Subtle Reminders

by D. J. Pierson

  “Wait… What?”

  “Whatever, little brother. Don’t forget I called dibs on being the best man a long time ago. That shit doesn’t expire,” he added, walking down the driveway.

  Did he just say she picked me?

  The guys weren’t even out of the driveway before my parents determined Alexa’s kitchen would suffice as an interrogation room. Improvising was one of the many special skills they possessed. On top of that, their line of questioning trumped any well-trained veteran detective. Not to mention they both had a top-notch, built-in lie detector. I was starting to remember why living four hours away wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

  I knew they wouldn’t quit until they gathered all the information they deemed essential to know, so I made it as painless as possible for everyone involved. I continued the story where Joey had stopped the recording, which wasn’t very entertaining. Kevin blamed me for having to comfort his sister the previous night because Joey broke up with her. When Lex faked a coughing fit and gulped an entire glass of water, I guessed she already knew. I tried telling him I had nothing to do with it and would be leaving sooner rather than later. He told me to get out of the car, but I refused unless he called another officer to the scene. He seemed to have forgotten Pete lived only a couple blocks away and wouldn’t mind coming if I called him. Obviously, with pieces of my shattered taillights lying on the ground under my car and no reason to have pulled me over to begin with, he didn’t think my request would be in his best interest. He got back in the car and left, but only after a second warning to leave town or he’d be seeing me again.

  “What made you think to record it?” Roni pondered.

  “I’m not really sure. The guy gives me the creeps. I didn’t think it was possible, but it’s worse when I’m alone. When Maddie was with me, she kept barking at him, so he kept some distance.” Hearing her name, she came and rested her head on my leg. “She made me feel safe.” I massaged behind her ears.

  “That’s odd. I rarely hear her bark,” Brian uttered.

  “Dogs know people better than we do,” my dad noted.

  With the excitement dying down, Lex finished cooking and everyone ate. Dad and I cleaned up the mess, even though she didn’t want our assistance. As we rummaged through the boxes from the bakery, Vince and Joey strolled in.

  “Is everything okay?” Lex asked.

  “Pete’s on it,” Vince said, kissing her head, then sitting.

  “That’s it?”

  “For now. He’ll take care of it quietly, babe. Stories of bad cops spread like wildfire and make us all look bad. We don’t need that kind of publicity.”

  Joey returned my phone. “I sent the video to a guy at the station, but please don’t delete it until I tell you. The original is always good to have.”

  “Why don’t you look very happy?” I asked him as he sat across from me.

  “This happened because the rotten bastard has an issue with me, not you.” Joey shook his head. “I just keep thinking it could’ve been worse.”

  “Joey…”

  “There’s nothing you can say to make any of this better, B. I just have to work through it.”

  “Okay,” I conceded. More than likely, he’d been dwelling on the “what ifs” the whole time they were gone. When he got trapped in those moods, it was sometimes a challenge for him to bounce back. Joey hated feeling helpless.

  “Actually, there is one thing that would make me feel a little better.”

  “What?”

  “You can let me have that cinnamon bun.” He pointed to my plate.

  “There’s a bunch more in the box.”

  “Yeah, but I want that one.” He grinned, but it wasn’t nearly as perfect as usual.

  “You’re a pain in my ass,” I whined, sliding it across the table.

  The jerk lifted the gooey treat to his mouth and took a huge bite. “Damn. This is the best one I’ve ever had,” he taunted. “You should’ve kept it.”

  “Shut up! And don’t be such a slob. Use a damn fork,” I ordered. He snickered and shoved another bite into his mouth.

  Vince’s family left shortly afterward, but Lex asked us to stay while she opened their gifts. The guys put a ballgame on the TV and pretty much ignored my sister unless she spoke directly to them. Luckily for him, Lex didn’t need her new husband looking at every little thing. That’s why Mom and I were there. We had it covered.

  Finally, all the packages were unwrapped and stacked neatly in the corner, and every envelope was unsealed. A list of what each guest had given was handwritten inside her book where she kept every single detail of her wedding day. Trash was put in a bag and taken outside. Their luggage was positioned at the bottom of the stairs because they were leaving first thing in the morning. Lex ran out of excuses to keep us there, but she finally seemed ready to relax. The stress of the last few days had caught up to her and everyone else.

  Lex and Vince walked us outside to say goodbye. As we stood there chatting, I noticed the “For Sale” sign had been removed from the front of the house next door. My heart grew heavy at the thought of a stranger living beside my sister when it should’ve been me. Just like with everything else in my life, some things would never happen. I just had to accept it.

  “I’m not going to be all that happy when we come home and my big sister isn’t here anymore,” Lex pouted. “It’s been so nice seeing you whenever I wanted.”

  I smiled, despite the sadness I felt. “Didn’t you hear your grandmother? She threatened to hitchhike if I didn’t come visit. I’ll make it a point to get down here more often. I promise.”

  “It’s not the same.”

  “I know.” We hugged once more and separated. I hated not knowing when I’d see my sister again. Phone calls never compared to actually spending time with her. Mom and Dad said goodbye, as did Joey. They were used to seeing each other nearly every single day, but Lex and Vince were only going on vacation. Before they knew it, they’d be back and all would be normal again.

  “Hey, B?” Joey called as I stood at my dad’s car.

  “Yeah?”

  “Want to come for a walk with us?” Maddie’s ears perked.

  “I should probably just go to my parents’ house.” Tears pooled, but I blinked them away.

  “It’s just…” Joey reached for his hat, inspected it as if what he wanted to say was written on it, then put it back on his head. “This whole thing with McCray… If I go home, all I’ll do is think about it.” He cleared his throat. “Or torture my dad and get fired. I thought if we could hang out, I wouldn’t go completely crazy.”

  “Joey?” I sighed.

  “Please. I won’t keep you too long.”

  “Fine.” How did he always manage to change my mind?

  Letting my parents know I’d be home later, we went to Joey’s truck. Maddie and I climbed in the passenger side and he shouted another goodbye at his friends before getting in his seat. “There are these trails behind my place. Maddie loves it.” I smiled in agreement. He seemed happier already.

  We sat silently until Joey steered his vehicle out of Lex’s neighborhood. “About last night…,” he began. It felt like an apology in the making, but I didn’t want to go there for many reasons.

  “Can we please not talk about it?” I begged, looking out the window.

  “Yeah. Okay.” When he started talking again a few minutes later, I got nervous but, thankfully, it was about something else. “First thing tomorrow, Pop is taking your car to be fixed.”

  “I’m capable of handling this, Joey.”

  “Nobody said you weren’t. Look, he wants to do something for you, so let him. It’ll make him feel like he’s making it up to you.” He glanced both directions, making sure the road was clear, then steered the car left.

  “This is absurd! He has more important things to do than worry about my taillights.”

  “Is that what you want me to tell him? How well do you think that will go over?”

  I sighed. All t
he Sullivan boys were the same. Once they got an idea stuck in their stubborn heads, there was no deterring them. “Fine.”

  Joey smiled. “It’s settled then.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Keep your head up, BC. If I know my dad, he’ll have it cleaned for you, too. Can’t beat that deal.”

  I groaned, slamming my head against the seat. “It’s fine.”

  “I was in your car. It could use a good bath.” I burned a hole in the side of his face with a death glare, but he wasn’t concerned. “I’m only kidding. He needs to do something. It’s just the way he is.”

  When he parked, Maddie wasted no time hopping from the truck. She ran straight for the condo door and sat there, patiently waiting. The puppy watched us march up the pavement, past her, heading to the side yard in between Joey’s building and the next one. We weren’t out of her sight for three seconds before she came barreling around the corner, bouncing all over the place. The three of us jogged toward the trail, then slowed to a walk once we were a few feet in the trees.

  “You make her happy,” I observed.

  “Not nearly as happy as she makes me,” Joey acknowledged. “She’s really just a kid at heart. Like me.”

  “You got that right.”

  When we laughed, the tension slightly subsided, but still lingered. Perhaps it was a good thing. It kept things straight with us. He had his life. I had mine. After the next week, they’d most likely never intertwine again, except when it came to Lex and Vince. She’d always be my sister. He’d always be his best friend.

  Maddie suddenly went off the trial and into the brush. “What is she doing?”

  “Getting dirty,” Joey groaned. She came back with a branch nearly as long as the length of her body. “Bring it here!” Practically dragging it, Maddie proudly handed the large stick over to him. “Ready?” She wagged her tail and started running down the path. Joey snapped the wood, tossed the bigger piece into the trees, and threw the other. Maddie retrieved it, quickly bringing it back to be thrown again. In her excitement, she either didn’t realize the stick was smaller or simply didn’t care.

  The conversation continued. We talked about Maddie or stuff we saw on the trail. He asked about Connecticut and what I did for fun. When I commented how work took up most of my time, he shook his head and told me life wasn’t meant to be lived that way. To quickly change the subject, I mentioned Laney and how amazing she was with the patients, but also as a friend. I was tempted to tell him how beautiful the beach was at sunrise up north, but thought better of it. He didn’t need to know the number of times I’d gone on a Sunday morning just to watch it. Above all, neither one of us brought up the previous night or the fact he didn’t know me as well as I thought. It still bothered me he thought I’d choose anyone over him.

  “Shit!” His sudden outburst startled me. Before I could ask what was wrong, he yelled, “Maddie! No!” The next thing I heard was a loud splash. Joey hung his head. “Damn it.” I was unsuccessful at holding back a chuckle or two. “We’ll see how funny you think this is when you have to bathe her.” We caught up to the crazy dog pouncing in a narrow creek. It couldn’t have been deeper than a half-foot, but in the short amount of time it took us to get there, she was drenched.

  “What is she doing?”

  “Probably chasing something,” he groaned. “It’s possible it could even be her own reflection.” Maddie flung water with every movement she made. While it was cute, I soon realized she’d have to walk through quite a bit of dirt to get out of the trail. She’d be a mess.

  By the time we reached the grassy area behind Joey’s condo, she was more than a filthy mess. There was thick mud caked all over her body. It even made its way inside her ears.

  “Don’t stand too close to her.” Maddie started to shake before we could get far enough away. My back ended up speckled with wet mud. “Sorry,” he laughed. “I tried to warn you.” I stood immobilized, afraid to survey how dirty I was. “Go into my room and grab something to wear. I’ll throw your stuff in the washer right after I give her a bath.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll help you first.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “At this point, I don’t think a little water and soap will hurt me.”

  He laughed, going in the sliding glass door. Maddie and I were only alone for a minute before Jack came outside.

  “Oh, Maddie. Again?” He exhaled a deep breath.

  “She does this often?”

  “Couple times a week if he’s not careful. You’d think he’d either learn to pay attention or stop taking her through there by now.”

  I smiled at Jack. “Joey? Learn a lesson?”

  “You have a very valid point, Babycakes.”

  While Joey was inside, I threw Maddie’s toy for her as Jack pulled out the hose. It amazed me the dog had any energy after the long walk and romping in the creek. When she’d bring it back, she’d rub against my legs, ensuring I was just as dirty as she was. I slipped off my shoes, setting them to the side. Something told me getting her clean wouldn’t be an easy process.

  As Jack asked no one in particular what was taking his brother so long, Maddie stood at attention, listening. A short time passed before we heard yelling.

  “What the hell?” Jack wondered. Maddie darted toward the front yard, so we followed. I instantly regretted the decision.

  Joey and Shannon were arguing near his truck. Shannon didn’t notice Maddie because her evil gaze fell on me, and Joey didn’t see her because he was too busy hollering. What happened next unfolded so quickly, I didn’t think anybody could’ve stopped it in time.

  Shannon was dressed in a crisp white pants suit, wearing heels I wouldn’t be able to stand in. Her hair was done up nicely. She was definitely on her way to or coming from something important. As Joey turned to see what Shannon was glaring at, Maddie jumped, swiping her paws down the front of her outfit. Mud smeared from Shannon’s hips all the way to her ankles. To make the situation worse, she lost her balance and tumbled backwards, landing on her ass. Stunned, she couldn’t get up fast enough. Maddie got in her face, making sure the jacket and top were as dirty as her pants.

  Having absolutely no idea what to do or say, I turned and went back the way I had come. By me being there, the situation would’ve only gone downhill.

  There were numerous ways shit could’ve gone down, but the most horrific scenarios wreaked havoc on my state of mind. Deciding how to make everything right turned into quite a challenge because my options were extremely limited. Holding BC tighter than I’ve ever held her before would reassure me she was physically unharmed, but hunting McCray and beating him beyond recognition would definitely burn off the raging anger.

  “Joe!” Pop raised his voice. “Are you listening to me?”

  “What?”

  As my dad, he understood the turmoil swirling through my head. As my boss, it was his job to make sure my actions didn’t cause a shitload of trouble for either of us. “Son, I know how you feel right now, but you have to let me handle this.”

  “I know,” I grumbled.

  “Do you?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  The long sigh of relief he released pointed toward him presuming I was somewhat stable. “Go back to Brielle. Take her out. Do something to keep your mind off what happened.” Her fist on my chest when I attempted to comfort her hinted at the fact she wanted nothing to do with me. If that were the case, why did Jack think she chose me? My head was a complete fucking mess and I hated it. “Jack, follow your brother to the house. I want Brie’s car backed into my driveway. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll make some calls and we’ll have it fixed before lunch.”

  “Thank you for taking care of her,” I said. Shame joined my pity party. There wasn’t anything I could do for BC. Could shit suck anymore?

  “She’s family, Joe. Thanking me isn’t necessary.” Pop patted my shoulder, then shook Vince’s hand. “Have a great vacation. We’ll see you when you get back. Give that n
ew wife of yours a kiss for me. Okay?” Vince nodded as Pop walked away.

  “Come on, man.” Vince glanced at my dad, who was addressing another officer. “Let’s get out of here and go see what our girls are doing.”

  Mom came outside when I parked the car as Pop instructed. He had given her part of the story, but she didn’t want to wait for him to come home to get the rest. Even though she wasn’t very fond of BC at the moment, she was visibly upset about the situation. I had told her repeatedly to let BC off the hook, but it was hard for her.

  “Aunt El and Donnie are coming for dinner tomorrow night at six. She says he needs to talk to us.”

  “If that’s an invitation, I’m busy.”

  “Joseph.”

  “Mom, I’m not wasting my time on some fucked up loser just because he suddenly has the urge to clear the air. I’m sorry, but that ship has sailed.” She was disappointed. “I risk my life every damn day dealing with scumbags like him. He wants to get clean and move on? Good for him. It doesn’t mean I have to be there.”

  “It saddens me things have come to this, but I understand. You two used to be so close.”

  “People change, and not always for the better. I won’t surround myself with that shit.”

  “You’re absolutely right. They do. Maybe you should think that through before wasting so much of your valuable time with Brielle.”

  “Time with her is never wasted.” Arguing was useless. My mother only remembered how BC hurt me, and there was no changing her opinion. I kissed her cheek and went to Jack’s truck, which was idling in the street. Leaving things unsettled with anyone, especially my mom, wasn’t something I normally did. However, being wherever BC was seemed like the only place I needed to be.

  Seeing her still upset when we returned to Vince’s pissed me off all over again. I wondered what it would take for Pop to give me five minutes alone with that piece of shit. He targeted BC because of his hatred for me, and I’d never done a damn thing to extinguish the flames. In fact, I’d purposely fanned them. I only had myself to blame.