Karise wanted to reassure him that Kate would forgive them. “How do you always do this? How do you always make me forget all common sense?”
He rested his forehead on hers. “I’ve wondered the same about you on many occasions.”
“I guess we should go in before Zoe tells everyone we’re out here kissing.”
“Oh, she did that the instant she got inside.”
“That’s mortifying.”
“Kate will be thrilled. Gavin, on the other hand, will have a field day with it,” Aidan predicted. He took Karise’s hand in his own. “Come on, we’ll face them together.”
Just as Aidan had said, Kate floated through the evening with a happy, knowing glow about her. Gavin didn’t miss a chance to goad his friend, although he seemed just as happy as his wife to see the pair together.
Karise was relieved to see Kate had been able to salvage the pizzas she’d nearly destroyed. The food was good; it didn’t take long for the table to be cleared. Afterwards, Zoe was more than happy to play with Jonathan in the living room while the adults chose a board game.
While setting out the pieces, a random giggle escaped Kate and she shook her head.
“What?” Gavin eyed her warily.
“When I first met you two bad boys, I never would have guessed that one day we’d be sitting around a living room playing Cranium while our kids played together.”
“Can’t say that’s what I was thinking about when I first met you, either, love.” From Gavin’s smirk, Karise had a pretty good guess what he’d been thinking about.
The evening passed much too quickly for Karise’s taste. Laughter had come easily; being nestled against Aidan’s side had come even easier. And the moments flew by. She wasn’t ready for it to end as she ambled along beside Aidan, his arms full of a sleepy little girl.
“I called Devon earlier,” Karise told him.
“You didn’t have to do that,” he protested before she could finish her story.
“I haven’t done anything yet. He was so upset about their adoption struggles that I didn’t have the heart to ask him to call his friend or if his family had history here I wasn’t aware of.”
“You could probably Google that last one. And don’t worry about asking him to call that guy. That expansion will happen when it’s supposed to.”
“I’m going to ask him,” she persisted. “I’m just waiting for a better time. I feel like he’s always helping me, and I never get to do anything for him. Listening to him today, being there when he needed to vent, it was the first time I did something for him.”
“I bet he appreciated it.”
“I think he misses Alex,” Karise mused as Aidan strapped Zoe into her car seat.
“Alex is your sister, right?”
“Right. And she lives an insanely busy life, so I don’t think she and Devon are as close as they used to be. They went down separate paths a long time ago, but I think now that Alex has this growing family and all of its unusual obligations, they’ve really drifted apart.”
“Unusual obligations?”
“Alex’s stepdaughter is royalty for some obscure country nobody’s ever heard of,” Karise clarified.
“Oh. That’s all?”
Karise snickered. “It is kind of crazy, isn’t it? My family is nuts.”
“Most are.”
“True.” Karise leaned past him to kiss Zoe on her forehead, her whispered goodnight lost on the sleeping child.
Aidan scooped her into his arms. “Do I get one of those?”
Karise gladly obliged. Aidan’s goodnight kiss was lingering; she savored his touch. They parted by degrees, neither willing to be the first to walk away. When Karise finally did pry herself away, she gave Clyde a goodnight hug before practically floating back to the cabin.
For the next week, instead of lounging on a beach in Hawaii on her honeymoon, she oversaw the groundbreaking on Kate and Gavin’s new home during the day and spent her evenings with Aidan and Zoe. By day two, she’d used a scary amount of her savings to buy herself a used red Honda Civic so she wouldn’t have to keep hitching rides. It was a momentous occasion because to her it meant she was contemplating staying.
By the third night, she made good on her threat to steal Aidan’s dog. Unbidden, Clyde clambered into the passenger seat of her car while she and Aidan were saying goodnight. Instead of ordering the dog out, Karise had given Aidan an apologetic look and promised to return Clyde the next day.
Once she’d spent a night snuggled up to Clyde’s solid warmth, she wondered just how bad of a person it would make her if she stole a little girl’s dog. Aidan reassured her over the phone that he would be in meetings all day and Zoe was in preschool, so Bonnie would be the only one looking for Clyde before dinnertime.
Karise still felt a little like a jerk, but not enough to dissuade her from having a large, furry shadow all day. The foreman at the construction site hopped back into his truck with an expletive when Clyde arrived, charging ahead of Karise.
“Sorry, Gary,” Karise apologized, jogging to catch up with Clyde.
Upon seeing Karise, Gary visibly relaxed and his scowl turned into a smile. “Hey there, Miss McAlister. Did you get yourself a dog?”
“Not really. He’s on loan.”
“You borrowed a dog?”
It struck Karise that she wasn’t sure how to explain whose dog Clyde was. After chiding herself for being a ninny, she explained. “He’s my boyfriend’s dog.”
Gary nodded as if it all suddenly made sense. Karise was glad it did to somebody. She felt like every word out of her mouth was gibberish lately. There were too many things swimming around in her head. When her phone rang, Gary gave her a quick wave and headed off to do his job. Karise snagged Clyde’s collar with one hand and answered her phone with the other.
“Hey, Devon! I didn’t expect to hear from you until after Guyana.”
“Something came up.” His voice was distracted, tired maybe.
“Oh no.” Karise braced for bad news. “Did the trip fall through?”
“No, no, we’re supposed to be getting on the plane this afternoon, actually. That’s why I’m calling.” He paused.
“What’s up?”
“I really hate to ask you this, and I am so sorry to tell you this over the phone…” His voice trailed off again.
Karise began to wonder what it was going to take to pry information out of Devon before he drove her mad. “Whatever you need, Devon.”
“Love, I just got a call from San Francisco. Mom passed away.”
The wind knocked out of her, Karise sank to the ground. Clyde pressed in closer, sensing that she was upset. “What happened?”
“We don’t know. She’d been living as a vagrant – I had no idea – some poor restaurant owner found her in an alley when he went to empty his trash.”
Karise had no words. She was sickened. She was horrified. She took a steadying breath, processing what Devon had told her. It dawned on her what he didn’t want to ask. “Would you like me to go claim her body?”
“It doesn’t seem fair to ask.”
“You didn’t. I’m offering.”
“Let me at least fly in to go with you.”
“No.” Karise wouldn’t hear of it. “You go to Guyana first. I’m the closest to her; I mean I’m the closest to her location. It makes sense for me to take care of it.”
“Are you sure?” His tone said he was relenting.
“Positive. Maybe the three of us can video in later tonight to figure out what we want to do, how we want to handle things. In the meantime, I’ll make arrangements at work and get Clyde dropped off.”
“Who’s Clyde?”
“Aidan’s dog. I kinda stole him,” she admitted.
“You’re sharing a dog now?” Devon’s voice lightened. “Sounds serious.”
“I’m not ready for serious.”
“That’s usually when it finds you.”
“Very funny. Maybe I just like his dog.” Karise scratched Clyde�
�s ears as if to emphasize the point to herself.
“Do you? Just like his dog, I mean.”
“Shut up.”
“You love me.”
“I do.” She grew serious. “I love you very much.” It was the first time Karise had ever said those words to her brother.
CHAPTER NINE
“YOU ARE NOT BLOWING OFF your appointments for me.” Karise hated that the full impact of her scowl was lost on the phone. She’d only called Aidan to let him know she would return Clyde before heading to San Francisco. It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d insist on going, too.
“I hadn’t planned to blow them off,” he responded. “I kind of thought a polite phone call to reschedule might be more appropriate.”
“Cute. Very cute.”
“You don’t have to go do this alone.”
“But I can – you don’t have to drop everything to hold my hand through this.”
“The hand-holding thing is purely selfish on my part.”
“Just make me dinner tonight and we’ll call it square,” Karise suggested.
“Fine. When you get back, there will be an amazing dinner waiting for you.”
“Thank you.” She breathed a sigh of relief at winning the argument before she admitted to herself she was dreading what lay ahead of her.
“I’d better run, love.”
“Oh. Okay. Good luck today.” Karise was a little taken aback by how abruptly he’d ended the conversation, but it was probably just as well. She had other calls to make and she wanted to be off the phone before she left. If she tried to talk while driving, there was no doubt in her mind she’d zip right passed Aidan’s farm.
She flitted around her cottage, packing an overnight bag just in case she got held up in town. Clyde made himself comfortable, commandeering the couch in the process. His eyes followed her about the room with interest. Karise called Kate to let her know she’d be gone for a day, possibly two. She filled her in on the status of the house and anything that might come up while she was away. Not surprisingly, Kate told her to take whatever time she needed.
Once her bag was packed, Karise made sure all appliances and lights were off, giving the place one last look before calling to Clyde. She stopped by the jobsite on her way out to touch base with Gary. Everything was moving along as planned and he assured her he’d call if they hit any hiccups while she was away.
On the way to Aidan’s, it finally sank in. Sadness settled over her like a heavy blanket. “I can’t believe she’s gone, Clyde.”
The dog turned from the window to look at her.
“I never knew her. Other than what I read in magazines, that is. Lucia was my mom in all the ways that counted. But Victoria gave me life. She didn’t have to do that; I’ve always felt like I should be thankful for her giving me that much. And I’m glad she left me with Papa. He gave me such a good life; there was so much love and laughter. It was the kind of life I want my own kids to have. But sometimes, I can’t help wondering why she never even checked in on me. Wasn’t she at least a little curious about who I’d become? Why was I so easy to set aside?”
Clyde rested his head on her shoulder and sighed, his hot breath grazing her neck as he did.
“Thanks, buddy. Sorry I can’t take you with me, but I think Bonnie probably misses you anyway. I’m being selfish stealing you away from your family.”
Clyde’s bark rumbled deep.
“Dude, that was right in my ear. And you didn’t have to agree so quickly.”
He shifted positions eagerly. As they rounded the corner, the house came into view and Karise saw what he was excited about. Aidan was kneeling beside his truck, petting Bonnie as she jumped and twisted and contorted in her exhilaration. It was the dance she did whenever Aidan had just arrived home. When Karise let Clyde out to greet the pair, she wondered if Bonnie might spontaneously combust out of sheer joy.
“What are you doing here?” Karise leaned against her car to watch the happy reunion.
“Hello to you, too.”
“Sorry. Hello, handsome.”
At that, he rose, walking over to stand right in front of her. He placed his hands on the car, one on either side of her. “Hello, beautiful.”
Karise wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, comforted when he enveloped her in his embrace.
“Please don’t argue with me. Let me ride with you.”
“Why are you so adamant about this?”
“Because if it was me going to claim one of my parents, I wouldn’t want to go alone. I wouldn’t admit it or ask anyone to go, but I wouldn’t want to go alone.”
“What about Zoe?”
“I already talked to her. She thinks I should go.”
“What happened to just making me dinner?”
“I only promised dinner when you got back, not that I wouldn’t go, too.”
“Sneaky. Very sneaky.” Karise finally relented, not sure why she’d put up such a fight to begin with. They were on their way within minutes. Karise drove, Aidan fiddled with the radio, and they talked about nothing consequential. Karise was glad for the diversion, even happier when conversation stayed light. She was already on emotion- overload. Traffic wasn’t terrible; less than two hours later, she was parking her car at the address Devon had sent her.
None of it seemed real to Karise. Sure, her palms were sweating and her heart was racing like a rabbit, but some other part of her felt more like she was watching events unfold. Was she really at the medical examiner’s office to identify her mother, a mother she didn’t even remember meeting in person?
Aidan slipped out of the car, coming around to open Karise’s door. She looked up at him, still frozen to her seat.
“Ready?” He reached a hand out to her.
“No,” Karise admitted, taking his hand nonetheless. It was warm and strong, keeping her tethered to reality as they entered the office. They were led to a room to wait. Neither spoke, though Aidan would occasionally rub the back of her hand with his thumb. This small, reassuring act seemed to coincide with the moments when Karise forgot to breathe. Simple as it may be, the touch would bring her back from the brink of losing control.
Karise was expecting someone to lead her to a body; instead, they were joined by a young man who showed them pictures. Karise had seen enough photographs of her mother to immediately recognize her, though the woman she saw now was only a shell of who she’d once been. It was obvious the last several years of Victoria McAlister’s life had not been kind.
Karise gave a slight nod and murmured affirmation, to which she was handed a card and told she could contact the precinct that had found Victoria to receive her effects. The body would be released tomorrow; Karise had until then to find a mortuary to take over from there.
By this point, the shell shock had completely settled in. She didn’t protest when Aidan quietly took the keys from her, navigating her little car through the busy streets to the police station. There, he asked around until they found someone willing to help.
“I can do this. You don’t have to do it for me,” Karise whispered when the officer left to retrieve Victoria’s personal items.
“I know.” His voice was low and steady. “You’re a strong woman. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should have to.”
Karise couldn’t argue with his logic. She was also pretty sure it was his hand on her back that was keeping her upright at this point. Maybe she wasn’t as strong as he gave her credit for. When she was handed an envelope containing all of Victoria’s worldly goods, Karise didn’t bother opening it. She thanked the officer for her time and walked on autopilot back to the car. Once there, Aidan looked at her expectantly.
“Where to now, my dear?”
“I have no idea,” Karise admitted.
“We can go home and come back tomorrow, or I can get us a hotel for the night.”
“I think I’d rather stay here. If I go home, I’ll be tempted to check in at work.”
<
br /> Aidan nodded. “A hotel it is. Any preferences?”
“No clue. Just let me update Devon first, then we can decide.”
“You call Devon. I’ll drive us somewhere to grab a bite and get us a hotel.”
“I don’t know if I can eat,” Karise told him while the phone was still ringing.
“Humor me,” Aidan retorted before losing her to a conversation with Devon.
She didn’t want to take him away from his adoption trip any longer than necessary, so Karise kept it brief as she filled him in. They agreed on a time for a video hangout later that afternoon so the three siblings could decide some next steps. In the meantime, Karise promised to work on finding a mortuary. She hung up as Aidan parked the car.
“You might not be in the mood to eat, but I’m starved. Are burgers okay?” He gestured to a diner across the street.
“Perfect.” She realized she actually was hungry now that she’d awakened from her shock.
Aidan had chosen well; the burgers were divine. Karise had even splurged and ordered a milkshake to go with the meal. Since it was in between the lunch and dinner rushes, their food arrived quickly. Aidan filled their time by chatting easily about anything and everything. Karise wasn’t sure who had more antics to their credit – Zoe or the goats. Both were amusing, though, and she was once again grateful for the diversion.
He seemed so certain of where they were headed after they ate, she didn’t even bother to ask. Instead, she used her phone to search through local funeral parlors. She hadn’t the faintest clue how to choose one, so she jotted down notes from her calls to each, deciding her brother and sister could help with that decision.
“Better pack up shop,” Aidan nodded at the pile of papers on her lap. “We’re here.”
“But this is the Ritz Carlton.” Karise’s brow creased in confusion.
“Kate called in a few favors for us. We want you to pamper yourself tonight.”
Karise reached out to cup his cheek. “That is the sweetest thing ever. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He captured her hand to kiss her palm. “But you really should thank Kate. She’s the one who worked her event planner magic to pull this together.”
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