Love Around the Corner

by Amanda Weaver

  “Jess, what the hell are you talking about?”

  Jess came back and sat next to her, reaching for her hands. “This is going to be hard for all of us, but especially you, especially how it happened. What you need is a little time somewhere far away to let it all sink in. Someplace not our neighborhood, where it’s all in your face every second.”

  “So we’re going to St. Croix?”

  “I’d have picked the apartment in Paris but you don’t have a passport.”

  “But—”

  Jess squeezed her hand. “Look, I never ask Dan for anything. But we need this. You need this.”

  “I can’t just go to St. Croix.”

  “Of course you can. Alex says there’s a whole bungalow full of bathing suits and beachwear. And anything you need that they don’t have, we’ll buy when we get there. Now I have to call Livie.”

  “Livie? Why?”

  “Dan’s secretary is emailing her a plane ticket and sending a car to her apartment as we speak, and she’s going to be really confused if she doesn’t hear from me first.”

  When Gemma would have protested again, Jess shushed her. “This is for the Romano sisters. We need this. Just us.”

  Gemma collapsed back, letting the sofa swallow her up. “When did you get so smart?”

  Jess smirked as she scrolled to Livie’s contact. “I learned it from you, the very best.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  “This is a nice way to start the day.” Jess stretched on the chaise lounge, arms over her head, toes wiggling.

  Gemma took a deep breath of warm, tropical, flower-scented air, feeling the gentle midmorning sun bake her closed eyelids. “Agreed. Thanks for this, Jess.”

  “No problem.”

  The conversation went no further because the three of them had decided last night during their chauffeured drive to Dan’s estate not to discuss what had brought them to St. Croix for a full twenty-four hours. First, relax. Then talk.

  Right now, Gemma was perfectly content to do just that. When they’d staggered into Dan’s vacation mansion well after midnight, they’d done little more than sort out which of the eight bedrooms they’d claim and then they’d all fallen into bed.

  This morning, she woke late, wrapped in a cocoon of silky white sheets, with bright morning sunlight streaming through the plantation shutters on the French doors in her bedroom. When she’d swung them open, it was to a spectacular view of a perfect crescent of sandy white beach and an endless expanse of startlingly blue water. The cove, their driver last night had informed them, was private. Dan owned the whole thing.

  Downstairs, she’d encountered Jess, and together they’d discovered that someone had come in during their flight and fully stocked the kitchen. After the coffee was made and some delicious pastries were eaten, they’d rummaged through the pool house, which was as big as some New York apartments, and found a whole room of assorted swimwear and water gear. Gemma chose a tiny black string bikini, slathered herself up with sunscreen, and deposited herself beside the glistening aqua pool, happy to think about nothing more than sun, water, and maybe lunch later on. When Jess emerged with a tray of mimosa fixings, Gemma decided maybe a liquid lunch would suffice.

  “I’m no expert,” she said, taking a sweet, bubbly sip of her drink. “But I think we could pay off your student loans with that bottle of champagne you opened. Dan won’t mind us drinking it?”

  “He’ll be delighted. He’s always trying to get me to indulge in all his expensive stuff. He’s like a drug pusher, but with luxury retail items.”

  They’d been out there about twenty minutes when Livie wandered out, blinking in the bright sun like a mole.

  “She’s up.” Jess grinned up at her, passing her a champagne flute of plain orange juice. Livie might have changed in many ways during the past year, but she still didn’t drink.

  “That bed was so comfortable,” Livie sighed, staring out at the shimmering ocean.

  “God, yes,” Gemma groaned. “I haven’t slept so well in years.”

  Which was surprising. She’d thought she’d lie awake all night, crying and freaking out, thinking about the carnage she’d left behind in Brooklyn. Dad’s face when she said she hated him. Brendan’s eyes when she threw his “I love you” back at him. Everything she ever thought she knew about her future, gone, destroyed... Nope. No thinking yet. Just baking.

  Gemma cleared her throat. “So, Livie, was Boy Genius upset that you cut out of town so fast yesterday?”

  “Oh, he’s not in Greenvale.” Livie laid herself out on the chaise lounge next to Jess and reached up to tighten her ponytail.

  “If that little shit bailed on you again—”

  Jess cut her off before she could get really colorful. “Livie, where’s Nick?”

  “NORAD.”

  Gemma and Jess exchanged a look. “NORAD?” Jess echoed.

  “Well, he works for the government now, pitching in wherever they need help.”

  “Right.”

  Livie shrugged. “They need help at NORAD. He’s there a lot lately.”

  “I didn’t realize that,” Jess said.

  “He likes it because it’s pretty close to Greenvale and he can drive back home most nights.”

  Gemma burst into laughter. “I can’t believe it. That reprobate hacker is commuting to a computer programming gig like a regular working stiff.”

  “He does it because he loves me,” Livie said.

  Which made Gemma smile, because she was right. She might have had her reservations about Nick, but he was more than just fast talk and grand gestures. He’d given up a lot just to lay Livie’s dreams at her feet. He loved her sister, which said something very good about his judgment.

  “That’s a cute suit, Livie,” Jess remarked.

  Livie looked down at the slightly retro one-piece, made out of a navy blue cosmos-patterned fabric. “Thanks. I found it on Etsy. The woman who owns the shop is an astronomer, but she makes stuff like this as a hobby. A friend in the department told me about her store.”

  Jess and Gemma exchanged a look.

  “Etsy?” Gemma said.

  “Friend?” Jess added. “Who are you and what have you done with our sister?”

  Livie laughed as she stretched her arms over her head. “Very funny. Yes, I have friends and I do things outside of school now.” She closed her eyes, tilting her face into the sun. “You know, I spent so much time staring at the stars, and I didn’t even realize there was stuff all around me here on earth. I just had to pick up my head and look for it.”

  “That’s great, Livie,” Gemma said. “I’m glad you’re so happy.”

  This time, Jess and Livie were the ones to exchange a look, which Gemma caught out of the corner of her eye.

  “Spit it out, you two.”

  “Nope,” Jess said. “Today is for relaxation. Tomorrow we talk.”

  Gemma blew out a frustrated breath and sat up. “I’m not going to relax now, knowing the two of you are exchanging worried looks about me. Yes, I saw that.”

  Jess sighed and sat up, too. “Okay. I know closing the bar is a big deal—”

  “It’s been in the family since 1934, Jess.”

  “I know. It’s breaking my heart, too.”

  “And mine,” Livie added.

  “But, Gem, what did you tell me when I offered to ask Dan for the money?”

  Gemma shifted on her chaise lounge. “I said Romano’s was a business, not a charity.”

  “And sometimes businesses fail,” Jess said gently. “You and Dad have worked so hard. It’s not your fault.”

  “The neighborhood has changed so much,” Livie said. “Even since we were kids. Everybody’s moving away.”

  “I know all this.”

  “So?”

  “It’s just...it happened on my watch
. Nearly a hundred years of Romanos behind that bar and it goes under on my watch.”

  Livie and Jess protested in unison.

  “Oh, come on.”

  “Gem, you know that’s not true.”

  “And I’m mad. Dad should have talked to me first. I should have been part of this decision.”

  “Okay,” Jess conceded, “I can see how you’d be mad about that.”

  “Furious.”

  “But Gem, how would that conversation have gone?”

  “‘Gemma,’” Livie said in her gruff Dad voice. “‘Have a seat. I want to discuss selling the bar. What are your thoughts?’”

  “‘Of course, Dad,’” Jess replied, in what Gemma supposed was meant to be her Gemma voice. “‘Let’s sit down together and rationally discuss a pros and cons list.’”

  Gemma rolled her eyes. “Okay, you have a point. I was never going to handle this well. Still, he should have told me first.”

  “Yes, he should have. But you know Dad. He still sees us as his little girls. He was just trying to protect you. I think Dad knew it would be awful for all of us no matter what, especially you. So he figured he’d spare you the agony of the discussions and get it done.”

  Deep down, she knew Jess was right. Dad had messed up, but he meant well. Despite what she’d said the day before in the heat of the moment, she didn’t hate him. She could never hate him.

  “Look, I know the reality,” Gemma explained. “We’ve been running in the red for ages.”

  “When was the last time you could cut yourself a paycheck?” Jess pressed.

  “I can’t even remember, it’s been so long. So yeah, in my head, I’m aware of all that. The neighborhood changed, the new market didn’t want to buy what we were selling... I know all that up here.” She tapped her temple. Then she pressed a hand to her chest. “But here...all I feel is loss. I’ve just lost everything I’ve ever known, every plan I ever had for my life.”

  Livie got up off her chaise lounge and came to sit next to her, reaching for her hand. “I’m so sorry, Gem.”

  “Except...” Jess murmured.

  “What?”

  Jess heaved a sigh, her eyes dancing away toward the expanse of blue ocean on the other side of the pool. Gemma knew her well enough to know she had something controversial to say. “Just say it, Jess.”

  She looked back at Gem, her face full of determination. “Maybe that’s the problem.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “It’s everything you’ve ever known and every plan you ever had.”

  “Planning to spend my life running Romano’s was a problem?”

  “No, but you never let yourself consider anything else, which is a problem. Now that plan is gone. So it’s time to come up with a new plan for the rest of your life.”

  Gemma huffed, falling back on her chaise. “I wish people would quit telling me that. I don’t want a new plan.”

  “Really?” Jess hiked one eyebrow. “There’s nothing else you like doing? Nothing?”

  “Okay, yes, smartass, I love cooking. But I’ll tell you what I told Kendra. It’s not that easy. Cooking professionally isn’t the same thing as cooking for you guys. I’d have to go back to school. There are food safety courses and stuff.”

  “So? Now you can do that.”

  “You might even qualify for financial aid,” Livie said. “We’ll help you with the forms.”

  “Then what? I still don’t have any experience.”

  “So get some!” Jess said, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. “Come on, Gem. It’s time to think outside the box. Take the classes, get a job with somebody to get some experience under your belt, and then go for it! What’s stopping you now?”

  Nothing, she realized. Absolutely nothing. Except...

  She swallowed hard, looking down into the pulpy dregs of her mimosa. “I’m so scared,” she whispered.

  Livie leaned forward, until she could make eye contact. “Believe me, I know. Change is scary. Some days, all I wanted to do is run back home to you guys. But it gets easier with every step you take.”

  “I’m almost thirty. Who the hell starts a new career at my age?”

  Jess rolled her eyes. “These days? Everybody. Sticking with one career until you die is a Baby Boomer fantasy. Now people switch all the time. I guarantee you won’t be the oldest person in your classes.”

  Gemma swiped the champagne bottle off the side table and took a hefty swig straight from the bottle. This conversation was rattling her straight to her bones. A dainty mimosa wasn’t going to cut it. In fact, this might call for scotch.

  “And what if I’m terrible at it? Let’s face it, you guys aren’t the most discerning food critics.”

  “Your food is amazing, Gem,” Livie protested. “Everybody says so.”

  “Didn’t everybody at Kendra’s fancy dinner party go nuts for it?”

  Okay, Gemma had to concede that one. A room full of people who knew good food had eaten her dinner and loved it. At Mrs. Simonsen’s, too. That was a tiny bit encouraging. Still, everything about this left her quaking with fear. Romano’s—the taps, the bottles, the grizzled old patrons—all of that had been baked into her DNA. She could work the bar in her sleep. This—it was all new and absolutely terrifying.

  “Gem, what did you say when I told you I stayed in Brooklyn for grad school because I was afraid to move away?” Livie challenged.

  Gemma grumbled out an answer under her breath. “I told you to get your ass out there and fulfill your potential.”

  Jess reached out and patted her knee. “It’s tough love time, Gemma. Get your ass out there and fulfill your potential.”

  The expressions on their faces were what finally did her in. Compassionate but tough, and full of so much love. Really, how badly could she fuck up when she had a family like this at her back? She swiped at her suddenly watery eyes and let out a shaky laugh. “When did my little sisters get so much smarter than me?”

  “Shut up,” Jess said fondly. “You’ve always been brilliant. But it’s time for more people than just us to see that.”

  Gemma sniffed back her tears. “Well, this was a super fun first morning in paradise.”

  “You know what I’m ready for?” Livie said.

  “What?”

  “A dip in that amazing pool. The three of us are here together in paradise. We should enjoy it.”

  Gemma reached for Livie, pulling her into a hard, brief hug. “You’re right, Liv. No more heavy stuff or worrying about the future. Let’s have fun.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  He’d lost her. As the long night dawned into a cool, gray morning and every call to Gemma’s cell went straight to voicemail, he had to accept the fact that she was gone and it was all his fault. As hard as he’d tried to do the right thing, to make the unbearable as bearable as possible for Gemma, he’d still failed. She was never going to forgive him. He was never going to forgive himself.

  Well, as much as he wanted to spend the day hiding in the dark, maybe with a bottle of scotch for company, there was another woman in his life to feel guilty about and he’d promised to see her today. His mother was waiting for him. At least he could make sure she was taken care of. One woman he wouldn’t let down.

  The workmen had finished the repairs to his mother’s broken gutter yesterday. He stood on the sidewalk in front of the house taking stock of the work. It looked as if the guys had done the job well. The gutter was secure and looked like it’d drain properly in the next big storm. As he examined the house, he couldn’t help but mentally note everything else that needed to be done. It really needed a new roof and all the windows needed to be replaced, but fuck if he was doing any of that. He’d do exactly what was necessary to keep his mother safe and comfortable there and not one inch more. If, one day, he turned the house over to Jimmy a wreck, then so
much the better. Jimmy Walsh had squeezed the last dollar out of Brendan that he was ever going to get.

  Suddenly the front door opened to reveal Jimmy Walsh himself, as if Brendan had just conjured him into being. A second later, his mother appeared at his side, all smiles. She glanced up and spotted Brendan at the end of the walkway.

  “Oh, good! You’re just in time! Look who surprised me with a visit!” Claire Flaherty beamed up at her older brother, adoration positively radiating from her pores.

  It was remarkable how the same features on two different people could have such opposite results. The Walsh black hair, pale skin, and delicate features gave his mother an air of fairy-tale fragility, like Snow White who’d just been awakened from a hundred-year sleep. Jimmy wore his black hair slicked straight back, and those dark blue eyes and sharp cheekbones gave him the air of a dangerous predator, a shark with a taste for blood.

  Brendan made his way cautiously up the walk. “Hey, Jimmy,” he said, voice utterly neutral. “What brings you to Brooklyn?”

  “Just a visit to my only sister.” Jimmy smiled down at her. Brendan marveled at the guy’s ice-cold blood. How had he ever been fooled, thinking there was a human being in there? The insincerity was plain as day to him, now that he knew what Jimmy really was.

  “You’re so good to me, Jimmy,” his mother said, ducking her chin.

  “Yep,” Brendan said. “That’s Jimmy. What a prince of a guy.”

  Jimmy’s gaze swung back to him, his dark eyes hard and flat. There was the sociopath asshole Brendan knew so well. No way he’d come back just to visit his little sister. After all, when had he ever done it before? Jimmy was there to gloat and nothing more.

  “What brings you by, Brendan?” his mother asked.

  “Just came to make sure the gutter was fixed.”

  “Oh, yes. Nice young men. They came yesterday.”

  “Taking care of the place for your mom?” Jimmy asked. Brendan could see the glee hidden in the depths of his eyes. The bastard had no idea that he knew.

  “Just a few odds and ends.”