie.”

  Georgie is the nickname of Kyle’s sister, Georgia Davis. Most likely it’s a coincidence, but I still look towards the kitchen waiting to see the person that goes with that name.

  It’s when I hear the voice that answers to it that my heart starts racing at warp speed. It’s beating so hard, it’s damn near audible.

  Gia is the one that sticks her head out the swinging door to address Trish. “What? And for the millionth time, I told you not to call me that.”

  “Sorry,” she chuckles. “Tell Ken old green eyes here will take his usual.”

  “Okay,” Gia says, winking at me, before disappearing again.

  It can’t be. Can it? It doesn’t make any sense. Could Georgia Davis and Gia Davis be the same? No way.

  All of a sudden, the far too many coincidences I overlooked rush through my head.

  “How about you? Where you from?”

  “West Virginia.”

  “Sophie was supposed to be my best friend.”

  “Sophie Donovan?”

  “…she’d be twenty-two getting ready to turn twenty-three now. Her birthday’s November seventeenth.”

  “So? When is your birthday?”

  “November seventeenth.”

  When I finally lift my eyes from the counter, I look directly across the diner and stare at the big ass map hanging on the wall of our great state. Written in bold letters at the top is the name Georgia and immediately the last three letters stand out. G. I. A.

  Gia.

  She didn’t change her name; she shortened it. The name, the age, and birth date. Being from West Virginia. Ties to our only lead, Sophie Donovan. It all fits.

  Reeling. I rush out of the diner and start dialing Kyle to tell him I think I finally found her. Stumbled across her rather. He’s not going to believe it! His little sister he’s been so desperate to find has been right here under our noses just like he’d suspected all this time.

  I’m officially the worst PI ever.

  The line starts to ring. When I look through the window of the diner, I see Gia looking at me. She offers me a small smile. Those haunted grey eyes piercing straight through to my soul when flashes of conversations we’ve had flood me next.

  “You got any family back home?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t want to be a part of a race that doesn’t want me!”

  “Writing and music…they were my only escape from the ugliness I grew up in.

  That’s when I remember she was running away from something, and suddenly the need to protect her overrides the need to tell Kyle where she is. She left for a reason. I need to find out what it was before I tell him anything. Depending on what it is, I may never tell him. Her happiness is more important to me than his even if he is one of my oldest friends.

  I still can’t believe it could be true.

  Maybe it’s not…

  Just when I’m about to hang up Kyle answers. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Kyle…Um…” I stumble a bit hearing his voice on the other line before I catch my bearings. “You think you can meet me at my office sometime today?”

  “Yeah, I can be there in about two hours. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I’ll see you then,” I tell him before hanging up.

  I need to grill him a little more. Press him to see if he’ll reveal anything other than what he’s already told me countless times. I just hope I can be cool and not give myself away. I need answers before I hand her over.

  I take a deep breath to steady my nerves before heading back inside. I don’t want to let on to Gia that something’s wrong.

  Kyle knocks on my office door to announce his arrival. I hand the documents I’m signing to my assistant, and she exits leaving us alone, shutting the door behind her. Kyle sits across from me in the same chair he has many times.

  “Hey man, how’s it going? You sounded weird on the phone,” Kyle says eyeing me warily.

  “Like I said, everything’s fine. It hit me though. In all this time, I’ve never got a detailed description of your sister. And I’ve only ever seen a baby picture. She was what, a few days old in it?” It bugs me that I never asked this very basic question. In all honesty, I mistakenly figured she looked like Erin and Kyle, who look almost identical if the pictures I’ve seen are any indication. This whole time, I thought we were looking for a young, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl.

  “I guess I never did huh. I never realized. I mean she’s older now, so she probably looks different now anyhow,” he says dismissively.

  “What did she look like when you last saw her?”

  He sighs out. “I mean she was sixteen or seventeen, so young. She had this thick, dark curly hair. It was fairly long back then. Pretty grey eyes. She was beautiful. I don’t really know how else to describe her.”

  Damn right she’s beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. Shit! It’s definitely her.

  But I don’t say that out loud. I don’t know why Kyle hasn’t been very forthcoming with some info, so I proceed to push a little. “Dark hair and grey eyes? Where’d she get that from? You and Erin are like the poster children for the Arian race,” I attempt to joke, knowing what I’m forcing him to reveal.

  “Ah. Yeah well, Georgia has a different father. He’s black so that would make her biracial,” he reluctantly confesses.

  “You didn’t think that’s something important to know? I’ve been looking for a cookie cutter version of you and Erin.”

  He chuckles a bit. “I’m sorry man. I don’t know why I didn’t mention it. I guess it didn’t occur to me,” he lies.

  “Well, let me ask you this. Has it ever occurred to you she doesn’t want to be found?”

  At that, he gets upset. “What’s up with you man? Why are you so hostile today? If you don’t want to help me anymore, just say so. I’ll find somebody else.”

  Yeah, good luck with that. I’m the best there is, and she eluded me for two years only for her to wind up in my bed unbeknownst to me.

  “I’m not trying to be hostile. I’m just trying to get some insight to help you. The more you can tell me, the better our chances of finding her,” I offer misleadingly.

  “Sorry, you’re right,” he sighs running his hand through his hair.

  “So I have to ask you again. You really don’t have any clue why she took off? Not the slightest idea as to why she would want to run away?” I ask one last time. Offering him the chance to be truthful. He doesn’t take it.

  “No, I don’t,” He says avoiding eye contact with me and fidgeting. “I was back at college the night she left.”

  I just nod my head, holding back my frustrations, so I don’t give myself away. He’s not going to be any more help than usual. For someone who claims he wants to find his long lost sister, he’s sure keeping a lot of secrets. I want to reunite them, but Kyle is still lying, and Gia ran away because she was scared. That much I’m sure of. I’ll have to try to get her to open up. If not? Guess I’m going to West Virginia. I’ll get the answers myself.

  “I have to get back to Liv and the baby. We good here?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’ll talk to you later.”

  He moves t
o get up and leave but stops at the door. “I know you’ve been at this for what seems like forever. I want more than anything to find my sister, but if you’re ready to give up at any time, I understand. I can get someone else. Maybe a fresh perspective is what we need.”

  I just nod because if I open my mouth, I may reveal I know where she is and demand he tell me what happened to her before I tell him where she is.

  After he walks out, it’s time to do some digging. Gia’s not going to give me much if I question her. She’ll clam up, and I’ll just push her away if she feels like I’m prying too much. I can’t let that happen.

  Instead, I pull up my internet and search for flights to West Virginia.

  Chapter 12

  Gia

  Nate seemed a little off when he left the diner yesterday. When I called him after work, he said he was swamped with paperwork and that in the morning, he had to fly out of town for an impromptu business meeting. So I wouldn’t be seeing him for a couple of days. I’m already going crazy missing him.

  I can’t help but feel like he’s trying to avoid me. Maybe he’s decided we’re moving too fast. I mean us together…is pretty intense.

  The next day, Quinn, being the great friend she is, suggests a girl’s night in with pizza, popcorn, and ice cream to keep me preoccupied. So that night, we settle in the living room in our jammies with our junk food and blankets before putting on a nineties favorite of both of ours…Clueless.

  Don’t judge us.

  “So how goes it going with the baller?” I ask her, stuffing my face with a slice of supreme pizza.

  “It’s going okay. Definitely not going anywhere long term because he’s such a player, but he buys me nice things, so I figure I’ll ride the wave,” she shrugs. I shake my head at her. She’s downplaying it, but I know she was really into this guy.

  “So you and Nathan. It’s pretty serious already,” she stares waiting for me to confirm.

  I can’t suppress my goofy grin and nod, “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  “I’m happy for you Gigi. For the record, I like him. I think he’s good for you. Plus that man is dumb fine!”

  I playfully toss a piece of the popcorn from the bowl sitting on the table at her, but the bitch catches in her mouth making me laugh. “Well, thanks,” I say picking my slice of pizza back up for another bite. “I’m really happy too.”

  “Now spill,” she prompts confusing me.

  “Spill what?”

  “Don’t play dumb bitch. Does the white boy got the goods or what?”

  “Oh my god, Quinn!” I say shocked, although I shouldn’t be, by her blunt inquiry.

  “What? That is a completely valid question!” I cover my face in my hands to hide my embarrassment.

  “Oh come on! Please? You don’t even have to say anything. Look. Nod for yes and shake for no.”

  My shoulders shake with laughter at her desperate prying. Finally, I concede and slowly nod yes, and after a few seconds, my nodding turns frantic.

  She throws herself backward into a pile of pillows on the floor where we’re sitting. “I knew it!!!” she laughs, and I join in. I’ve never had anyone to girl talk like this with. Sophie was a bitch and wasn’t overly sentimental or eager to talk about anything other than herself.

  “I knew his Magic Mike looking ass was putting it down for you to be this sprung already.”

  “Am I crazy for feeling like this already?” I ask her for an opinion.

  “Not at all. It’s called love girl. It comes at the least expected times and unexpected places. So if you’ve found it, don’t fight it. Hold on to it for dear life and don’t let go. Trust me. Because some people search for a lifetime and never find what you have.”

  “Yeah,” I sigh, not knowing what else to say to that.

  We finish the movie and head to bed since we both have to be up early the next morning. When I get to my bedroom, I check my phone that’s charging on the nightstand to find I received a text message from Nathan.

  Nate: I’m missing you like crazy. You’re the girl of my dreams, and I can’t wait to hold you in my arms again. I’ll call you tomorrow. Sweet dreams beautiful.

  I smile thinking of his arms around me and his lips claiming mine.

  Damn I miss him.

  I shoot him a quick text back.

  Gia: I miss you too. Hurry back to me. <3

  The next day, I work the morning shift only, like I do every Thursday. No exceptions. That’s because, for the last four and a half years, I’ve been taking a piano class at an old music store that used to be owned by the man that saved my life five years ago. No one knows about my coming here. Or even that I know how to play.

  When I first moved to Atlanta, I met an old jazz pianist that took me in. His name was Sam Harris. He found me lurking around the back door in the alley behind a jazz club where I slept several of my first nights in the city. I stayed in that alley because of the music. Getting to hear the sounds coming out of that club made sleeping there bearable. I would sit and listen all night long before falling asleep, propped up against a dumpster.

  One night, Sam stepped out for a smoke break and spotted me rummaging for food. He asked what I was doing out there, and for some reason, I told him the truth. I think it was his eyes. I knew he was trustworthy. I guess after living with evil for so long you learn how to recognize it in people. In his eyes, all I saw was goodness. Plus he was elderly, so I knew I could take him if I had to.

  Just like that, he took me in. He gave me a room to stay in and fed me. He’d sneak me in the back of the club so I could listen to the music on the nights he played. Sam was the best piano player I’ve ever heard, and that remains true to this day.

  Once I turned eighteen, the owner let me wash dishes and wait tables on the nights they were short staffed. He paid me under the table so I could earn as much money as possible. Sam made me save every cent. He was like the father figure I’d never had, and he didn’t have any children of his own.

  When he discovered my love of music, Sam started teaching me how to play the piano. He introduced me to musicians I’d never heard of like; Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk. He’s the only person whom I’ve ever let read any of my writing. I only showed him my songs though, not my other journals.

  Unfortunately, Sam died two years after I met him. Then I was all alone again. I stopped going to the club because it was too hard being there without Sam.

  After I got a job at another bar, I got settled in my own apartment and started taking lessons again from Darryl Jones. The guy that took over Sam’s music store.

  He doesn’t charge me even though I’ve offered. He told me part of the deal of him taking over the place was that Sam made him promise to keep teaching me…free of charge.

  I walk in and smile when I smell the brass and musty aroma of the old building.

  “Hey, Darryl. I’m here for my lesson,” I call out making him aware of my presence. He walks out from the back through a beaded curtain.

  “Now girl, you know I ain’t taught you nothing in two years,” he laughs.

  “That’s not entirely true,” I say taking a seat at the old Yamaha he has sitting in the front of the store. My fingers run over the keys before I start playing chopsticks, making Darryl laugh.

  I learned how to play that piece flawlessly my first month of lessons with Sam. I worked on it night and day. It nearly drove him crazy.

  “The piano prodigy, he called you. You were always a natural. Said he believed music ran through your blood,” Darryl reminisces.

  I smile thinking of my old friend. “I can figure out how to play by sound easy. I still suck at reading sheet music though.”

  “Nah, you got that down too. I took you a minute, but you got it. You need to be teaching others instead of coming here pretending you’re taking lessons.”

  “You know I don’t have the patience to teach anyone else. I barely have enough to learn.”

  “Tha
t I do know,” he snickers. “Well, go to town pretty girl. Just call me if you need me, and I’ll be there.”

  He walks away, throwing me a wave over his shoulder, and I start to play Jackson Five’s ‘I’ll be there.’

  “Everything I say becomes a song,” he grumbles to himself. I just smile and keep playing until closing. Just like I do every Thursday afternoon.

  Chapter 13

  Nathan

  Hamilton, West Virginia is a Podunk nothing town. No wonder Gia ran away. It looks like it’s stuck in a time warp. I also don’t think I’ve seen one house that doesn’t have wheels on it.