“Those are fighting words. Since when did you start to play dirty with me?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“When haven’t I?” His brow arched. “Some of your brother’s pieces got acquired by a gallery in Paris.”
“You’re kidding. That is so incredible. How’d it happen?”
“The show he’s got going at the Sohla Gallery in Seattle had some major players in the art world stop by…”
“Wow. I’m so proud of him. My dad is going to flip. He still hasn’t recovered from Aaron quitting his job.”
“Yeah. Your dad seemed less than pleased about that.” Jason smiled.
“I can’t wait to congratulate him when we get home,” I said. “I need details.”
“Are you ready?” Jason asked.
I nodded and snagged my purse off the table. My phone buzzed and I glanced down. It was Brandy again. I slid away my screensaver and looked at the text as we walked into the hallway.
Can you talk on the phone?
My head began pounding while I absorbed the text from Brandy. We all messaged each other, no matter the topic. That’s just how it was. Whatever she had to tell me must be bad. I glanced at Jason who caught my expression.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Now was not the time to start keeping things from him.
“I got a text from Brandy. She wants me to call her.”
“Do you think it can wait until we get to the restaurant so we’re not late?”
I nodded, afraid to call Brandy anyway. What did she find out that she didn’t want to text?
Jason slipped his hand in mine, and we walked toward the elevator. We climbed on and rode down to the lobby, the fear of finding out what Brandy knew consumed me. The sensation was so intense my belly clenched.
“You doing okay?” Jason asked, stepping outside and leaving the hotel lobby behind.
“I’m really worried about what Brandy has to say. I don’t know why she didn’t text it.”
“Maybe she found out a lot and really didn’t feel like typing it,” Jason offered as we walked down to the restaurant.
The streets were lined with cars as everyone got off from work. It was only a little after five p.m. so rush hour had barely begun.
I nodded, forcing myself to believe that was the reason.
A man dressed in a pair of chinos and a yellow polo waved at Jason and walked over to us. He’d been standing in front of the restaurant, smoking. He gave Jason a quick handshake as Jason introduced me to Nick, the private investigator.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand but still completely preoccupied.
“I got a table for us inside,” Nick said. “My wife is holding it down.”
“Great,” Jason said. “I really appreciate you meeting us.”
“My pleasure.”
“I’m going to make a quick call,” I said, smiling. Jason nodded and both men walked into the restaurant.
The pit of my stomach churned when I called Brandy. I knew something was wrong. I needed to hear what it was. On the second ring, she picked up.
“Hey, sweetie,” she said, her voice gentle.
Not a good sign.
“Got your text. So what’s going on? Did you find out some information?” I asked.
I heard Brandy take a deep breath in. “I debated about how to tell you. I’m sure it wouldn’t be long before you found out yourselves, being there and all…”
“What is it Brandy? Just tell me.”
“I’m so sorry, Gabby. I’m really sorry for you and Jason. But Bethany Ann passed away a week ago. She died of an overdose.”
Brandy’s words continued to rattle around my mind as I stood outside the restaurant. I told her I’d call her tomorrow. Jason would come out to check on me if I lingered out here much longer, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to drop this bomb on him while we sat with strangers. I couldn’t keep it from him though. He may not have known his sister, but I knew he’d imagined an opportunity in the future to do so.
I spun on my heels and walked into the restaurant. I could do this. I smiled at Jason catching his apprehension as I stood with my heart bleeding. Everything was a blur. There were no particulars as I focused on him. The fellow diners, décor, servers were all a distorted smudge of existence. My chest was heavy as Jason’s gaze stayed fastened on mine. Nick’s wife sat quietly in the booth next to her husband. Her auburn hair hung in loose curls framing her slim face. I gave her a slight smile and a wave since we hadn’t been introduced.
“We ordered for you,” Jason said, smiling.
“Thanks, babe,” I paused. “I got off the phone with Brandy…”
His eyes left mine, and he glanced at Nick. “I was just telling Nick you put one of your friends on it.”
I nodded.
“Would you excuse us for a quick moment?” I asked Nick.
Nick nodded and stood up, his wife right behind him. “Have a seat. I’ll go grab a smoke outside.”
“Thanks,” I said, sliding into the booth.
How did I tell Jason the sister he never knew passed away? It was moments like these when it became painfully obvious that sometimes language was inadequate. Words would only betray the emotions we’d bottled up.
Jason took a deep breath in¸ and he let it out slowly. “It’s about my sister.”
I nodded, holding his hands in mine.
“Bethany Ann passed away,” I said softly.
Jason blinked once and his body sunk, but his eyes remained fixed on mine. The pain thrashing behind his gaze made me want to make the world disappear. I wanted to hold him and shelter us from all the sorrow the world continually wanted to throw our way. He’d been through so much for so long. When would it end? When would everything be okay?
“When?” he asked, his voice gravelly. The strength he showed was unwavering, fierce.
“A week ago.”
“How?”
“She overdosed on heroine,” I whispered, feeling his hands tremble in mine.
“I was too late. I should’ve come sooner,” he said flatly.
“That wouldn’t have helped.”
“You don’t know that,” he said, his eyes darkening.
“You’re right,” I acknowledged. “I don’t know that, and I know anything I say won’t bring her back. And anything that you wish you could change won’t bring her back either. But in this moment, we have each other, and that’s what we need to focus on.”
Jason sat up a little straighter and took a sip of water. “That’s probably what they were trying to get a hold of me about.”
I nodded, but I didn’t really agree. I doubted that would be the agency in charge of reaching out to family, but I could be wrong.
“Let’s get out of here tomorrow,” Jason said.
“Whatever you think is best,” I said, as Nick and his wife came back into the restaurant.
They walked over and sat down, bringing a gush of cigarette smoke with them.
“Everything okay?” Nick asked.
“My stepsister died about a week ago,” Jason told him.
Nick couldn’t hide his surprise as he listened to Jason relay the details.
“I wonder why I didn’t pick that up in my searches.”
I shrugged and kept my hand in Jason’s. He held it tightly as our server delivered our meals, which I doubted any of us planned on eating.
“I wonder if that’s why they were trying to track you down,” Nick asked, shaking his head. “But I think that would be the Medical Examiner’s office that would reach out, unless she was somehow still attached to that agency. But I don’t see how that could be at her age.”
I nodded and watched as Jason dug into the potato salad on his plate.
Nick’s wife smiled at me. “If there’s anything you two need, let us know.”
“Thanks,” I said, still staring at the food in front of me. On a normal day, it would’ve looked great.
“That’s Sylvia,” Jason said,
smiling at the woman sitting across from us.
Their exchange held for a beat too long, and that’s when I realized they’d known each other in a past existence somewhere.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sylvia. Thank you both for helping Jason out.”
Nick shook his head. “Wish we could’ve done more.”
Even though my stomach and mind didn’t feel like eating, I noticed everyone else was going at it. Jason took a bite of his pulled-pork sandwich, nodding as he set it back down. “This is delicious. Sylvia, you always knew good food.”
My gaze fell to my turkey burger, and I decided to force myself to take a bite. It was delicious. I didn’t know how they could make a turkey burger taste so good, but they did. I set my burger down and noticed a slight awkwardness at the table.
“So how did you find Nick?” I asked.
“Through Sylvia,” Jason said, wiping his mouth with the paper napkin. He smiled, and I noticed some fine lines around his eyes that weren’t there a few months before.
“We were in the service together,” Sylvia said.
“No kidding?” I asked. Sylvia looked like she was about ten or fifteen years older than Jason, and I wondered in what capacity they’d worked together.
“Indeed. I was his superior.” She grinned. Her green eyes filled with amusement.
“So I have you to thank for his outstanding behavior?” I joked.
She laughed. “He was always pretty special in that area.” Sylvia chuckled, and I wondered what more she knew about him.
“She’s being overly nice. Sylvia actually whipped me into shape.”
“You were pretty cocky,” she acknowledged. Nick laughed and took a sip of beer.
“I don’t think that’s changed much,” I teased.
Jason gave me a wicked grin, and a spark of mischief flashed through his gaze. It was nice to see.
“You know how we met, right?” Jason asked Sylvia.
She shook her head. “I don’t think you mentioned that part.”
“She rear-ended me.” Jason’s brow arched.
“I did not.”
“Really? Then who did?” Jason asked, grinning.
He knew how much I hated mentioning that my parents had a driver.
“Fine. I did. And from the moment you popped your head inside the vehicle, you’ve been impossible.”
Sylvia laughed. “So things don’t ever really change.”
I had to admit that Jason’s self-assuredness was beyond a turn on. He wasn’t smug or anything, but he definitely had a little swagger to his step that only came from confidence, and I loved it.
“I remember one night Jason came back to the base with his best friend, and the look in his eyes told me he’d been up to no good,” she laughed. “You two together were dynamite. What a pair. I gave you a lecture that next morning when you’d actually remember it, about the difference between being confident and an ass. Speaking of Aaron… how is that SOB?”
I laughed.
“Well, that SOB happens to be Gabby’s brother.” Jason grinned.
“Foot in mouth disease strikes again,” Sylvia said.
I shook my head and smiled. “This is one of the most entertaining dinners I’ve had in a long while.”
Nick was busy on his phone while the rest of us continued talking about Jason and Aaron’s antics. It was exactly what we needed. Rather than wallow in the sorrow that was threatening to take over, we were able to relive moments of bliss that were often capped off with a heavy dose of humor.
Every so often I’d glance at Jason whose smile lit up the table. I knew the grief of never meeting his sister would weigh on him for years to come, maybe even last a lifetime, but seeing him wander down memory lane with an old friend gave me hope. Things would be all right if we stood by each other’s side and vowed to make as many magical memories as one lifetime would hold.
“If you ever come out to Washington, please plan on staying at our place. I know my best friend would love to hear stories about my brother.”
“She’s dating him?” Syliva’s brow arched. “Wow. I never imagined he’d settle down. Jason? Absolutely. Aaron? Never would’ve guessed.”
Jason slid his hand to my knee, and a charge ran through me as he gently rubbed my leg.
“It’s true. Brandy somehow wrangled him in.” I smiled. “They’re a good match for one other. Brandy’s in law school and doesn’t take much crap from anyone.”
“That ought to keep Aaron on his toes. Although it’s been years, so maybe he’s changed.”
In unison Jason and I both said, “He hasn’t,” which brought everyone at the table to tears. It was those happy tears that I wanted us to focus on, but I knew we’d barely scratched the surface on his family, and what was to come would forever change our lives.
Emily was making one of my favorites, a raspberry mocha. Jason and I didn’t get in until late last night. He went into his shop, and I decided to make my way into the bakery, but we both timed our travel after rush hour. It was about eleven o’clock, and I had relayed just about everything I remembered to Emily. She was a sympathetic ear, and I greatly appreciated it. I didn’t even realize how much it had affected me until I rehashed all the details. I didn’t know how Jason was holding up. He seemed so strong. We still hadn’t heard from the caseworker, Felicia, in Alabama. At this rate, we wouldn’t hear anything until our appointment on Monday with the self-proclaimed liaison.
“How’s Jason doing?” Emily asked, putting the mocha in front of me.
“Really well. It comes in waves. I mean he didn’t know her, but I think he spent the last several months imagining getting to know her. That’s probably almost worse. Conjuring up an ideal version of someone, that’s possibly not very realistic. Maybe not… I don’t know.”
“Kind of like he was trying on the idea of having a sister.”
“Yeah, in a way. I feel so bad, but I’m so grateful I was with him.” I shook my head. “He’s been through a lot of tough things in his life, and you’d never know it by looking.”
Emily nodded. “That’s an understatement.”
I took a sip of the raspberry mocha and settled into my chair. “Well, you did an amazing job yet again.” I glanced around the bakery.
“I’m telling you, I think your idea to open another bakery next year is a real possibility.”
“Especially if I have you forever,” I laughed.
“True,” she chuckled.
“Lily and Brandy are coming over for dinner tonight. With everything that’s happened, I don’t think I mentioned the big news about my brother.”
“Yeah? What’s that? He’s gonna pop the question?”
I laughed. “Not that I know of, and he better tell me if that’s up his sleeve. It’s actually about a gallery or museum, not exactly sure, that wants to show his pieces.”
“Wow. Good for him.” Emily smiled.
“In Paris,” I finished.
“No kidding. That’s incredible. Aren’t a lot of his pieces pretty large?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve gotta get details from him tonight. I’m not sure how they’d get shipped over there.”
“It’s always interesting how life forges ahead, isn’t it?”
“It is,” I said, thinking about Jason. He texted me when he arrived at the shop, but he’d been quiet since then. I wanted to give him space; yet I was kind of worried.
“So tell me about this new wedding we might book?” I asked.
“The bride seems really lovely. She heard about you from Trish.”
“Word travels fast,” I laughed. Trish was the first wedding I’d booked. “Maybe I’m too cheap.”
Emily laughed. “Probably. Anyway, she loved the peach and champagne cake with caramel frosting.”
“That’s great to hear. That’s one of my favorite creations too.”
The bell jangled and one of our regulars walked into the bakery. I went to get up, but a sudden pain in my chest took my breath away. I glance
d at the floor so Emily didn’t catch it, but I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought.
“Stay seated, dear. You need to rest. I’ll help Mr. Thomas pick the perfect desserts.”
“Thank you,” I muttered, my cheeks blushing. The pain had disappeared as quickly as it came. Maybe it was just indigestion or something. Lord knows I’d been eating lots of weird things during my travels.
I heard the chatter between Mr. Thomas and Emily as they went back and forth about which dessert would be best with pork tenderloin. I couldn’t help but be flattered that they took their desserts so seriously.
“Gabby, don’t you think the peach-crumble bread would be an excellent choice?” Emily asked, smiling.
“I do. I think that or the strawberry lemon tartlets would be a great option. Nice and refreshing.”
“I think I’ll have to take both.” I heard Mr. Thompson say. “What we don’t eat today we can always eat tomorrow.” He was another retiree and loved spoiling his wife with dessert almost every day of the week. It was such a sweet gesture.
He paid for his purchase and ambled along, stopping at the newspapers.
“Take what you want,” I called.
This was our usual routine, Mr. Thompson eyeing the papers, and me telling him to grab them. He came late enough in the day that most people who cared to see the morning’s headlines had already sorted through them all.
“Thank you, darling,” he laughed, scooping up the island paper before he left.
“Now what was that all about?” Emily’s brow arched.
“What?” I asked, feigning innocence.
“You know what. Call right now and make an appointment.”
“I love you dearly, but I’m fine. Believe me, I’d know if something was off. I had a checkup not too long ago. I think it’s because I’ve been forgetting to take my vitamins.”
“Why are you being so difficult?” she asked.
“I’m not trying to be. I think I’ve been running a little ragged and it’s catching up to me. I’m going to start taking things a little easy and if things don’t clear up, then I’ll go in.”
“So you admit there are things?” Emily asked.
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