Alex (BIG Northwest Book 2)

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Gail’s mouth moved into an impressed looking curve. “You still need to eat more.” She pointed at Kari before moving the finger to Alex. “Girls like you need more food than most.”

  Alex glanced down at her lean frame. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The tiny woman who came with Gail leaned close. “She means the beast thing.”

  Alex blinked a few times.

  The whole world thought they knew the secret of Shadow Pine and the women who lived there.

  They only knew one of them.

  A simple internet search could lay out how they were hidden from the world, raised in the woods far from prying eyes as their father tried to build an empire, create a humanity much different from the one Alex and her sisters learned of through the old newspapers their father believed they were too stupid to be able to read.

  But he was wrong.

  On many levels.

  “Oh, honey.” Gail quickly slid the pot onto the counter before rushing around the peninsula and scooping her up in a hug for the second time today. “We don’t have to talk about that if you’re not ready.”

  Alex sat stiffly, not really sure what to do with all the sudden affection she’d been dished out over the past thirty minutes.

  Gail was about as different from her own mother as it got. It took all of thirty seconds to figure out Kari’s mother was warm and doting and loving.

  And a force no man could tame.

  Should even try to tame. It probably wouldn’t have ended well for him.

  “It’s just strange.” Alex gave Gail an awkward-feeling smile as the older woman pulled back. “To talk about it.”

  Gail’s hands still held her arms, locking Alex into an oddly emotional moment with a woman she barely knew. “It’ll get easier.” She smiled with a warmth that made Alex’s chest squeeze. “You girls need to be able to be yourselves around the people who love you.”

  They were.

  But that had more to do with the fact that they only had each other. Their mother loved them as much as she could, but at the end of the day her loyalty was to their father.

  Not them.

  That meant the only love Alex ever had came from the sisters she worked so hard for.

  All to make sure they never ended up where they were again.

  “Who in the hell—” Frankie tripped to a stop as she came busting through Alex’s door. Charlie and Sam skidded to a stop right behind her. Three sets of blue eyes landed on where Gail still held Alex.

  Gail’s eyes lit up. “There you girls are.” She rushed straight at Frankie, arms out.

  The woman was like a heat-seeking missile. Once her target was set, there was no escaping her.

  Frankie only managed to take one step back before Gail was on her, arms wrapping tight around where Frankie’s hung at her sides, pinning them in place, leaving Frankie nothing to do but stare wide-eyed at Alex as Gail squeezed her in the unexpected embrace.

  As soon as Gail let Frankie go she snatched Charlie, pulling her in. “You are just the prettiest things.”

  The second she released Charlie, Sam backed away. “No thank you.”

  Gail wagged one finger Sam’s way. “You’re going to be a tough one, aren’t you, honey.” She gave Sam a warm smile in spite of the rejection. “I’ll get ya though.” She scanned the three sisters in front of her. “Which one of you’s the baker?”

  Frankie and Charlie stared straight ahead, refusing to even breathe in Sam’s way.

  Solidarity was how they survived. They were a unified front. Always.

  Until Craig showed up. He was the only thing they’d ever split on.

  Gail’s wide smile landed right on Sam. “That must be you.”

  The three sisters stared in silence, clearly a little surprised at Gail’s correct guess.

  Gail pointed to the front of Sam’s shirt. A faint line of white powder showed the outline of the apron she usually wore. “It doesn’t take a psychic to figure that one out, girls.” She turned to where Kari and Spirit sat sipping at their water like this was a completely normal situation. “We should bring Christine here. She’d love this place.”

  More people? “Who is Christine?”

  “She’s my best friend.” Gail hefted out a sigh. “Sister-in-law now.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” Alex liked Craig as a person, which made her sister’s love of him much easier to deal with. Especially considering he was now acting father to her nephew Jude.

  “He’s a pain in the ass.” Gail tipped her chin up a little. “But for some reason she likes him.”

  “Men in general are a pain in the ass.” Charlie’s eyes hadn’t left Gail since she walked into the house.

  Gail’s wide smile immediately came back. “Amen.” She wrapped one arm around Charlie. “But there are just some times when they really come in handy.”

  “You mean for sex?” Charlie didn’t miss a beat bringing up her most favorite topic.

  Gail was quiet for a minute, clearly surprised by Charlie’s question. “I meant more for opening jars.” She lifted her shoulders a little. “But some of them are good for sex too.” She pointed one finger straight at Charlie. “And don’t keep one that’s not. They’re too much trouble for all that.”

  “I’m gonna need you to not discuss things like that right now.” Kari shifted Brenna on her lap. “I really want to still be hungry for lunch.”

  “Oh.” Gail clapped her hands, the blue of her eyes going back to Sam. “That’s where I was. I need a big pot.”

  Sam’s eyes moved to Alex. “For what?”

  “Lunch.” Gail said it like everyone should just know strangers walked into people’s houses and immediately started cooking. “I could use a loaf or two of some sandwich bread if you have any left.” Gail turned and walked back toward Alex’s kitchen. “I’d just come to your place, but this one needs to stay put.” She patted Alex on the shoulder as she passed. “Gotta get that swelling down.”

  Sam stood for a second longer, eyes moving from Frankie to Charlie before finally coming to Alex.

  Alex shrugged.

  Sam rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath as she turned to yank open the door and go outside.

  “This kitchen is bare, honey. You need more food in this place.” Gail went to work chopping up an onion.

  “There’s only one of me. I can only eat so much food.” It was mostly true. She tried to keep her fridge and pantry stocked, but lately that fell behind as she tried to keep up with all the demands of their new reality.

  Luckily Craig was a good shopper, and she could always raid their food when she went to hang out with Jude and Danny.

  Alex looked to Charlie. “Where’s Danny?”

  “She and Craig went to pick Jude up from school and then they’ll be over.” Charlie edged a little closer, her attention still almost completely fixed on Gail. “What are you making?”

  “Potato soup and grilled cheese.” She pointed the tip of Alex’s biggest knife her way. “This one didn’t have the stuff to make anything else.”

  “You should have gone to Sam’s house. She has the best kitchen and all the food for our weekly dinners.” Charlie stood at the counter watching Gail chop.

  “Maybe she’ll invite me over soon so I can see it.” Gail didn’t glance up as she worked her way through the second half of the onion.

  So Sam gets to invite but her house just gets taken over?

  “Don’t frown. It’ll give you wrinkles.” Gail glanced up Alex’s way. “And some people need things to work on their schedule.”

  Alex glanced at Kari. She’d only just begun getting to know her sister-in-law, but while Kari was sweet and a great mother, she was nothing like the tornado of motherly love taking over her kitchen.

  “Just let her go. You can’t argue with her.” Kari bounced Brenna a few times. “It’ll be a waste of energy.”

  The tiny woman who came along with Kari and Gail leaned in close at Alex’s side. “I know how you�
��re feeling right now. I promise you’ll get used to it.” She gave Alex a little smile. “It’s a little overwhelming until then, though.”

  Alex eyed Gail before turning to the woman beside her. “Is your mom like this?”

  Spirit shrugged. “I don’t really remember her.”

  “You and Spirit have a lot in common.” Kari gave her best friend a soft smile.

  “That’s why I wanted to come meet you guys.” Spirit caught Brenna as she fell her way, wrestling the wiggly baby onto her small lap space. “I grew up in the mountains too. Sort of hidden away.” Her eyes came Alex’s way. “Like you.”

  It never occurred to Alex there would be anyone else who might have lived a life like they had. “Why were you hidden?”

  “My dad was an alcoholic. If anyone knew they would have taken me.” Spirit’s eyes turned sad. “He died when I was young and left me on my own. He helped me hide his death so I could stay where I grew up. Keep the business my grandfather started.”

  It was a shocking story. Even more shocking that Spirit just spit it out like it was nothing. Put the reality of her life out in front of God and everybody. “What was the business?”

  Spirit’s smile went wide and happy. “Moonshine.”

  “You make moonshine?” Alex couldn’t help but look the woman beside her over. She couldn’t be more than a hundred pounds, with white-blonde hair and a tiny voice that made her seem even smaller than she was.

  Spirit sat up a little straighter in her seat. “I do.”

  “She makes the best moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains.” Kari grabbed Vanessa as the little girl nearly slipped trying to climb up into her mother’s newly-empty lap. “Maybe the best anywhere.”

  “That is awesome.” Frankie came closer. “Do you ship?”

  “I do now.” Spirit turned a little in her seat so she could look out towards where Frankie and Charlie stood. “I went legit about a year ago.”

  Frankie’s eyes widened. “You were still making bootleg?”

  Spirit shrugged a little. “It was all I really knew.”

  Frankie’s eyes skimmed down Spirit. “That’s cool as hell.”

  Spirit’s smile widened even more. “Thanks.”

  Frankie pointed to Alex. “We need to order some of her stuff.”

  “I’ll get on it.” She tried to keep the resentment out of her tone.

  Her sisters acted like she was the only one with internet and access to their accounts.

  “I’ll just have some shipped here.” Spirit grabbed her phone and started thumbing the screen. “Any particular flavors you want to try?”

  “You have flavors?” Frankie came in closer, bumping between Alex and Spirit. She leaned closer to peer at the screen of Spirit’s phone. “Your website is awesome.” Frankie turned toward Alex. “We need a website.”

  “I’m working on it.” This time it was harder to keep the frustration from her tone.

  Everyone was constantly pointing out all the things that she needed to do. To look into. To juggle.

  Alex pressed her fingers to her temples, pressing as her head started to ache.

  “What’s wrong, Al?”

  She glanced up to where Edward stood in the doorway, the sound of his arrival smothered out by all the noise filling her house. “I think I’m just getting a headache.”

  “You’re probably hungry.” Gail leaned against the counter, her attention on Edward. “Did you see Sam coming with a pot and bread?”

  “I saw Sam stomping from the bakery to her house. Does that count?” Edward’s eyes stayed on Alex as he answered Gail. He came closer. “I’ll get you some aspirin.” He handed her the file in his hands. “I’ll be right back.”

  Alex glanced down at the file as he left.

  “What’s that?” Frankie’s attention bounced to the file, holding for just a second before going back to Spirit’s phone.

  “I don’t know.” Alex fiddled with the tab at the edge. Was she supposed to open it? Maybe he just intended for her to hold it while he was gone. She barely lifted the edge, trying to get a peek at what might be inside.

  Not that she was interested in whatever might be in there if it was something of his. What Edward had going on in his life was none of her business. He was just some guy who came to work here.

  A familiar color pattern caught her eye, making Alex flip the file completely open.

  “Holy crap.” Frankie leaned her way, Spirit moving along with her. “Those are awesome.”

  “Is that your logo?” Spirit’s mouth dropped open a little. “That is shitting amazing.”

  A variety of items were printed across the paper, each one emblazoned with the same logo Edward showed her and her sisters this morning. “It does look good, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m going to need one of those shirts.” Spirit’s lips pursed in a pondering pout. “And maybe one of those tumblers.” She turned to Kari. “Should I be doing stuff like that?”

  “Probably.” Kari was leaned against Spirit, studying the paper in Alex’s hands. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of that already.”

  “Right?” Spirit turned her attention to Alex. “You are super smart.”

  “I didn’t think of it.” Alex glanced up as Edward came back through her door. He held out his hand. Two pills sat in his palm.

  He tipped his head toward Gail. “I believe the pot you’re waiting on will be here shortly.”

  “Thank you.” Alex took the pills from his hand and popped them in her mouth before washing them down with the glass of water Gail poured for her the minute they came inside. Her eyes widened the second they hit her stomach. “Am I allowed to take those with the prescription they gave me?”

  “You can.” He gave her a wink. “I checked.”

  “How’s your ankle, honey?” Gail didn’t wait for an answer before pointing the tip of her knife at Edward. “Get her an ice pack, handsome.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Edward shot Gail the dimpled grin that probably made every female knee in the room weak.

  Gail’s brows went up as she turned toward Alex. “I like him. Good choice.”

  Edward leaned close to Gail as he passed. “She hasn’t picked me yet.”

  Gail gave Alex a once over. “You better be on your best behavior then. These girls could have their pick of the litter.”

  Those aspirin couldn’t start working fast enough.

  Her door opened yet again. Sam walked in with a large pot. Two clear-bagged loaves of her sandwich bread were tucked inside. She set the pot on the counter. “Here.” She immediately turned back toward the door.

  “Aren’t you staying for lunch, honey?” Gail grabbed the pot, immediately unloading the bread before setting the pot on the stove.

  Sam didn’t slow down. “I have work to do.”

  “Good girl. Businesses don’t run themselves.” Gail tipped her head toward Edward as she carried the pile of chopped onions to the pot. “That one there will bring your lunch over.”

  “I’m fine. I don’t need—”

  “Have a good time at work, honey.” Gail turned her back on Sam and went to work stirring around the onions, leaving Sam to stare at her a second before turning and walking out.

  Charlie rested her chin on Alex’s shoulder. “Sam’s going to kill us.”

  “Probably.” They’d always had each other’s backs, but right now none of them seemed to know what in the hell to do about Gail. How to wrangle her into understanding the hierarchy of the town.

  Edward reached out, carefully resting a towel-wrapped pack of ice on her ankle. His dark brows came together as he looked down at the injury. “Looks a lot better today, doesn’t it?”

  “I guess so.” Alex rested one palm to her head, trying to stop the swimming.

  Edward pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen for a split second before shoving it back. “Uh-oh.” He met Alex’s gaze. “We’ve got an emergency. The bank just emailed about a possible issue with a transfer.”
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  “What?” Charlie’s eyes snapped from Edward to Alex. “Is that bad?”

  “No. We just need to go take care of it.” He held his hand out to her. “Right now.”

  She held his gaze for a second before what was actually happening registered.

  Her eyes dropped to his hand.

  He was trying to save her.

  Alex clenched her hand into a fist, trying to smother out the urge to reach for him. To take the opportunity he created.

  Just for her.

  Edward’s hand hung in the air, steady and unwavering, even as she debated.

  “We probably should make sure it’s handled.” Alex slowly slid her hand into his, the strong grip of his fingers around hers easing the spinning of her mind.

  “Gotta make sure things are where they should be.” Edward’s hold kept her steady as she slid off the stool, grabbing her crutch. “We’ll be back in just a little bit.”

  “Make sure she ices that ankle, handsome.” Gail called over her shoulder as she continued stirring the pot.

  Edward grabbed the ice pack. “Got it.” His hand stayed in Alex’s as they walked out of the house and down the steps, taking them one at a time.

  As soon as they were on the sidewalk the air finally eased free of her lungs.

  “How you doing, Al?” Edward took small steps that almost seemed comical on his long-legged frame. “You seemed like you needed a breather.”

  “She’s just a lot.” Alex slowly inhaled, trying to relax the tension creeping through her shoulders. “I wasn’t ready for it.”

  “Just a heads up.” Edward glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “When my parents come to visit it will probably be a lot like that.”

  It hadn’t really occurred to her that Edward would have parents. Most people do, but you sort of forget that when you don’t. “Your mom is like Gail?”

  “Uh.” Edward smiled. “I don’t actually have a mom.” He met her eyes. “I have two dads.”

  TEN

  ALEX’S BROWS CAME together for a second before slowly lifting up her forehead. “Oh.”

  He’d gotten many different reactions over the years. Some people judged. Some people were accepting.