If Reen wasn’t sure how Carolina felt about Mom, she knew now. This woman hated her. It obviously had nothing to do with money since Mom and Dad didn’t have much and they were happy. Something else must have happened between them. She could tell by the way Carolina’s face pinched, and her shoulders rose and fell quickly with her heavy breathing.
‘Now, if you’ve finished upsetting my family, I suggest you two leave,’ Carolina snapped.
‘Mother,’ Tristan said, stepping between them.
She looked him up and down as if he’d slapped her.
‘This is still my house,’ Tristan said slowly. ‘Reen and Rose have not asked for money or anything other than bridging the gap between whatever arguments you and Dad had with my uncle.’
Reen blinked at her cousin. Maybe he wasn’t like the rest of them.
‘Don’t be naive, Tristan,’ she said. ‘You always had a soft spot for the less fortunate.’
‘All right,’ Reen said, sweeping her arms toward her aunt. ‘That’s enough.’
‘Excuse me?’ Carolina asked, pressing her hand against her chest.
‘Yes, that’s right, excuse you. You’ve been a rude bitch ever since you walked through that door—’
‘Reen,’ Rose warned.
‘No, Rose. I’m not going to stand here and listen to you bash our family anymore,’ Reen continued. ‘Tristan, thanks so much for having us. When you dig your way out of your mom’s ass, maybe we can figure something out. Otherwise, we don’t need anything from any of you.’
‘Well, I never,’ Carolina huffed.
Reen couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she stormed across the marble floor, through the ornately carved front door, and into the real world.
#
‘I can’t believe you did that,’ Rose said once they reached the car. She glanced out the side window at Tristan’s house.
‘I can’t believe you were going to take that shit from her.’
‘I wanted to find out more information.’
‘Well, we got some,’ Reen said as Rose pulled the car out into the street.
‘We already knew Dad and his family didn’t get along.’
‘Dad’s family, sure, but not Aunt Carolina. Did you hear the horrible things she said about Mom?’
‘I’m not deaf,’ Rose said.
‘Something happened between them.’
‘That’s obvious. If only you gave me a little more time to speak to them.’
‘Rose, she wanted nothing more than to unload on us. She wasn’t going to tell us anything.’
‘Where do we go from here?’
‘Did you question anyone in town from when Mom first moved there?’
‘No, but where would I begin?’ Rose asked.
‘You do have a cop for a boyfriend. I’m sure he can dig up something.’
Rose chewed on her lip. ‘I suppose I could talk to Shane about it. He’s busy with a missing person’s case right now.’
‘Did that stop you from bothering him before?’
‘Good point. What do you want to do this evening?’ Rose asked. ‘A music and arts festival is going on this weekend. It kicks off tonight.’
‘Don’t you have work?’
‘I can drop you off.’
Even though she was bound to bump into people from her past, it was better than sitting alone in Rose’s apartment. Besides, she’d come back there to do a final goodbye to The Burrow and sneaking in and out of Rose’s place wasn’t going to do her any good.
After she agreed to go to the festival, a sliver of hope cut through her. As far as she knew Brody was a massive fan of anything Burrow-related. Would he be there? Would awkwardness from the other night ensue? It sounded cringe-worthy, but also, in the back of her mind, she wanted to see him again before she left.
CHAPTER TEN
The park in the center of The Burrow had been Reen’s stomping ground from the moment she was old enough to travel on her own without her big sister in tow. There were bakeries, stores, and other unique shops surrounding the hub of town. As a kid, she knew every bench, tree, and nook and cranny to hide out from any adults who might see her making any trouble. Coming back to the green was another step to arriving home, more than seeing her sister. Good memories lay here.
The sound of banging hammers carried from the far end of the park where several people were setting up a stage. She thought Rose had said the festival was already happening. Rose never got any town events wrong.
‘Are you here to help set up?’ someone asked from behind her.
Reen whirled around, her mouth forming the word, no, but stopped when she recognized the woman standing there. She wore overalls. Slashes of paint stained the gray T-shirt underneath. Her hair was bottle-red, but she’d recognize her face anywhere.
‘Nadine?’ Reen asked.
Nadine tilted her head to the side and, for a split second, Reen thought her good friend didn’t remember her.
‘Reen?’ Nadine’s lips spread into a wide grin. ‘Oh my God, is it you?’
‘Yes,’ Reen said.
Nadine grabbed on to Reen and pulled her close. Her friend’s hard, round middle pressed against Reen’s stomach.
‘Whoa, there,’ Reen said, pulling back. ‘You’re pregnant?’
Nadine rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t remind me. She’s not due until next month, but I’m ready for it to be over. My first wasn’t this hard.’
‘You have another kid? Are you married?’
‘Yes, and yes.’
‘I’ve missed a lot,’ Reen said, shaking her head. They weren’t old enough to be married with kids. At least it hadn’t crossed her mind. She never imagined the pixie-cut pink-haired girl would turn into this. Even though her face was rounder, she was glowing. ‘Do I know him?’
‘Nope. I imported him from college.’
‘I’m so happy for you,’ Reen said.
‘Come with me,’ Nadine said, glancing around. ‘I have to make a loop to be sure everyone is doing their job. We’re a little behind since the lighting took way longer than expected. I don’t know how we’re going to do this by tomorrow.’
‘Sure,’ Reen said, now understanding why Rose had wanted her to come. The event didn’t start until the next day, but she wanted Reen to see Nadine. Fibbing wasn’t her sister’s strong suit, but it had worked this time.
‘Tell me what’s new and exciting in your life,’ Nadine said. ‘I tried to find you online a few times. But I figured from the lack of posts and profiles you didn’t want anyone to find you.’
‘I’ve been here and there,’ Reen said.
‘Come on,’ Nadine said. ‘No cops are around. Though I’d doubt they’d arrest you anyway, especially with your sister dating the new chief.’
‘How do you know about that?’ Reen asked.
Nadine cracked a smile. ‘Everyone knows everything. You haven’t been away that long.’
Reen swallowed, hoping that Missy kept her word about Brody. She didn’t worry he would say anything since he had a girlfriend. She wondered how much Nadine knew about Brody and what he’d been up to since she left.
‘I’ve bounced around, a lot,’ Reen said. ‘Keeping busy with odd jobs.’
Nadine checked one of the tents, trying to wiggle the pole. It didn’t move. ‘Like what?’
Reen sighed. ‘When I left, I went to California. I was an extra in television shows and movies for a little while, then did some voice acting—’
‘Oh! How cool! Have I heard you in anything?’
Reen shook her head. Not unless she listened to audio versions of boring textbooks. It was her first and last foray into that line of work.
‘That’s a shame,’ Nadine said, rubbing her belly. ‘What else?’
Reen pointed at Nadine’s stomach. ‘I’ve been an egg donor. Please don’t tell Rose about that one.’
‘My lips are sealed. My cousin used donor eggs for her kid. So, I’m all for it.’
Reen had been too when sh
e got the first check for her ‘service’. Though researching future issues with fertility and egg donors made her stop at her second donation. ‘Mostly boring jobs after that. I try to keep steady work.’
‘Until you got bored and left them too?’
‘You remember me so well,’ Reen said with a smile.
‘So, why are you back now?’ Nadine’s eyes went wide, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘Is everything okay with your mom?’
Reen shrugged, remembering Mom’s clarity earlier in the day. She hadn’t seemed as sick as Rose made her out to be. But she wasn’t well either. ‘She’s fine for now. This is the first time I’ve seen her since I left.’
‘Shit,’ Nadine said. ‘How was that?’
‘Not great.’
‘I can imagine. So, how long do we have you?’
‘Not sure. I’ll have to go back eventually.’
Nadine waggled her eyebrows. ‘To a boyfriend?’
‘Nothing serious.’ Even though she and Darin weren’t serious, she couldn’t help thinking of him. If he picked up the phone, she could gauge his reaction about her staying in town. The lack of communication was unsettling. She pushed thoughts of that part of her life away for now. Reen wanted to enjoy time with her friend. The transformation still astonished her, and she wondered what her future would look like if she ever settled down.
‘Well, there’s no need to rush it,’ Nadine said, absently rubbing her belly. ‘I got pregnant the first time right out of college, so it was a bit of a shotgun wedding. I wouldn’t recommend it.’
Reen laughed. ‘Good to know.’
#
Reen and Nadine walked through the park together, catching each other up on their lives. Nadine had majored in hospitality and went into event planning after college. She always knew how to throw a good party, though Reen doubted the people of The Burrow wanted keggers and raves.
Nadine had hired an out-of-town company to set up, so there weren’t many opportunities for Reen to catch up with other locals. But when they stopped for lunch at Burrow Beans and Sandwich Co. Reen stepped into her past. The place looked and smelled the same. Nadine had mentioned Olivia owned the place, but she couldn’t imagine it. Olivia had been one of the popular girls in Rose’s grade, but everyone knew her reputation for being a mean girl. Reen expected she would have grown bored of The Burrow and moved away, but apparently not. Unlike The Siren, BBSC, as Reen knew it, hadn’t changed a bit. She wondered how the vintage refrigerators were still running.
Zachary, Nadine’s younger brother, appeared behind the counter.
‘Do you have my order?’ Nadine asked.
He smiled at Reen – clearly not remembering her – and grabbed a sandwich from inside the glass display case.
‘Who is your friend?’ Zachary asked.
Nadine rolled her eyes. ‘God, Zac. It’s Reen.’
His eyes widened and his cheeks turned cherry red. ‘Reen? Wow. I didn’t recognize you.’
‘I get that a lot,’ Reen said, not wanting to embarrass him further. He was about six years younger than Nadine. She used to call him the ‘accident’ to his face, her parents grounding her repeatedly because of it. House arrest never stopped Nadine from sneaking out. ‘Do you have another sandwich?’
‘I – I can make one,’ he stammered and went to the back.
#
They ate outside BBSC on one of the two tables under the front awning. Under the shade, it was cooler, and Reen hadn’t realized how much she needed to sit down.
‘Do you need help with the event?’ Reen asked.
Nadine wiped a splash of mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth. ‘That would be great. I can pay you a little.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘You don’t want the money?’
‘I never said that.’
‘I do need help with the tech booth for the performances. I have my main two guys, but they wanted an assistant. Do you still remember how to run a board?’
Reen and Nadine never graced the stage when they were in high school but being on the tech committee for the drama club appealed to them. They’d had free rein of the backstage and booth to do whatever they wanted, especially during school performances where they could cut class to waste time while flipping switches at the back of the auditorium.
‘I had a stint at a local playhouse last year for their fall season, so I should be okay.’
‘Perfect,’ Nadine sighed. ‘Old Man Hutchinson tried to get me to hire him, but I’ve been stalling. Last year, he complained the music was too loud. At a live performance.’ She let out a disgusted grunt, and Reen laughed.
‘Glad I can help,’ Reen said. A sense of purpose filled her.
‘Help with what?’ a familiar voice asked from behind her.
Nadine nearly choked on her sandwich as Reen turned to see Brody’s midsection. She glanced up at him, and his expression was unreadable.
‘Don’t sneak up on a pregnant woman,’ Nadine said, tossing her napkin at him.
He caught it and placed it on the table. ‘Sorry. I wanted to talk about the festival. I have a little time before work. I called you earlier, but you didn’t pick up.’
Nadine groaned. ‘This pregnancy brain is no joke. Sorry, Brody. My phone is still in my car. What’s up?’
Brody glanced at Reen. ‘Am I interrupting something?’
‘Other than lunch, no,’ Nadine said. ‘Reen is helping with the festival now.’
His eyebrows shot up. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’ Reen regretted offering to help. As far as he knew, she was already gone. ‘I’m sticking around for a little while.’
‘That’s good to hear,’ he said.
Was it? Having him so close to her again created a tingling in her chest.
He grabbed one of the other chairs and scooted it closer to their table, bumping Reen’s leg in the process. Sparks snapped where their legs touched, and she moved away, hoping he didn’t notice. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and laid it on the table. ‘I have all the confirmed acts here. I need the finalized order, so I can relay it to their crews.’
It looked as if there were ten acts throughout the weekend. It was a lot, and Reen wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it.
‘Don’t worry,’ Nadine said, staring at her. ‘Tim and Gary are the best around here. They won’t let you mess up my festival.’
‘Gee, thanks for that,’ Reen said and grabbed her soda.
Brody’s head tilted to the side as he regarded her.
She blotted her face with a napkin, wondering if she had any food on it. She didn’t.
‘Everything looks good.’ Nadine winced and leaned forward.
Reen sat up straighter. ‘What’s going on? Are you all right?’ She knew next to nothing about being pregnant or having kids. If Nadine was about to pop, she needed to get a professional there right away.
‘It’s fine,’ Nadine said. ‘She’s kicking the shit out of my bladder.’ She stood. ‘I’ll be right back.’
Nadine went inside, and a stormy cloud of awkwardness settled over the table.
‘So, you’re staying now?’ Brody asked.
‘For a little while.’
He nodded.
‘Is that a problem?’
‘Why would it be?’
Since she was sticking around, she wanted to clear the air about their little sleepover. She wanted to let him know that it was only a momentary lapse of judgment.
‘Thanks for letting me crash at your place the other night,’ she said.
He brushed her off. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
Her hackles rose. ‘It won’t happen again.’
‘I hope you don’t plan on getting drunk every night.’
She cut a look at him, but amusement danced in his eyes.
‘You should probably learn to cut people off.’
‘I told you, I did cut you off,’ he said. ‘Eventually. But you weren’t stopping.’
‘You took sips from other people’s drinks,’ he said, matching her smile.
‘Oh God,’ she groaned, hiding her face under her hands.
Brody laughed, and the corners of his eyes crinkled.
Reen’s heart leaped into her throat as memories of their past overwhelmed her. At a different time in their lives, that smile, and those eyes only saw her. She couldn’t imagine how she’d been so lucky. But they weren’t children anymore.
‘You’re staying with Rose?’ he asked.
She nodded, and then remembered how close he was with Missy. ‘Your sister told you?’
He didn’t try to deny it.
‘It’s like Missy goes out of her way to make me look bad. She must hate me.’
‘No, she doesn’t.’
‘Please,’ Reen said. ‘I haven’t been here for some time, but I do live in the real world. She hates me for leaving.’
Brody glanced at the table and twined his fingers together. Catching her attention, she noticed how much larger they were than she remembered. His nails were short and callouses puckered on the pads of his fingers and palms. She wondered what he did outside of bartending to earn those. But getting closer to him was the last thing she wanted to do. Keeping him separate from her life would make leaving much easier when the time came.
‘Let’s leave it as dislike for now,’ he said. ‘There’s always time to change her mind.’
Reen shook her head. It was part of the reason she never wanted to come back. Every time she thought about giving up and coming home, her emotions ran high, terrifying her enough to stay put wherever she was.
‘I’d rather keep things the same for now,’ she said. ‘It’s not worth changing things when I’m leaving soon.’
‘I see.’ A flash of something changed his expression. Was he hurt, or did she imagine it? Why would anything she did hurt him? He had a girlfriend.
Nadine returned, and Reen found the perfect opportunity to leave. Sticking around with Brody was only going to dredge up feelings she didn’t care to experience right then.
‘You headed off?’ Nadine asked.
‘Yes,’ Reen said, avoiding looking at Brody. ‘Rose asked me to go shopping for dinner tonight.’
Nadine pulled out her phone. ‘Give me your number. I’ll text you all the details for the weekend.’
The Sisters' Secrets: Reen Page 7
