“Not at the moment.” Sandy pulled out her shirt and looked down. “Nope, no baby sucking down there.”
Mike almost choked on his soda.
“I mean, are you suppose to drink when you are breastfeeding?” Isabelle sighed.
“Of course, if I didn’t drink I’d get dehydrated.” Sandy looked at Mike and hiked her thumb over her shoulder. “What is wrong with her? People have to drink water, and juice whether they are breastfeeding or not.” Sandy sighed. “Isabelle, people need to stay hydrated.” Sandy hiccupped.
“Alcohol, Sandy, Alcohol.” Isabelle groaned.
“Sure, what are ya drinkin’?” Sandy grabbed Isabelle’s glass and sniffed it. “That’s water. You can’t get drunk on water.” Sandy shook her head and slouched in her seat.
“Oh, dear, God.” Isabelle slapped her hand over her face and sighed.
“Churchie, are you ready to go home now?” Ian wrapped his arms around Sandy’s waist, and she leaned back against him.
His brother Ian probably had his hands full for the rest of the night. Mike felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched the way Sandy’s face lit up when she looked at Ian. Not that he wanted Sandy. It was what they had. Between the two of them, they had four children. Ian had two little girls that he had with a former girlfriend, Sandy had a daughter from a previous relationship, and they had little Alexander a couple of months back.
Mike found himself beginning to crave what his older brothers had. Someone to spend their lives with and families. It wasn’t something he’d ever thought he wanted, but over the last few months, he felt that ache for it. Ever since the night, he met Billie.
“I’m a little drunk, Doc.” Sandy giggled.
“I think you might be.” Ian laughed.
“Mike, I can keep looking.” Sandy poked Mike in the shoulder with every word she said.
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Mike flicked his gaze to Ian. He’d told Sandy not to say a word to anyone, but Ian was her husband. They probably didn’t keep things from each other, but from the way Ian raised his eyebrows, it was evident he didn’t know anything.
“She could be the one.” Sandy leaned closer to Mike as if she was going to whisper, but she was shouting.
“Forget about it, Sandy.” Mike pushed her back against her husband. “She’s losing it. Time to take her home, bro.”
“Something you want to talk about, Mike?” Ian asked as he helped Sandy off the stool.
“Nope, all good.” Mike chuckled. “Do you need a hand getting her out to the truck?”
“I’m good but if you need an ear, call.” Ian waved to everyone as he practically carried Sandy out of the pub.
“She’s gonna be sick as a dog tomorrow.” Marina laughed.
“Her dad has the kids so at least she won’t have to deal with them in the morning.” Stephanie placed some empty glasses on the bar.
The two sisters were terrific and were also married to the oldest two brothers. John fell in love with Stephanie when the family hired her as his physical therapist. Stephanie got him back on his feet after he hit a moose on the highway.
Marina and James fell in love while James was keeping her safe from a crazy ex-husband. Well, it was her ex-husband's twin brother, but that was such a crazy situation it’s a wonder any of them came out of it with their heads on straight.
Both couples had incredible kids, and they were still adding more. Stephanie was pregnant, and from what Mike had overheard, Marina and James were trying for another. They had three boys but wanted to try for a girl.
Now it was Keith’s turn to begin a new chapter in his life. Emily was ideal for his brother and kept him on his toes. The feisty redhead recently had her own brush with danger but came out of it into Keith’s arms.
After the party, Mike stayed behind to help his aunt Alice clean up the pub. He wasn’t the only one to offer, but since his two younger brothers, Nick and Aaron had to work the next day, Mike told them to head home. The last thing they needed was to be tired while on duty.
Mike decided to spend the night at his parent's house instead of driving back to St. John’s. It made his mother and grandmother happy to have him home for a night.
“Mike, you don’t seem yourself tonight?” His mother helped him clear one of the booths.
“Just tired, mom.” He lied.
“Dat’s cause yar always makin dat long drive ta town. Mikey should be livin’ here in Hopedale.” His grandmother grumbled as she carried way more than a woman in her late seventies should lift.
“Nan, let me carry that out back.” Mike tried to grab the two garbage bags from the tiny woman. He should’ve known Nanny Betty wasn’t going to let him.
“Doncha be so foolish, I’m not handicapped.” She snatched the bags out of Mike’s hands.
“I know, Nan. I’m just acting the gentleman as you and mom taught me.” Mike smiled at her.
“Oh, he’s good.” Alice chuckled. “Kurt and Sean wouldn’t have even thought to say that.”
For some reason, his uncle Kurt and his father always put their feet in their mouths when it came to Nanny Betty. They still tried to get her to slow down and take it easy only to be told in no uncertain terms to back off.
“That’s my boy.” His mom smiled.
“Ya don’t fool me, Mikey, but I’ll let ya take dis anyway.” Nanny Betty seemed to be amused by his comment as well.
At a little after two in the morning, Mike finally settled into the old room he shared with Nick and Aaron as kids. It was still set up in the same way. Three twin beds separated with night stands. He could have taken one of the other rooms that used to belong to his older brothers, but he was feeling nostalgic and just wanted to sleep in his old bed.
He stripped down and crawled under the old homemade quilt. The bed was comfortable enough, but Mike was no longer a little boy, and he’d been sleeping in a King size bed for the last eight years. Still, he relaxed and looked up. There it was, the window, and he could see the beautiful starry sky he used to gaze at before he’d drift off to sleep as a kid. It was something the city didn’t have, and he never realized how much he missed it.
“Nan’s right. It’s time to move back to Hopedale.” Mike sighed and tucked his hand under his head. “Nothing's keeping me in St. John’s. It’s only a ten-minute drive to work in the morning and home in the evening.”
Now he needed to find a place to live. He sure as hell wasn’t moving back in with his parents and Sandy’s sister had bought Ian’s old house. There was the old ranch house on the corner behind Keith’s property. It needed some repairs and upgrades, but he had the savings to do that. He’d invested the money his grandfather had left him and made some serious cash that was doing nothing but collecting dust in the bank.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t do the repairs himself and if he ran into anything he couldn’t do, he’d enlist his brother. Keith owned a security firm but he also had a construction company, and he was pretty handy too. All of his brothers were no slouches when it came to that sort of thing.
The thought of moving back home and buying a house would have made him panic at one time but not anymore. He was ready to settle down. As odd as it was, it was all because of Billie. The day he met her changed him. Made him want to stop being an overgrown boy and become an adult.
“Yeah, not bad it only took me thirty-two years and two hours with Billie to figure out it’s time to grow up.” Mike chuckled to himself.
Maybe one day he’d see her again, and they’d spend more than two short hours together.
Chapter 4
“I dropped by today, and again that fucking window was left open.” Matthew stomped around her kitchen as he waved his hands over his head.
Billie dropped her head on the table and groaned as she listened to her brother rant for the third time about how she didn’t think about her safety. How whoever had been at her house the week before could have been a serial killer.
“I’m not aware of any serial killers o
n the loose in St. John’s at the moment,” Billie mumbled without lifting her head.
“Don’t be a smart-ass.” Matt slammed his hands on the table making her jump.
“For heaven’s sake, Matt. I was gone for twenty minutes to pick up some milk.” Billie had kept the stray cat and ran out of milk.
“Oh, so criminals wouldn’t break into your house in that case.” Matt rolled his eyes.
“Why are you here anyway?” Billie got up from the table and grabbed a banana off the counter.
“I’m starting on a new project on Monday, and I wanted to let you know that I won’t be in town during the weekdays.” He seemed to calm a little.
“Cool, where are you going?” She loved her brother, but he was seriously getting on her nerves the way he was hovering since she’d had the intruder.
“Hopedale, one of my bosses relatives is renovating an old house. It’s free room and board while I’m out there as well as my pay.” He plopped down in one of the chairs.
“I’m sure Pop will miss you.” Matt still lived with her parents, and he usually played cards with their grandfather in the evenings.
“I’ll miss him too, but I need to get some cash together and get my own place. My baby sister is living on her own, and I’m still living in my old room.” He sighed.
“Plus, you can’t have women over at home.” Billie laughed.
“Yes, cause I’ve got such a full love life.” He snorted, but the expression on his face told her someone was on his mind. “I see you still have a knack for changing the subject.”
“I do,” She popped the last of the banana in her mouth.
“Seriously, Billie. I’m worried about you.” That hit her in the heart.
“I’ll be fine, and I’ll be more careful about securing the house when I leave.” She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I know you’re an adult, but you’re still my little sister, and I love you.” Matt rested his head against hers.
“And I love you for that, but you're really a pain in my ass.” She giggled.
“It’s a big brother’s job.” He laughed.
“I’m such a lucky girl to have two big overbearing brothers.” She stepped back and put her hand over her chest.
“You’re a brat, that’s for sure.” He shook his head.
“Wait, did you say Hopedale?”
“Yeah, why?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m pretty sure that’s where Stephanie lives.” Billie had gone to coffee with the physical therapist a couple of times when her grandfather first started therapy.
“Yes, she does. Stephanie is married to my bosses brother.” Matt sighed and shook his head. “You get me off subject every damn time.”
“Well, if you see her tell her I said, hi.” Billie motioned to the front door. He’d taken the hint that it was time for him to leave.
Billie appreciated her brothers wanted to protect her, but she was sure the intruder was not looking to kill her. Something told her that whoever it was, they didn’t want to get caught and probably wouldn’t be back. Still, she did make sure to lock all the doors and windows at night and when she left for work.
Then there was Cougar. The black and white cat was like a guard cat, and it seemed he decided to move in. Since he appeared set on living with Billie, she brought him to the veterinarian to ensure he was healthy and had him neutered. That didn’t please the large feline, but he quickly forgave her when she cooked him some fresh salmon the day he came home.
Cougar was a fitting name since he sounded like one whenever anything moved outside the window. The wind blew, Cougar immediately growled and jumped on the window ledge. It helped Billie feel more at ease. Who was scared of burglars when she had Cougar, the guard cat?
Matt did seem a little over the top with the whole situation. At least more than usual. Something about the intruder bothered him, and it wasn’t just about her safety. Maybe Philip had some idea why her usually laid-back brother seemed so on edge.
When she thought about it, Matt started to drop by her house more often shortly after Peggy’s former boyfriend got arrested the first time. The same night she had to leave the bar to help her friend. Maybe he was worried the asshole would come after Peggy’s friends.
Monday morning always seemed to come way too fast. It didn’t help that she’d spent most of the night before awake because of nightmares. She finally gave up around five in the morning after she woke from a dream of Eugene stood over her with a gun pointed at her head. She blamed Matt. If he hadn’t dropped by, yet again, to remind her to keep her place locked she would probably have had the kind of dream she enjoyed. The one where she got hot and heavy with the sexy Mike. She’d never tell anyone about those dreams because it was crazy to be still fantasizing about a man she’d been with for less than two hours.
“Did you get the file on that house on Anspach Street?” Abbie shouted from her office as Billie shrugged out of her jacket.
“Good morning to you too.” Billie opened her laptop and plopped down in her chair.
“Hard weekend?” Abbie chuckled from the doorway of her office.
“Just didn’t sleep much last night,” Billie grumbled.
“Why is it I get a good eight hours of sleep and spend an hour on my makeup and still look like hell and you get no sleep, wear little to no makeup, and you look like that.” Abbie propped her hip against Billie’s desk.
“Yes, I look freaking fantastic.” Billie rolled her eyes.
“Is this about Peg?” Abbie’s expression changed to one of concern.
“No, I just had one of those nights.” Billie lied.
“Have you talked to her lately?” Abbie was probably just as worried as everyone else.
“Not since Friday. She’s still at the shelter, but I’m going to go by there today after work.” It was strange to not hear from Peggy all weekend.
“It was bad this time. Dana said that her eye was swollen shut.” Abbie shook her head.
“Chloe was so scared.” Billie couldn’t get the image of the little girl curled into a fetal position under her bed.
“If Peggy doesn't get her head out of her ass and stop letting him in she’s going to screw up that baby’s head.” Abbie sighed.
“We don’t know what it’s like to be in that situation. How do you get out of something like that?” Billie rested her chin on her fist.
“I’ve got no idea.”
The day went faster than Billie expected. Abbie invited Billie to join her and Dana for supper, but Billie wanted to see Peggy and Chloe. Peggy looked so beaten the last time Billie saw her and not just because Eugene had hit her. It was as if Peggy could see no way out. At one point Billie thought Peggy was about to tell her something, but she stopped right before one of the shelter workers walked in.
Billie pressed the buzzer on the main door to the shelter. They kept the building very secure to ensure the safety of the women, and children inside. She pulled her coat tightly around her as a brisk wind blew around her. For a place that was supposed to make people feel safe the entryway was creepy as hell.
She was about to push the buzzer a second time when the door came open. Billie grabbed the handle and was ready to thank whoever opened it but stopped when she saw who walked out.
“Matt?” Billie stepped inside, and he walked back inside with her. “What are you doing here?”
Her brother looked like he’d got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It wasn’t that he didn’t know Peggy, but it wasn’t like they were close friends.
“I just dropped by to see… to make sure… had to check on Chloe.” Matt stammered as he continued to avoid eye contact with Billie.
“Is everything okay? Did Peggy call you?” The first thing that popped in her head was Philip’s suggestion that he and Matt have a chat with Eugene.
“No, I just wanted to check on the kid.” Matt sighed. “They’re family.”
That statement made sense, but Matt never se
emed to show an interest in Peggy or her daughter. He wasn’t rude to them, and his sign language skills were limited.
“Are you finished giving me the third degree now?” He grumbled as he pushed open the door.
“Geez, who put the stick up your ass?” Billie rolled her eyes as he waved and let the door slam shut behind him.
“Can I help you?” Billie turned toward the voice. An older woman stood just inside the security door.
“I’m Billie Carter. I’m here to see Peggy and Chloe Butler.” Billie smiled.
“Was that your husband that just left?” The woman asked.
“What? Matt? God no. He’s my brother.” Billie laughed.
“Oh. Well, come in.” The woman’s expression seemed to go from worry to relief.
“Was he rude?” Billie had to ask because the woman looked almost concerned.
“No, not at all.” She turned and motioned toward the large room on the left side of the hallway. “They’re in the playroom.”
Billie stood in the door for a few minutes. Peggy was curled up on the chair with Chloe on her lap watching something on an Ipad. Neither of them noticed Billie, but she studied them carefully. Peggy’s bruised eye was turning yellow now, and the cut on her cheek was healing. Her arm was in a sling because Eugene had twisted it so hard he’d strained her shoulder. She was lucky he hadn’t snapped her arm.
As if Chloe sensed her, the little girl looked up and grinned. She jumped from her mother’s lap and ran to Billie waving her hands. Billie caught her in the air as the little girl launched herself into Billie’s arms.
“She really doesn’t like you at all.” Peggy laughed as she signed.
“I know,” Billie responded.
Chloe frantically signed how excited she was to see Billie and that Matt had brought her an Ipad to watch movies and Facetime everyone. Billie didn’t show it, but she was a little shocked her brother would give such an expensive gift to Chloe.
“I was surprised to see him.” Peggy signed when Chloe zoned into something on the Ipad again.
“I ran into him on the way in.” Billie saw an expression pass over Peggy’s face that surprised her.
Dangerous Silence Page 4
