Dad nodded and finally opened the folder, his eyes scanning the first page. My heart felt like it was about to thump right out of my chest as I waited.
“She’s ours,” he said softly a moment later.
My eyebrows shot up, and Mom’s eyes widened as her lips spread in a jubilant smile. “She is?” she said.
Dad nodded at her, his expression stunned. “All the test results confirmed it. The sample taken from DeeDee Brown shows a direct familial relationship to the two of us. One that could only mean she’s our daughter.”
“Oh my god!” Mom leapt to her feet, her eyes shining. Her gaze shot to Ramirez. “Detective, have you told her? Do you know where she is right now?”
He nodded. “She was informed before you, and she’s very anxious to meet you all properly. She’s actually out in the hall with my partner as we speak. Is it too soon, or would you like to see her now?”
“Please get her,” Mom said, nodding vehemently. “We have to see her!”
He left the room to get DeeDee—or Allegra, as was her real name—and I leaned back in my chair in total and utter shock. I honestly hadn’t thought the results would be positive. Over the last few days, I’d convinced myself that DeeDee must be some crackpot liar, out to get some attention for herself… but that wasn’t the case.
She really was my sister.
DeeDee stepped into the office a moment later. Her face was pale and free of makeup, and her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “Hi,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands were trembling.
“It’s really you,” Mom said, tears sliding down her cheeks as she stared at DeeDee. Her hands went to her face. “My god, it’s really you. I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t even recognize you the other day….”
DeeDee gave her a kindly smile. “It’s okay. I didn’t fully recognize you at first, either. It’s been a long time.”
“We’re so glad you’re back,” Dad said, his voice gruff with emotion. “So very glad. Words can’t even describe it….”
The three of them embraced in a tight family hug, and Dad beckoned me over to join them. I did as he asked, wrapping my arms around my sister.
The next few minutes were a blur of tears and frantic words of remorse over the missing years with Allegra. It all seemed like a dream, and I worried I’d wake up from it at any minute. After all, what were the odds of Allegra finally returning to us after all these years, and after everything she’d been through?
They must be astronomical. The odds of her happening to move to our exact city were slim enough, but for her to happen to apply for work at our hotel as well… it was almost unbelievable.
But I had to believe it, because here she was, standing before me.
A pang of guilt bit at my insides as she looked at me and smiled nervously. I stared deep into her brown eyes, and I just couldn’t see it. I couldn’t see the same Allegra from my memories, or from the photographs we had of her.
I knew fifteen years could seriously change a person, especially if they were just a young child the last time you saw them, and surely this girl’s life experiences had hardened her around the edges… but she just didn’t seem like my sister. I didn’t feel any sort of immediate bond with her, like I expected. And she didn’t look even remotely like any of us. She just seemed like a girl who happened to have the same hair as me, and that was all. Nothing else.
I felt terrible for feeling this way, and I knew I had to try to force those emotions out. The DNA tests proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was my sister, after all.
“Peyton,” she said, clasping her hands together. “Wow. I can’t believe it. My sister….”
“Hi,” I said softly. “Ally,” I added, wondering if she recalled the nickname I once bestowed upon her.
She smiled. “You can just call me DeeDee for now if it’s easier,” she said. “It’d sure be easier for me. That’s the name I grew up with. I’m not used to Allegra or Ally yet.”
I nodded slowly. “I used to call you that—Ally.”
Her smile faltered. “I… I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”
“Oh.”
“She was only three when we last saw her, Peyton,” Mom said in a sharp tone. “Of course she doesn’t remember.”
A smug gleam flashed in DeeDee’s eyes as Mom told me off. It was gone in an instant, but I didn’t miss it.
Strange. What was her problem?
I pushed the negative thoughts aside… again. No one in the world truly knew how they’d act in a situation like this until they were in it, and I was willing to bet my sister was just as nervous and freaked out as I was right now. So maybe that was what the expression in her eyes was—she was just happy that Mom and Dad were already accepting her so openly, and seeing Mom defend her made her remember exactly what it was like to have a family who truly cared.
I couldn’t begrudge her that. Not after what she’d been through.
We finally sat down, and the next few hours became a family bonding session where DeeDee asked us all questions, and we asked her things in turn.
It was nice to sit here quietly, just the four of us… while we still could.
Things were going to be hectic from here on out. Once the papers and online news sites got wind of the fact that DeeDee/Allegra had been returned to us after all this time (and they would very soon), we would be entrenched in media mayhem.
No doubt the police would also reopen the investigation into her kidnapping now that her memories were beginning to return, in the hopes of finding out who took her all those years ago, and that would make our lives even more frenzied.
So for now, to simply sit and chat with my long-lost sister in a quiet room was a small luxury. The conversation was stilted and a little awkward on occasion, because the circumstances were so surreal, but we pushed through it.
At one-thirty, DeeDee looked at the clock on the wall. “I’m so sorry,” she said anxiously. “I have a doctor’s appointment at two, and I completely forgot to cancel it. I should go. But I can come back afterwards?”
Mom smiled. “Of course. Actually, why don’t I take you to the appointment?” she said. Then she shook her head. “I’m sorry if I’m being pushy. I know this is all new for us and you might want to take it slow. It’s just that I want to spend every minute with you now that you’re back.”
DeeDee smiled shyly. “It’s fine. I’d love for you to come.”
She gave Dad and me hugs to say goodbye for now, and then she left the room with Mom.
Dad let out a heavy sigh. “I think it’s time for a glass of scotch,” he said, reaching for a cabinet behind his desk. “I just can’t believe it, Peyton. It’s really her.”
“I can’t believe it either,” I admitted. “It’s amazing.”
“Yes, it is,” he said with a smile, pouring himself a drink. He seemed so much more relaxed than usual, and I wasn’t surprised. He’d beaten himself up over Allegra’s disappearance and possible death for years now. To see her back now, safe and healthy, was beyond a miracle.
“I suppose I can’t have any of that, even after the day we’ve had so far,” I said, nodding at Dad’s scotch glass.
Usually he’d roll his eyes at a comment like that, but he chuckled instead. “Very funny,” he said. “I think you should probably go and get some lunch. I don’t want you fading away. I think you’re already too skinny.”
I smiled and nodded. “I’ll grab something while we wait for Mom and DeeDee to get back. I mean… Allegra.”
That was going to take some getting used to.
I stepped out of the office and down the hall, intent on heading over to one of the hotel restaurants to grab a bite to eat. On my way, I passed Bianca and gave her a quick wave.
“Hey, Peyton,” she said, holding up a hand to stop me. “Are you expecting a package?”
I frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“Something just arrived for you at reception. It’s a big box. Do you want me to t
ake it up to your room? I don’t mind. I’m on a break now anyway.”
My face brightened as something suddenly occurred to me. In all the craziness surrounding Allegra’s return, I’d completely forgotten about all my regular life activities, including this one particular thing. “Oh, wait, I know what it is!” I said, clapping my hands together.
“What?” Bianca asked.
I smiled. “Come with me and see.”
We rushed over to the hotel’s main reception desk. Andreas was there, deep in conversation with the daytime desk staff—three women named Emilia, Mel, and Gloria. Emilia and Mel were about the same age as me, and Gloria was a prim and proper bespectacled lady in her forties. They were all nice, and I enjoyed chatting with them from time to time.
When they saw me approaching, Andreas straightened up. “Sorry, Peyton. I was just asking about…erm…”
I laughed. “It’s ok. You’re allowed breaks, you know. I’m not going to yell at you for chatting to these awesome ladies.”
He grinned, and Emilia jumped up. “Peyton, we have something for you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, Bianca told me. I can’t wait to open it!”
“Are you going to tell us what it is?” Mel asked, tapping a pen against her chin as Emilia hauled the box onto the counter. “We’ve been trying to figure it out. But let me guess… another sponsorship haul?”
I nodded again. Lately, I’d become quite jaded with a lot of the packages I got sent to me by companies in the hopes that I would promote their product for them (because so much of it turned out to be terrible) but I was super-excited about this one.
A new online retailer called Brulee had contacted me last week, asking if I’d like to try out some of their products. I jumped at the chance, because I’d seen their website and I loved their stuff. They made gorgeous pajamas and loungewear, and I couldn’t wait to try some of the things on and see if they were as good in real life as they appeared online.
“It’s from Brulee,” I said. “I’ve been waiting for it to arrive.”
Emilia’s eyes widened. “Oh! I love their stuff.”
“Same,” Bianca said in a dreamy tone. “But it’s so expensive.”
I smiled at them. “Well, they probably sent me way too much. So we can all go through it together, and you guys can totally help yourself to some new pajamas, if you want.”
Emilia grinned. “Awesome! Thanks! But remember, Peyton, their site is kinda pretentious. It’s not pajamas… it’s ‘bedroom wear’.”
She held up her hands and put the last two words in air quotes, and I laughed. “That’s right. Bedroom wear. Anyway, could you pass me some scissors?”
Seconds later I was slicing open the tape which sealed the cardboard box. Then I ripped it open in a dramatic manner, grinning with anticipation.
We all peered inside, and my heart leapt into my mouth.
This was definitely not from Brulee.
8 Peyton
The box didn’t contain any ‘bedroom wear’ at all. At least not the sort of bedroom wear I was expecting….
It contained several black latex fetish-wear items, including a full-on gimp mask and a ball-gag. There were also a couple of butt plugs with hairy pink tails attached, nipple clamps, nipple tassels, a whip, and several porn tapes with titles which parodied popular movies from the past.
“Star Whores, Priscilla: Anal Queen of the Desert, and Four Weddings and a Fisting. Hmm….” Andreas read the porno names out, breaking the silence. Then he clasped a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh.
Gloria looked like she was about to faint, prim and proper as she was. “Oh, lord…” she whispered, fingering the silver cross which hung on a chain around her neck.
I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole. Emilia, Mel, and Bianca’s faces were pulled into expressions of shock combined with amusement, and then they all began to giggle uncontrollably. Andreas joined in. I couldn’t fault them for it—if I were in their shoes, I’d probably laugh too.
But I wasn’t laughing. Not at all. I slammed the box lid shut, seething. I knew exactly who was responsible for this stupid, immature prank.
Cade.
There was no one else who’d want to embarrass me like this. He was obviously humiliated by what I did yesterday, and so he’d decided to get back at me in a totally childish way instead of waiting for me to explain myself. And god, I was going to. But I got caught up with the far more important issue of my long-lost sister’s sudden return. That trumped everything else, right?
“I… um…”
I didn’t know what else to say, and everyone was still crying with laughter. So I simply fled upstairs to my suite with the box and tucked it at the very back of my walk-in closet. I couldn’t exactly put it all in the garbage just yet, because the last thing I needed was someone seeing me outside and snapping a candid shot of me throwing out a boxful of fetish wear. That’d just start even more tabloid rumors about me.
I guess I’d have to slowly dispose of the things, one by one.
Once the box was safely tucked away, I sat back on my sofa, my chest heaving. I was so mad at Cade. I knew it was him who’d embarrassed me like this. I just knew it.
I was absolutely furious. I liked him. I thought we were building up a friendship. Maybe even something more. At least that’s what I’d hoped…. And then just one little incident was enough for him to turn on me and do something as ridiculous as this. Honestly, was he twelve?
I knew what I did yesterday was wrong. I shouldn’t have let him overhear me saying those things to my father. I should’ve stepped farther away so that he wouldn’t. Hell, maybe I should’ve even told Dad the truth. But I was so worried about Cade getting fired that I just…didn’t.
That wasn’t so bad, right? I did it out of concern for Cade, not out of snobby bitchiness. I didn’t look down on him because of his job at all. I respected everyone who worked for us (and anyone who worked anywhere else, for that matter) and I knew how incredibly fortunate I was to be born into my particular place in life.
The longer I sat on the couch stewing, the angrier I got. I wanted to confront Cade. Wanted to tell him what a dick he was, and how embarrassing it was for me to open that box in front of someone like Gloria, who’d practically gone into cardiac arrest at the sight of it all.
An idea popped into my head, and I stood up and stomped over to the landline phone which sat on one of my bedside tables. Then I dialed the hotel’s HR office and asked for Nadia.
“Hi, Peyton. What can I do for you?” she said when she answered.
“Hey, Nadia. Could you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Could you tell me where Cade Miller is working right now? I didn’t see him down in the lobby. I need to um… give him something.”
She paused for a second, and I heard her typing. “He’s not in. He worked an early morning shift today, so he finished at twelve.”
My shoulders deflated. “Oh.” Then I sat up straight again. “Actually, could you give me his address? It’ll be in his file, right?”
Nadia didn’t respond right away. I knew she was hesitating because she wasn’t supposed to give out employee information like that, but she also didn’t want to say no to me, given who I was.
“I just want to give him a birthday present,” I said hurriedly.
“It’s not his birthday.”
“Not for him. For his, er… sister. He was asking me for advice on what to get her yesterday, and I told him I’d pick up the perfect thing. I just love buying gifts, you know. And it’s her birthday tomorrow, so I want to get this thing to him as soon as possible.”
Nadia sighed. “Fine. He lives in apartment 6C on East Baylor Street, in the Greenough apartment building. It’s in Harrington.”
“Thanks.”
After I hung up, I went downstairs and outside to my car, still hell-bent on confronting Cade about his behavior. According to my GPS, his apartment was about fifteen minutes away, and my anger didn’t dis
sipate as I drove.
Deep down, I knew the real reason I was so mad. Since I met Cade, I’d developed a giant crush on him. I’d shared so many intimate details of my life and fears with him during our little chats, because I blindly trusted him, and he made it so easy to do so.
Now he’d gone and done this.
If it was anyone else doing it, I might’ve just laughed along with the others. But coming from Cade, it seemed like a betrayal of sorts. All because of my stupid feelings for him.
As I ascended the stairs at his run-down apartment block fifteen minutes later, I tried to remind myself that I barely knew the guy, and it was just a crush. The feelings would go away soon.
If that’s true, then why are you here, stalking him at his apartment like a crazy person? a little voice in my head asked.
I ignored the thought and rapped on the door to 6C. A petite elderly lady answered it a moment later. “Hello?” she said, squinting at me.
I was silent for a few seconds. I hadn’t been expecting anyone else to answer the door. “Um… hi,” I finally said. “Is Cade in?”
“Who?”
“Cade Miller. This is his apartment, right?”
The old lady shook her head. “No, it’s just me and my husband here. You must have the wrong address.” She turned around. “Earl!” she hollered. “Do we know anyone named Cade? Any neighbors?”
A gruff man’s voice called back out to her. “No. What the hell kind of name is Cade?”
The lady turned back to me. “Sorry,” she said with a shrug.
“Oh. That’s okay. Sorry to bother you.”
She bade me a polite goodbye, then shut the door. I took a step back and frowned. This was definitely the Greenough apartment block in Harrington, and I was sure that Nadia said 6C was Cade’s apartment number. Then again, I was so angry when I called her earlier that I could barely think straight. I probably just misheard her.
Suite Hearts Page 7