Next of Kin

by Jae

  Aiden could only stare at her. This was the last thing she had expected from Del.

  "So? How about that drink?" Del asked again. "There's a small bar and grill right around the corner."

  There was no way to politely decline, so Aiden nodded.

  Neither of them made conversation as they got into the car and drove to the restaurant.

  Del pointed to a small corner table. "Let's sit there."

  They reached the table at the same time and almost collided with each other as both of them tried to take the seat that would allow them to sit with the back against the wall.

  They looked up, both of them tense for a moment.

  Then Del smiled. "That's why I never date other cops. Too much fighting at the dinner table."

  Aiden echoed the smile and finally stepped back, allowing Del to slip into the coveted seat.

  The server came over and looked at them expectantly. "What can I get you?"

  After coming face-to-face with Dawn's rapist, Aiden didn't have much of an appetite. "Nothing to eat for me, but... can I get a Club House sandwich and a Deli sandwich to go, please?"

  The waiter raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure. What kind of bread do you want?"

  "White bread for the Deli and rye for the Club House, please," Aiden ordered. She knew Dawn would sit at home and wait for her, too tense to eat while she knew Aiden was with Ballard.

  Del shook her head as the waiter looked at her. "What can I get you to drink? We have a dozen different beers on tap." He pointed proudly at the large bar.

  Aiden and Del exchanged a quick glance. "Just coffee," Del decided, and Aiden gave a nod.

  "I assume the Deli is for Dawn?" Del asked as soon as the waiter had walked away.

  Aiden nodded.

  "Good." Del gave her a look of appreciation.

  Aiden understood that she had the Aunt Del seal of approval for thinking of Dawn and knowing exactly what she would order.

  The waiter set down their coffee in front of them and disappeared again.

  Del leaned back and studied her. "So Evan Whitfield is your half sister, huh?"

  The unexpected statement almost made Aiden spill her coffee. She quickly set down her cup, blinked, and tried to act unaffected. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

  Del shrugged. "Why waste your time or mine?"

  "Who told you?" Aiden asked. "Kade?"

  "Yes. But please don't be angry with her for –"

  Aiden held up a hand. "I'm not angry. It's just..." It was a little disconcerting to have Del know about her private issues. What else has Kade told her? she wondered. Knowing Kade suddenly had someone in her life whom she trusted enough to tell her these things was equally disconcerting.

  "Have I ever told you that I have five brothers?" Del asked, surprising Aiden again. "No, of course I haven't. We never talked much with each other, huh?"

  She has five brothers... so what? Aiden neglected to see what it had to do with her own situation.

  "I haven't seen any of them for over twenty years. They're practically strangers to me, so I imagine if I met one of them now, I wouldn't know how to act around him either," Del said.

  Aiden looked at her through narrowed eyes. "Who says I don't know how to act around Evan? Did Kade –"

  "No. Kade said nothing, just that you found out Evan Whitfield is your half sister. So you want to tell me that, after growing up as an only child, you know exactly how to treat the sister you never even knew existed?" Del smiled in a way that said she didn't believe it for a second.

  Aiden sighed and finally gave up her attempts of trying to appear strong and confident in front of Del. "I don't have a clue how to act around her," she admitted. "Whatever I do or say seems to be the wrong thing. I just can't seem to win her trust."

  "Don't I know that feeling," Del said with a self-mocking laugh.

  "You? You have experience with teenagers?" Aiden found that hard to believe.

  Del nodded. "When I first met the Kinsley family, I was just a young rookie fresh from the academy. Dawn was eight and she loved me from the start, but her brother Brian... he was almost fourteen... and, boy, did he give me a hard time!" She rolled her eyes as she remembered.

  Aiden leaned forward, suddenly interested in what Del had to say. "What did you do?"

  Del shrugged. "I waited him out. Just let him know that I was his father's partner and the new adopted aunt, so I wasn't going anywhere. It took a while, but he finally seemed to understand that I was not a threat to him in any way."

  Aiden sighed. "So there's no miracle cure? No little trick that can make it happen overnight?"

  "Afraid not." Del gave her a sympathetic smile.

  The waiter delivered the ordered sandwiches to the table.

  Del pulled out her wallet. "Come on," she said to Aiden. "Let's drink up and bring Dawn her sandwich."

  Minutes later, they were on their way to the car. "See? Talking to me didn't hurt after all," Del pointed out with a smirk.

  "Not much," Aiden admitted, grinning. "But next time, I get the corner seat."

  CHAPTER 24

  "I APPRECIATE you helping me with this on your day off," Dawn said to her mother as the two of them clicked the last food container shut.

  Grace waved her hand. "I did it for your dad, for Brian, for Cal, and for Del often enough, so why not do it for Aiden and her colleagues?" she said casually. "If she has to work Sundays, the least we supportive citizens can do is make sure Portland's finest don't starve to death."

  Dawn smiled happily. Her mom had really come around during the last six months. In the beginning, she had been very skeptical about her relationship with Aiden, but now she went out of her way to make sure she treated Aiden with the same respect she had given Dawn's husband.

  "Besides, it gives me an opportunity to spend some time with you," Grace said. "I don't get to see a lot of you lately."

  She said it without any accusation, but Dawn felt a little guilty anyway. Her mother was right. During the last few months, they hadn't spent as much time with each other as usual. "I'm sorry," she said immediately. "I didn't realize... with my new job and Aiden and Evan..."

  "You don't have to apologize," Grace interrupted, giving her hand a quick squeeze. "You have your own life, and that's how it should be."

  Still... Dawn realized that a lot was changing for her mother. Not only was her only child busy with a new job and a new relationship instead of spending every weekend at Grace's, but at the same time her best friend was slowly pulling away too. Del had always given Grace a lot of attention and support, but now she was starting to spend more time with Kade and less time with Grace. Dawn wondered if her mother might feel lonely.

  "Did you ever consider starting to date again?" Dawn asked, surprising both of them.

  Grace gestured for her to leave the dirty pots and sit down at the table with her. "No, not really. Where did that question come from?" she asked with a shake of her head.

  "Now that I have Aiden and even Del might start to date, I don't want you to be alone." Dawn was almost embarrassed to realize she had never thought about whether her mother might feel lonely.

  Grace reached across the table and laid her hand on top of Dawn's. "I still miss your father, but I'm not alone. I already experienced the love of my life, so I'm not searching anymore. Maybe that'll change one day, but for now, I'm content with being happy for you and Del."

  They had never talked about the growing relationship between Del and Kade. Dawn realized she didn't know how her mother felt about it. "Do you like Kade? I noticed the three of you spent some time in the kitchen after Del's party. Do you think they would make a good couple?"

  "Of course I like Kade," her mother answered. "She's smart and cultivated, and if you manage to look behind the distanced façade she puts up, she's a kind woman and a good friend."

  Dawn waited, but her mother didn't add anything. She seemed to consider the subject closed, but Dawn didn't. "What do you think about her rela
tionship with Del?" she persistently dug deeper.

  Grace shrugged. "I'm not sure. Del isn't exactly forthcoming with information about this."

  "Did you expect her to be?" Dawn asked gently, not surprised to hear the concern in her mother's voice.

  "No. I know Del had a few lovers over the years, but she hardly talked about them and never introduced them," Grace said. She was only telling Dawn what she had already known.

  "But it's not the same with Kade, is it?" Dawn asked, watching her mother closely.

  Grace put her hands on her hips. "Are you trying to shrink your mother, young lady?" she asked in her best scolding mother voice.

  Dawn had to laugh. Her mother hadn't used that voice on her for years. "Not really," she lamely defended herself.

  "You are!" Grace playfully dug her index finger into Dawn's arm.

  "I just want to know how you're dealing with Del's possible new relationship, and you're not making it easy on me." Her mother was withholding her emotions, and Dawn had used the tools of her trade by pure instinct.

  Grace looked at her with a very serious expression. "If Kade can make Del happy, I'm fine with it."

  Dawn could practically feel the "but" in the sentence. "But?" she prompted.

  Grace bit her lip and hesitated.

  "You doubt that she can make Del happy?" It wasn't easy for Dawn to voice that doubt, but if she was honest with herself, she had sometimes shared it.

  "I don't want to appear petty or jealous." Grace hesitated for a few more seconds, then looked directly at Dawn. "I'm afraid Del is going to end up hurt. She and Kade are not on the same page at all regarding their relationship."

  Dawn couldn't refute that.

  "Kade is your age, and Del is a dozen years older." Grace worriedly shook her head.

  "Age differences never stopped true love," Dawn said, wanting it to be true. She, of course, knew that it was only part of the truth. Age differences didn't make a successful relationship impossible, but they also didn't make it easier.

  "It's not just the number of candles on their birthday cakes. Their age difference means that they are at different points in their lives. Del is ready to settle down, and Kade... not that she said anything about it to me, but I got the feeling she's just starting to explore her sexuality." Grace directed a sorrowful gaze at Dawn. "I've been told that a newly out woman will never stay with the first woman she has been with. The first is just a portal for new experiences."

  Dawn arched her eyebrows. Her mother had been supportive after her coming out and about her relationship with Aiden, but they had never discussed the particulars of her sexual orientation. Where is that little gem of information coming from? she wondered. "Who told you that?"

  "Del," Grace said, looking down. "You had just brought home Maggie for the first time, and I couldn't see you spending the rest of your life with her. That's when Del told me you probably wouldn't. And she was right."

  Dawn felt her cheeks grow hot. "Not because Maggie was my first girlfriend!" she protested sharply. "Maggie is great, but she's just not the right person for me. I'd like to think I'd have stayed with Aiden had I met her first."

  "And are you sure Kade will do the same? Are you even sure she won't pull back and decide she's not gay after all?" Grace looked at her daughter with equal parts hope and doubt.

  "No. I can't be sure about it. It's a very real possibility." Dawn had to be honest with herself and her mother. "But don't you think Del is aware of that? She was the one who pointed out to you that most women never stay with their first girlfriend after all. So if she's willing to try with Kade anyway, she must think Kade is worth the risk."

  Grace nodded. "You're not just so eager to see Del fixed up with Kade because Aiden had a crush on Kade, are you?"

  Dawn sank against the back of her chair. She stared at her mother in surprise.

  "Just because I don't comment on the particulars of lesbian relationships doesn't mean I'm blind to them," Grace said with a laugh, much too amused for Dawn's comfort.

  "How...?" Dawn asked, then stopped to clear her throat.

  "I saw her watch Kade in court back when..." Now Grace was the one who didn't finish her sentence.

  "When Aiden was still single, and I was nothing more to her than a victim in one of her cases," Dawn supplied. She had known from the beginning how important it was to call things by their name and talk openly about her rape. It hurt, but she knew if she tried to avoid it, she would be running forever.

  Grace nodded without looking her in the eyes. "Yes."

  "Not that I'm above petty jealousy or insecurities, but no, that's not why I'm hoping Kade will end up with Del," Dawn answered her mother's original question. "If I wanted to make sure nothing could ever happen between Kade and Aiden, I would encourage Kade to keep fishing on the heterosexual side of the big dating pool, don't you think? I would try to set her up with Del's brother, not Del."

  Grace grimaced. "Now that would be a good fit," she said sarcastically. "Del's brother was as cold and businesslike on the phone as Kade sometimes pretends to be."

  "How did he know to call your house anyway?" Dawn asked. She had wanted to ask before but had forgotten all about it because of all the agitation over Ballard and Kade's stalker.

  "He had no phone number for Del and wasn't sure where she lives, but he remembered our name from reading Jim's obituary notice. He probably thinks I'm Del's life partner." Grace chuckled. It wasn't the first time people had made that assumption, and it had stopped bothering her long ago. "He just looked me up in the phone book."

  Dawn hadn't thought it was that easy. "I thought he'd maybe hired a private investigator to find his sister."

  "No." Grace shook her head. "I don't think he would have gone to that trouble. He only called because his mother asked him to."

  He hasn't seen his sister for twenty-five years. Given that Del is the oldest, he probably doesn't even remember her all that clearly. How can he give up on his sister just like that? Dawn wondered. She sighed, knowing she was influenced by losing her own brother and by what Aiden was going through in her attempts to get closer to Evan.

  "Did Del talk to you about her father?" Grace asked, clearly worried about her best friend.

  "A little." Dawn knew that there were a lot of things Del hadn't said. Del was a typical cop in that regard: always willing to lend a helping hand or a strong shoulder but very reluctant to talk about her own emotions, fears, and weaknesses. "I hope she's talking to Kade about it."

  Grace looked more than skeptical. "Kade is the woman she wants to impress. She won't want to risk driving her away by revealing her ugly family history."

  "Kade doesn't scare easily. She's at least as stubborn as Del. She's going to dig until Del tells her what's going on with her," Dawn predicted, hoping she was right about Kade.

  Grace stood without further comment. "Come on. Let's drive over to the precinct before the food gets completely cold."

  * * *

  Kade shut her cell phone with a sigh and massaged her temples for a second. "My mother," she said to Del, who was patiently waiting next to her, a pizza box in her hands. "She wants me to come home for her big dinner party."

  "And you don't want to go?" Del asked. She balanced the pizza box against her chest and used one hand to unlock the door to her apartment building.

  "Not particularly, no. I already know that I'll spend the evening making small talk with half a dozen eligible bachelors my mother will invite." She flashed Del a self-mocking smile. "My mother thinks I need a little assistance in catching a husband at the spinsterly age of twenty-nine."

  Del was quiet while they stepped into the elevator. For a moment, Kade thought Del would suggest she tell her mother she was not interested in finding a husband, but Del said no such thing. "I'm sorry she's putting so much pressure on you to be and to behave in a certain way," Del told her instead. "I know how hard that can be."

  Kade suddenly felt contrite. Her own tense, distant relationship with
her mother was nothing compared to the problems Del had with her own family. "Have you thought about what you're going to do about your father?" she asked gently.

  "I don't think me going to see him will accomplish anything. It's better if I stay away." Del's statement sounded as if it was the last thing she wanted to say on the subject.

  Kade knew from personal experience that ignoring an issue wouldn't make it go away. It would only fester beneath the surface. "Better for whom?" she asked softly. "For your father, for your mother and your siblings, or for you?"