by Brent, Cora
Taylor nodded. “Her name was Princess. I’m not sure what he meant but maybe he was saying that he buried the cash in her grave. That’s my guess. I’m going to call the authorities tomorrow and tell them where to look. There was an investigator who was slightly less of a dick than the others. I’ll call him.”
I set my own mug down next to hers and took her hand.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked as gently as I could.
She threaded her fingers through mine and nodded. “I never told you much about that day. I’ve made a hell of an effort to forget certain details.”
“I don’t blame you. They were terrible details.”
Taylor folded her long legs underneath her. “There were times when I convinced myself I must have imagined it. My father had never exhibited a moment of violence in my childhood.” She looked at me. “So how is it possible he’d ever planned to shoot me? But it was real, Kel. I know it was real.”
This was a rare moment in my life when I could think of nothing to say. I couldn’t imagine walking around every day and bearing a burden of that magnitude.
Taylor willingly curled up against my chest when I pulled her close. She cried softly for a little while and Leonora dropped by with a free Macadamia nut cookie to try and cheer her up.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling through her tears. “Cookies make everything better.”
Taylor immediately broke her cookie in half and handed a piece to me. A television flickered in the corner and I felt a pang when I saw a baseball game being played. The World Series was on. Thomas never missed watching this.
I’d trade places with you, brother. I would do it in a heartbeat.
“Are we going back to the hospital now?” Taylor asked a short time later, after we’d polished off our cookie halves and most of our cappuccinos.
After apologizing to Uncle Deck for borrowing his gun without permission, I’d texted my dad.
“No. Everyone’s gone for the night or they will be shortly. There’s nothing we can do at the hospital.” I cupped her lovely face in the palm of my hand. “What do you say? Should we go home?”
She took my hand and kissed it. “You’re my home.”
“Then come with me.” I stood and pulled her up.
We stayed within sight of one another on the drive back to The Palms. I braced myself when it came time to enter the apartment, expecting to see signs of the horror that had transpired there today. But there was nothing. No gun. No broken bat.
“Someone even cleaned up the food,” Taylor noticed. “I spilled takeout from Sol all over the floor when I walked in.”
“Uncle Deck must have dealt with it,” I said. I knelt down and discovered a wood fragment near the coffee table. I held it up.
“I think that’s from the bat,” Taylor said when she saw it. “When I fired the gun the bullet hit the bat. I don’t know how no one in the building heard all the commotion.”
“College kids,” I said, closing my hand around the splinter of wood. “Someone’s always making a racket about something so people stop paying attention.”
Taylor sat down on the sofa that had served as her bed for a while. She ran her palms along the fabric of her dress. “What do you think will happen to the Crestwoods?”
“Nothing good,” I said. I tossed the splinter into the kitchen trashcan. “And everything they deserve.”
Taylor joined me in the kitchen and slipped her arms around my waist.
“You want to go to bed?” I asked, the feel of her body awakening my senses and tightening my pants.
She smiled. “You should absolutely take me to bed.”
We undressed each other with care and made love on top of the covers in the darkness. It was still crazy hot because sex with her was always hot but we took our time and made sure it was tender too.
“Kellan,” she breathed, moaning as the wave crested and made her climax so hard she trembled. “I love you so much.”
I pinned her arms over her head and pushed in deeper, giving her everything I had. I’d give her the world if I could. “I love you too, Taylor.”
We fell asleep together and the next thing I knew it was morning and Taylor was walking around in my Brothers Gentry Garage shirt while stirring a bowl of raw eggs with a whisk. I wanted her to come back to bed but she reminded me we needed to get to the hospital. Thomas’s surgery was in half an hour.
My folks were already there, as was Uncle Deck, Uncle Creed and Aunt Truly. Derek and Paige were on their way. Thomas could expect a lot of visitors after he was wheeled back up to his room. From what I heard, most of the Gentry populace planned to stop by at some point today.
Aunt Truly took Taylor under her wing and fussed over her so I could have some time to talk to my stressed out parents. Uncle Deck had already filled them in on the reality of the situation so they were aware the attack was not a random crime spree by a couple of guys in ski masks. They’d been able to see Thomas briefly before his surgery and he was in good spirits. He’d been concerned about Taylor. And about me.
There was still something unpleasant I needed to share with them.
“He took my place,” I said. “He pretended like he was Taylor’s boyfriend because he thought if they knew the truth they’d come after me instead. I’m sorry. It should be me in there, not him.”
“Ah, Kellan.” My father shook his head. “Don’t say that.”
My mother hugged me. “My boys,” she said.
No matter how big a guy gets there’s nothing on earth like being hugged by his mother. I managed to get all choked up when my mom patted my back and said she was proud to have me as a son.
Thomas’s surgery was pronounced as a success, although we were warned that more were to come and months of painful physical therapy awaited him. My parents were able to see him first and then the rest of us were allowed to visit his room.
Derek had a hard time seeing Thomas propped up in a hospital bed, an IV in his arm, his knee in a brace, his hand all bandaged, and knowing how he’d come to be here. I understood why Derek’s chin quivered and why he looked away to hide his emotions. Sure, technically Thomas was a big, strong man, but he was still was our kid brother. Seeing him in pain was excruciating.
Thomas had to be in a lot of pain but he did his best to put on a cheerful front for our sakes. When everyone else decided to go down to the cafeteria to scrounge up some food he asked me and Taylor to hang back.
Taylor had stayed in the background, not saying much. But now she gingerly took a seat on the bed beside him. Thomas peered at her with concern.
“Are you really okay?” he asked her, noting the bruise on her cheek that she’d tried to cover with makeup this morning.
“I’m fine.” She took his good hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
Taylor wasn’t sure she agreed but she didn’t argue. She took a deep breath.
“Thank you,” she said. “You’re here because you were protecting me. I’m grateful.”
He grinned. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one who turned into a badass and grabbed the gun.”
Taylor snorted. “The Petri Dish dropped the gun. Not much required in the way of badassery in order to pick it up.”
Thomas’s grin faded. “Uncle Deck said he was going to make sure the Crestwoods were dealt with.”
“You can count on it,” I said. “They won’t be bothering any of us anymore. Not if they want to keep all their limbs.”
Thomas always hated violence of any kind but his eyes flashed and he said, “Good.”
I’d been staring at his bandaged hand. The hand that yesterday could throw one ninety-five mile an hour speedball after another and was now shattered. He caught me staring and his brave front faltered.
“It’ll take some time,” he said as he examined his hand. “I mean, before we know if I can get back to where I was.”
“If anyone can make a comeback then it’s you,” I said.
“I’d gamble on you any day, little brother.”
Thomas managed a small smile. “Thanks, Kel.”
The touching moment was broken up by the sudden arrival of Thomas’s best friend, Brecken, and Brecken’s boyfriend, David.
“Hey there, loser,” Brecken announced and pulled up a chair. “You didn’t have to put yourself in a hospital bed to get me to hang out with you but here I am.”
“What the hell is that?” I asked, pointing to the giant arrangement David carried in his hands.
“It’s a cookie bouquet,” replied David.
Brecken rolled his eyes and jerked a thumb at his boyfriend. “His idea. I wanted to sneak in a greasy bag of bacon double cheeseburgers but no, we had to get the gourmet color coordinated bakery art piece.”
“I like cookies,” said Thomas.
“Cookies make everything better,” I added and Taylor smiled at me, remembering last night at the coffee house.
“See?” David winked at Brecken and set the cookie monstrosity down on a table that was already crowded with bright flower arrangements and overstuffed teddy bears.
It was good that Brecken and David were here. They joked around in lighthearted fashion and seemed to take Thomas’s mind off heavier topics.
I slid an arm around Taylor’s shoulder. “What do you say we check out that cafeteria downstairs and see if they have anything seriously unhealthy worth buying?”
“Sounds good,” said Taylor. “Since I sort of burned the scrambled eggs this morning.”
“You sure did. I didn’t want to say anything.”
“I’m supposed to be discharged tomorrow,” Thomas said. “Try not to drink all my protein shakes before I get home.”
I made a face. “Fat chance of that happening.”
Brecken spoke up. “I was at this hospital last week visiting a friend who broke his leg in a scooter accident.”
“Was that Theo?” David asked.
“Yeah, it was Theo.”
“Didn’t he ride straight into the side of a cop car?”
“Never mind Theo. Theo’s a tool.” Breckan was getting exasperated. “The important thing is they have killer BLTs down in the cafeteria.”
“Noted,” I said and steered Taylor toward the door.
“Hey,” Thomas called.
I turned to see him sitting tall and leaning forward with the effort to tell us one final thing.
“You two take care of each other,” he said. “That’s an order.”
Taylor hugged me around the waist. “We will.”
Once we were in the hallway she abruptly backed me into the nearest wall and kissed me with so much prolonged passion that I was sporting a boner the size of a monster truck by the time she pulled away and gave me a knowing smile.
“What was that for?” I asked.
She grabbed my hand. “Because I want you to buy me one of those BLT sandwiches.”
“So that’s the only reason why I rate tongue action in the hospital corridor?”
“The only reason,” she deadpanned. “No other reason whatsoever.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” I said. “Or I might take offense to being objectified in this manner.”
“I might be willing to objectify you more after you shell out a few bucks to feed me.”
“In that case, thank god I got paid yesterday. Why don’t I see any signs for the cafeteria?”
“There’s a sign right in front of your face.”
“So there is. Speaking of my face, will you sit on it later?”
She bumped my shoulder and cracked up. “You slay me, Kellan Gentry.”
“That’s always been my plan.”
I grabbed her around the waist and swung her in the air. She threw her head back and laughed. Then I set her down and managed to crash into Uncle Creed, who shot me a dirty look because he thought he had the right to walk down a hallway without being smacked in the shoulder by a reckless nephew.
“You really ought to stop smiling so much,” I informed him as he scowled at me with stone-faced bad humor. “People might mistake you for a clown, Uncle Creed.”
He shook his head with irritation. “You’re just like your dad.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I shouted as he started to walk away.
He looked over his shoulder. “That’s exactly how I meant it.”
“I freaking love that guy,” I said, staring fondly after my uncle.
Taylor kissed me on the cheek. “And I love you.”
“My ego requires some more inflation. Say it again.”
She laughed. “I love you.”
I held her chin in my palm, looked directly into her eyes and got serious. “Again.”
Her lips brushed mine. “I love you.”
“Again,” I whispered.
Epilogue
Taylor
“You have to go already?” His face was long as he watched me stand and hang my purse on my shoulder.
The park beside the lake was crowded with people biking, skating, paddle boating or just sitting quietly on benches and enjoying the rare coolness in the air.
“Yes, I do have to go,” I said to Aiden. “I’ve got someplace to be and I can’t be late.”
A flurry of squeals directed my attention to the patch of grass where a pair of little girls spun around and around until they became dizzy. I hadn’t been sure they would be excited to see me. I’d been kept out of their lives for a while and I couldn’t guess what they’d been told. But they had run to me with open arms, shrieking, “Aunt Taylor, Aunt Taylor!” and allowing me to scoop them up and breathe in their sweet innocence.
My brother, on the other hand, was treated to a much chiller greeting.
After over a month of pleading phone calls and groveling apologies I’d reluctantly agreed to see him on the condition that he brought my nieces. He agreed with eagerness. And for the last half hour we’d stiffly occupied a park bench at the same time and engaged in awkward conversations as we watched the girls play and laugh together.
Aiden had some news to share. Sierra had left Peter and moved into Aiden’s house. She’d also begun attending a local church, which was really tough for me to envision, but she’d thrown herself into her new religion and it consumed most of her time. She’d asked to come along with Aiden today but that was not a reunion I was ready to have.
As for the Petri Dish himself, he’d apparently moved somewhere mysteriously south of the border and was functioning as the caretaker to his brother, who’d been in some kind of accident that had broken both of arms and both of his legs in multiple places. How sad. I didn’t care where the Crestwood brothers were as long as I never had to see them again.
We didn’t talk about the money. There was nothing else to say. I’d made that call to the lead investigator. I could imagine the surprise of the family now living in my old house when a team of federal agents arrived and asked to dig a hole in their backyard. They didn’t have to dig very deep before they located an antique milk can filled with cash that had been irreparably water damaged by a couple of seasons of summer rains. There was no more money. There were no more secrets. It was over, except for the aftermath.
“Taylor, I hope we can meet again soon.” Aiden watched his daughters. “The girls have had fun today.”
“It was really nice to see them,” I said.
He was afraid to ask the next question. “And maybe someday I can even be your big brother again?”
I didn’t know about that. Our bond had been badly frayed and I doubted it was possible to repair completely.
“I doubt it,” I said, choosing honesty over softening the blow. “But I would really like to see the girls now and then.”
“Of course.” He was disappointed but he nodded. “Of course you can see them. You’re their aunt.”
“Bye, Aiden.”
“Take care, Taylor.”
I knelt down in the grass and called my nieces over for another long hug, which they were delighted to
give me. They were excited about Christmas approaching and I promised I would see them before then. I kissed them atop each of their small heads and waved goodbye without looking back to see what my brother was doing.
On the short walk to my car I passed a segment of shaded grass that appeared to have been claimed by a collection of dirty blankets. But when I blinked I saw that they were people. They were lying out here in plain sight with whatever they’d managed to scavenge and enjoying the mild weather until someone came along and forced them to move on. I thought I recognized Haley among the group but I decided not to take a closer look and find out for sure.
I’d barely gotten to my car when Kellan texted me to make sure I was on my way. I chuckled and reassured him.
I’m coming.
He answered when I was trying to pull out of the lot.
You will be. Later.
That boy. He was never one to allow a good sexual innuendo to pass by. And he knew how to push every button I had. It was just one of the reasons I was so wild about him.
When I reached Esposito’s Pizzeria I was pleased to see that Kellan’s car was already there. I also recognized Derek’s truck and the minivan belonging to their parents. I rushed inside and could sense the anticipation as soon as I walked through the door.
To my right I saw the gathering of familiar faces. Chase and Stephanie Gentry each rose to give me a quick hug. Samantha was there and her twin sister Erica had flown in for the occasion. Paige’s roommate Julianne sat with them and held her young nephew on her lap.
Grouped to the left was the Esposito family, who Paige regarded practically as her own family as they’d been her employers since she was sixteen. Members of the kitchen staff, many of whom had worked with Paige for years, stared anxiously out, watching for her arrival. It was an assembly of all the people who loved Paige.
Thomas, who was getting around better nowadays since he’d been fitted with a boot, acknowledged me with a nod. He was in the middle of laughing at his brothers. His right hand was still in a cast. He would be having another surgery next week. His prospects were uncertain but if he suffered from doubts then he didn’t talk about them.
