Ready or Not

by Melissa Brayden

  “I love this T-shirt,” Hope whispered in her ear. “But I need to take it off you now.” Mallory nodded, words not readily available. But before Hope had the chance, her pocket vibrated. “Sorry,” Hope said, pulling the phone out. “Let me turn this off.” But she stilled when she glanced at the readout and sat up.

  Mallory ran a hand through her hair, grappling to assemble a logical sentence. “You can take it. Go ahead.”

  Hope passed her an apologetic smile and walked into the kitchen. Her heart sank at the readout. While she’d been prepared to see the bar calling, she’d also been prepared to let Teddy handle it. However, the call came from the county, and she had a sinking feeling she knew what it was about. “This is Hope,” she said upon answering.

  “Hey, kid sister.” Hope closed her eyes at the disappointment that flooded her senses at Kara’s voice. Her fears had come true.

  “Say you’re not locked up right now.”

  She heard Kara sigh. “Wrong place. Wrong time. This one was not on me.”

  “Sure it wasn’t. And now you want my help?” God, Hope didn’t want to do this again.

  “I’ll pay you back. I actually have the cash this time. Started doing part-time work at a diner downtown. I get paid on Saturday, but if I don’t get out of here, I’ll lose my job.”

  Hope blew out a breath and stared at the ceiling as she weighed her options. She could let her sister sit in jail. After all, she’d washed her hands of Kara after the last time. But somehow that just didn’t seem in her realm of capability. Screw-up or not, this was her sister she was talking about, who’d been where she’d been. Who helped get her through the more difficult days of their growing-up years. Who’d threatened the boy who’d thrown rocks at her on the playground. She couldn’t live with herself if she turned her back on Kara now. “What’s the charge?”

  “Obstruction of justice.”

  “You lied to the cops?”

  “I’m not a snitch, Hope. And I’m also not up for getting my face smashed in.”

  Hope had no idea what kind of scenario Kara was referencing, and honestly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. “Fine. I’m on my way.”

  “You’re the best, kiddo.”

  Hope clicked off and turned around to find Mallory watching her with interest from the couch. She’d straightened her shirt and smoothed her hair, which was a damn shame. “I cannot believe I’m about to say this, but I have to go. Family stuff.”

  Mallory stood. “Is everything okay?”

  Hope had a choice here. She could be purposefully vague or tell Mallory the truth. Mallory, who came from the world of the straight and narrow, where people were honest and forthright and made good life decisions. “It will be.” She moved to Mallory and took her hand. “Thank you for tonight. The nachos were out of this world and the…” Hope gestured to the couch, not sure how to categorize the heat-laden path they were headed down just moments before.

  Mallory smiled. “Really fantastic make-out session?”

  “Understatement.” She touched Mallory’s cheek. “And if I didn’t have a semi-emergency to tend to, you’d be wearing a lot less about now.” The color hit Mallory’s cheeks almost instantly, and Hope, once again, cursed the poor timing of the call.

  “I can’t believe you just said that to me, and you’re now about to walk out the door.” Mallory went up on her toes and placed a slow kiss on Hope’s lips before taking a step back.

  “I can’t either,” Hope said and closed her eyes as Mallory stepped from her grasp, the loss immediate. “I think we need to have a business meeting again sometime. And soon.”

  “Me too,” Mallory said. Hope headed reluctantly for the door. “Hope?” Mallory asked. She turned back. “You can talk to me, you know. I’m here.”

  The words landed, and as a result, Hope had a lump in her throat she didn’t know what to do with. Because it was nice to hear that from someone, that they cared enough to offer their support. Especially someone with Mallory’s character. “Thanks. Maybe sometime we could do that.” And she wondered if there would ever be such an opportunity. She gestured to the door. “I better go.”

  As she made her way to the D train, Hope reflected on the events of the amazing evening with Mallory. She smiled at the memory of their playful banter, the to-die-for nachos, and then lingered on what had almost happened between them on the fancy couch.

  And then more acutely, what had.

  Her body reacted with staggering intensity at just the memory of Mallory all soft and warm alongside her. The little sounds she’d made in response to Hope’s touch. Yet, a part of her wasn’t comfortable letting Mallory all the way in or telling her the details of why she had to leave. It was an interesting tightrope to walk, to want more from someone that you really weren’t willing to let in.

  Well, at least, not yet.

  She took Kara home with her that night and watched as she fell right to sleep on the couch. She’d said very little about the arrest and, other than thanking Hope for her bail, hadn’t said much at all. She leaned against the kitchen counter and watched her sister sleep, taking in how peaceful she looked, how even her breathing. Her gaze moved across Kara’s face and she was reminded of how odd it felt to look so much like a person on the outside, but have so little in common underneath. Kara was a good person but unwilling to do the things it took to pull herself out of the life they’d been born into.

  Her sister stirred then and slowly opened her eyes. “Hey,” Kara whispered to Hope. “Whatcha doin’?”

  Hope lifted a shoulder. “Just thinking.”

  Kara stayed silent for a moment, then reached out her hand for Hope. “Do you remember that time when we snuck into the YMCA’s pool before we knew how to swim?”

  Hope nodded, accepted Kara’s hand, and sat on the couch alongside her. “Of course.”

  “You told me to stay out of the water, that it was dangerous, but I didn’t listen.” Kara shook her head. “You told me it was dangerous, but I jumped in anyway and would have drowned if you hadn’t run for help.”

  “You’d have done the same for me,” Hope said, remembering how terrifying it had been when her sister slipped beneath the water’s surface and she hadn’t been able to reach her. She’d run as fast as her legs would carry her, panicked beyond anything she’d ever felt before.

  “Of course I would have,” Kara said. “But you never did stupid stuff like that.” Her eyes filled and she looked up at Hope. “Why can’t I stop jumping in pools, Hope? I don’t get it. What’s wrong with me?”

  It was heartbreaking to see Kara so lost. Vulnerable. “Look at me,” Hope said. “Tell me the truth. How long have you been clean?” Kara’s drug problem had started in their mid-teens and she’d never really recovered.

  “I wasn’t lying before. It’s been three and a half months. I’m not going to say that I’ll never touch the stuff again, because you wouldn’t believe me anyway. But I’m trying, Hope.” And in that moment, Hope knew she was telling the truth.

  “Then what’s with all the trouble? Why were you arrested?”

  Kara closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “Six months ago, I got myself into this guy for a lot of money and never made good.”

  “How much money are we talking?”

  “Over time, sixty thousand, but then he added this interest I can’t get out from under.”

  Hope forced herself not to react despite the spike in her blood pressure, to listen to Kara and see if there was a way out of this. “Wow. Okay. That’s a lot of cash. And where do you stand now?”

  “I’ve been pulling jobs for him to work it off. Hustles, drops-offs, whatever.”

  “Drug drops?” Kara nodded. “Kar, you can’t be in that world and stay clean. You know this.”

  The tears welled up in Kara’s eyes again and threatened to spill over. “Don’t you get it? I don’t have a lot of choice here! The debt is down, but I still have a good 40K on my name.”

  Hope stood and paced the living ro
om as her mind tried to wrap itself around the circumstances. Her sister was trying. She was clean. She had a legitimate job. This was the most progress she’d made in years. Maybe she had a real shot to turn things around, if she could just step away from these people.

  “Who is this guy?” Hope asked.

  “His name is Dominic. He’s a big-time dealer.”

  “The guy Twice-a-Day Benny works for?”

  Her sister nodded reluctantly. “That’s him.”

  “Christ, Kara. They say he’s killed people.”

  “I wouldn’t know. He probably has from what I’ve seen.”

  “And this is who you’re mixed up with?” Hope couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Kara had fallen in with some bad people before, but nothing like this.

  “Don’t you think I know I screwed up? I’m trying to fix it, Hope. It’s just not easy.”

  Hope covered her eyes and tried not to imagine the worst. She was up and moving again, the motion helping her think. A couple passes back and forth and her head cleared. “Okay. So here’s what you’re going to do. No more jobs for Dominic. Got it? None. You tell him you have the cash and that you just need a day or so to pull it together.”

  “But I don’t have it. I—”

  Hope sat next to where Kara lay on the couch. “You do.”

  Kara stopped. “I do? What do you mean? You want me to lie to him?”

  Hope had been saving a little each month, a nest egg to hold on to in case anything went wrong with the business. But it was all she had in the world, that money. If she handed it over to Kara, she’d be flying without a net. Going month to month on Showplace’s rent with no room to breathe. Though it was beyond terrifying, at the end of the day, this is what she had to do. It was the right thing, to give Kara the chance she so desperately needed to start again. Hope had to trust that she wouldn’t squander it.

  She blew out a breath and explained. “I have some money saved. It’s barely enough, but it’s yours.”

  “No way. I’m not doing that. You’ve stuck your neck out for me enough.”

  “Then let’s make this the last time. Kara, this has to be the end.”

  Her sister’s arms were around her neck faster than she could count. “It will be. I swear to you. On JD’s name.”

  She closed her eyes at the mention of their brother and knew Kara didn’t take such a promise lightly. Hope had heard the words before, but something about this time felt different, and she could only hope to God it was.

  Chapter Nine

  Mallory sat with Samantha and Hunter on a set of plush couches in the small but private dressing area they’d been assigned at the bridal boutique. It was the first stop of Project Wedding Dress, and the whole thing was just so exciting. Mallory knew she’d enjoy this part, but she had no idea how much. The dresses that lined the walls in every style and shape had her brain in fashion overdrive.

  “Can someone help me with the little hooks?” Brooklyn asked nervously from behind the changing screen.

  “Oh, me!” Samantha jumped up and moved to assist their friend. And in just a few seconds, Brooklyn appeared, looking radiant in a capped-sleeve, chiffon gown to the floor.

  Mallory’s hands covered her mouth, and she took a moment with the elegant visual. “Brooklyn, you’re a bride,” she said reverently. Mallory took her by the shoulders and turned her to the full-length mirror.

  Brooklyn gasped quietly at her reflection. “I really, really am. I can’t believe it.”

  “Gorgeous, Brooks,” Hunter said.

  “What do you think of the dress?” Mallory asked.

  “I like it.”

  “You like it,” Sam repeated. “Liking is important, but we can probably do better than like.”

  “Okay, but let’s put it in the running,” Brooklyn said and posed for the photo Samantha took of dress #1. Seventeen dresses later, they had lots of likes but not a single love.

  “I feel bad for them,” Brooklyn finally said.

  “You feel bad for who?” Mallory asked, and threw a glance around the shop for Hunter, who had disappeared some time ago. Perhaps she’d lost interest after the first few.

  “For the dresses, the ones that are a definite no. Do you think they know? I don’t want them to feel rejected, all their dress friends noticing when they’re returned to the rack.”

  Samantha placed a hand on Brooklyn’s shoulder. “You know, I feel confident they’ll get over it and eventually find their own bride.”

  “So I have a suggestion,” Hunter said, rejoining the group.

  Brooklyn, who now wore a tea-length lace number, pointed at her. “Go.”

  “I was talking with the shop owner about you. What you’re like, your sense of style, and she took me to a section at the back of the shop.” She held up her hand. “Now humor me for a moment, but I found a dress that I think you might like. It’s not designer, and it’s not brand-new, but it reminds me a lot of the friend I know.” With that, Hunter disappeared around the corner, and the three of them exchanged curious glances. The dress she returned with was nothing short of stunning. Brooklyn stepped down from her spot in front of the mirror, and her eyes traveled the length of the fabric in reverence.

  “Vintage?” Brooklyn said in quiet awe. Hunter nodded. “It’s gorgeous. I don’t know any other way to say it. There should be more words.”

  And it was. A long, simple, candlelight dress with a fitted bodice that fell to delicate silk below. Shoulder straps dipped into a semi-backless elegance. Brooklyn would look killer in that dress.

  “I’m almost afraid to try it on,” she said. “What if it doesn’t fit? I’m scared to know.”

  “Well, that won’t get us anywhere,” Mallory said and took the dress and hung it up behind the screen. “There’s only one way to find out if it’s a match.”

  With a deep breath, Brooklyn slipped into the dress while they waited eagerly for her to reappear. “How in the world did you find that?” Sam said to Hunter as they waited. “And how are you always able to pick out the perfect clothes?”

  Hunter shrugged. “It’s one of my few talents.”

  Sam kissed her hand. “You have some other very important ones.”

  “Okay, lovebirds,” Mallory said playfully, but then the room fell into silence because there was Brooklyn, and the dress was even more amazing than Mallory could ever have predicted. Tears gathered in Mallory’s eyes before she could talk herself out of them. “Look at you.”

  “Mal, you cannot cry.” Brooklyn chastised her forcefully, on the brink herself. “Because if you cry, then I’ll cry—”

  “And then I’ll cry,” Sam said, “and I’m an ugly crier. My face contorts and it’s painful for everyone.” But it didn’t matter, because Brooklyn caught sight of herself in the mirror and went still.

  “Whoa,” she said, and her hand fluttered to her heart. They gave her a minute and watched as the smile slowly took shape on her face. Mallory shook her head in wonder, because it was like the dress was made for her.

  Samantha stepped forward and stood next to Brooklyn in front of the mirror. “Well, what do you think?”

  “I love it,” Brooklyn said quietly. “It’s everything I wanted in a dress. Simple, elegant, timeless. Do you think Jessica will like it?”

  “It is theoretically impossible that she won’t,” Hunter offered. “You look beyond beautiful, and she’s going to praise her lucky stars that she’s marrying you.” And now there were tears in Hunter’s eyes, and since when were there ever tears in Hunter’s eyes? She was by far the least sentimental of the group, and damn it, now Mallory was welling up again. And Brooklyn. And, oh look, Sam too.

  “Everything all right in here?” the sales attendant asked cheerfully, sticking her head in the room. When four tearful faces looked her way, she relaxed in understanding. “So you found a dress then?”

  They nodded in emotional unison and accepted the box of tissues she offered them, passing it around the room. “Well, no one can ever
accuse us of not caring about each other,” Mallory offered and then blew her nose.

  *

  Hope stared at the spreadsheet on her computer, but the numbers didn’t change. She scrubbed her eyes and sat back in her chair. With her savings now depleted from the money she’d given to her sister that morning, she needed to play it safe a bit. The harsh reality was that she didn’t have a lot of wiggle room, as in barely any.

  The bar was doing okay, but moving forward with her plans to hire Savvy would push her close to the edge of scary from a financial perspective. While she wanted to take this bar, her little-engine-that-could, and mold it into something bigger, it would require she take a rather substantial financial risk. But one bad month and she’d have trouble paying the bills. New York City wasn’t the easiest place to run a business.

  Hope had some decisions to make.

  She heard a knock on the door. What now? She closed her eyes in irritation. The mid-week traffic at the bar was manageable and she should have been able to steal a couple of hours on her own that night to work, but apparently the universe had other ideas. She planned to deal with whatever issue awaited her behind door number one, then take a look at the annual fire-marshal-inspection checklist. The last thing she needed was to be found in violation of some obscure safety code and leveled with a large fine.

  “What’s up?” she said, opening the door.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Mallory said, smiling. Hope had to take a second to regroup. This was an unexpected surprise, but she was definitely not complaining. She could use a bright spot right about now. Mallory wore jeans, a red T-shirt and black blazer, her hair unencumbered, down around her shoulders. She looked sophisticated and hot as hell.

  “Hey,” Hope said and gestured behind her. “Um, I was just getting some work done.”

  Mallory tilted her head. “So all those times, when I thought it just wasn’t your shift and some other bartender was on, you were most likely back here doing bar-owner stuff.”