This Time

by Amy Reece

  “Sunday. I guess I need to call the cruise line and see if I can get in touch with them. Does Kira know yet? What about Gordy?” Kira was Neal’s fiancée; Gordy was his business partner.

  “We came here first, but Finn will notify them.”

  “Okay. Oh, God, this is going to destroy Kira! They were planning their wedding!” The tears began again.

  “Shh. I know, I know. Listen, let me drive you home. I know you have a lot of phone calls to make, and you’ll feel better once you’re home. Where are the girls?”

  “They’re at school. Half-day kindergarten. Then they’ll be at the babysitter’s until I get off around five. How do I tell them? They loved their Uncle Neal so much!” Her twin daughters, Lily and Iris—adopted two years ago from Uganda—had formed a special attachment to their uncle, especially after David moved out.

  “I’ll help you. Do you need to do anything here? Cancel classes or something?”

  She shook her head; how did you deal with the mundane when your world had just been knocked off course? “No. I only have office hours this afternoon. I already taught two classes this morning.” She was an associate professor of history at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She had completed and passed her dissertation last spring from the university and had been hired to teach the 101-level classes the other professors abhorred. It was fine by her; she got paid no matter what she taught and was able to begin her post-grad work. She had managed to snag one upper level class, anyway, and thoroughly enjoyed it. “I need to talk to my department head about cancelling classes tomorrow, though.” She stood and crossed to her desk to send the emails. “Seamus, you don’t have to stay. I know you must have things you need to do.”

  “I’m staying, Nina. Period. I’m not scheduled to work until Wednesday.” He crossed to where she was seated and stood behind her, massaging her shoulders, the way he’d done so many times in the distant past when they were kids. “You don’t have to do this on your own.”

  The tears sprang to her eyes again. She felt like she’d been on her own, working, raising two adorable, yet precocious daughters, for so long. Her parents were wonderful, of course, offering to babysit at least once a week, but she hated to burden them. These were their golden years and they should be free to take the cruises and tours they’d never been able to before when they had a houseful of children. She and Neal had two older brothers who lived out of state. Neal helped out whenever he could, but starting a business took nearly all his spare time; his fiancée demanded the rest. Kira was understanding about Nina’s situation, but she rightfully expected a fair amount of Neal’s time; Nina was reluctant to ask the two of them to watch her children simply so she could have a social life. She reached her hand up to touch Seamus’s. “Thank you. I can’t tell you what this means to me.”

  “Of course. Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  Chapter Two

  Seamus

  “Okay, Nick. Yeah, love you too. See you soon.” Nina set her cell phone on the table and leaned her head into her hands.

  Seamus placed the mug of tea in front of her and rubbed her tight shoulders.

  She sat up and sipped the tea he’d liberally laced with honey. “Thanks.”

  “When is Nick coming?”

  “He’s going to check the airlines and get the soonest flight he can.” She sighed heavily and sipped the tea before reaching for her cell again. “I need to call Nathan, and then try the cruise line once more.” She’d been able to get hold of her oldest brother right away, but the other brother hadn’t answered, and the cruise line had given her the run-around, telling her she needed to call their customer service line, which had stated her wait time was forty-five minutes.

  “What time do the girls get home?”

  “Around five.” Her first phone call had been to her afternoon babysitter to arrange for them to be driven home so she wouldn’t have to leave to pick them up. Seamus had volunteered to go get them, but since he’d never met them she declined, saying it would freak them out to be picked up by a strange man.

  “Is there any way I could convince you to lie down for a little while? I can call the cruise line. I promise I’ll wake you up if I get through to your parents.” He continued to rub her slim shoulders. This had to be one of the worst days of her life and she was holding up like a champ, but he could tell she was emotionally exhausted and he wanted to help.

  She glanced up at him, her eyes hollow and haunted. “Maybe. I’ll try to get through to Nathan again first. Thanks, Seamus. I don’t think I could do this alone.”

  “Sure. Of course. Call Nathan while I make you a sandwich or something.” He gave her shoulders a final squeeze, then retreated to the kitchen to see what he could find that she might like. The refrigerator was covered with crayon and watercolor artwork from her daughters, along with brightly colored alphabet magnets spelling words such as ‘cat,’ ‘dog,’ and ‘poop.’ He smiled at the last word as he searched inside, finding the makings for turkey and cheese sandwiches. He made one for Nina and two for himself; he hadn’t eaten anything all day and his stomach was growling, although he had no desire to do something as mundane as eat a meal. His best friend was dead, had apparently shot himself. If Seamus lived to be a hundred, he’d never forget the sight of Neal Braden slumped over his desk, a gun in his left hand, blood and brain matter pooling around his body and dripping from the walls. As a firefighter, Seamus was used to accident scenes with plenty of blood and gore, but it was different seeing it on someone he knew. He’d taken one look and rushed for the adjacent bathroom to vomit repeatedly into the toilet. Finn had asked him to come to identify the body, which Seamus was glad to do. No family member should have to see something like that, and as the only one currently in town, it would have been Nina.

  He grabbed a couple sodas from the fridge and carried the plate of sandwiches to the dining room, where Nina was sitting at the table, talking on her cell phone, tears streaming down her face.

  “I know, Nate. Yeah, me too. I’ll let you know when I get the funeral scheduled.”

  Seamus set the plate near her and waited while she finished the tough conversation with her brother.

  She hung up and wiped the tears away. “Oh, God.”

  “Here.” He slid the plate and soda toward her. “See if you can eat a little bit.”

  She took a half sandwich and bit into it unenthusiastically. “Nate’s wife is pregnant and due in a few days, so he can’t leave right now. He’ll be here for the funeral, though, if it’s at all possible.”

  He watched her take a sip of the soda, noting her hand was shaking. He made no comment as he reached for one of the sandwiches and ate it in two bites, needing the food even though it tasted like sawdust. She was handling this like a trooper; he couldn’t begin to imagine the level of sorrow she was going through. His older brother, Finn, had been seriously wounded the year before in a hit-and-run and had been in a coma for two weeks. The entire DeLuca family had gone through hell during those long days, but Finn had recovered and now had only a slight limp as evidence of all he’d endured. Neal was dead and would never be restored to the Bradens. Family was everything and theirs had just been ripped apart.

  She ate only a few bites before pushing the plate away. “I think I’ll lie down for a while, if you don’t mind.”

  “Good idea. I’ll keep trying to get through to your parents.”

  She stood and moved to stand behind him, then leaned down and hugged him from behind. “Thank you.”

  While she slept, he cleaned up the few dishes from lunch, throwing the unwanted remains of the sandwiches in the trash, before he attempted to call the cruise line again. He was finally connected to someone who could help, and hung up after being promised a return call as soon as they located Neal’s parents. He wandered around Nina’s living room, unable to settle down. He examined the many books on the shelves; Nina had always been such a brain, even back in high school. Neal was no slouch in the grades department, but Nina
had always been a straight-A student and had earned a full academic scholarship to some Ivy League college he’d never heard of. Neal had been so proud of his twin sister and her achievements, including graduating summa cum laude with her master’s degree in history and completing her doctorate two years later. Neal hadn’t been as thrilled when she married David Schaeler, one of her professors from graduate school. Seamus had never met the guy, but Neal said he was an arrogant idiot and Nina could do so much better. He’d dragged her off to Africa about a year later for some sort of research for a new book he was writing and decided they needed to adopt an orphan. Neal said Nina had let it slip that she wasn’t too thrilled with the idea, but David insisted. He’d managed to push through an adoption in record time—Neal was sure he’d bribed the officials—and ended up with three-year-old twins, Lily and Iris. The marriage hadn’t lasted, and Nina ended up with full custody of the girls; Neal suspected David hadn’t contested it because he’d already found another woman whom he’d gotten pregnant and moved in with. The only thing Neal had approved of was David’s new position here in Albuquerque that caused Nina to move back. Seamus didn’t think he’d handle it as well if someone had treated one of his sisters that way.

  He continued to roam the living room, noting the many photographs of family members and of Nina and the girls. He picked up a glossy photo of the three of them taken near a pool, probably the one in her parents’ backyard. The girls were cute in their glittery swimsuits, laughing with their mother; Nina was gorgeous in a pair of shorts and a red tank top. He smiled crookedly at the photo and set it back on the mantle. Yeah, he’d always thought Nina Braden was beautiful and would have loved to ask her out, but Neal wouldn’t hear of it.

  “No way, man! You are not allowed to date my sister! I know what kind of guy you are. My sister is a sweet girl and I’m not about to let her go out with a horn dog like you. Forget it.”

  So, he had. He knew she’d nursed a bit of a crush on him—he wasn’t blind, deaf, and dumb—but he never acted on it. Neal was right: Seamus was more interested in girls he could sweet-talk into sex than his best friend’s brainy sister. But he’d always thought she was pretty. There had been one memorable kiss, but—

  “That was taken in June. Neal took it,” she said from behind him, causing him to jump guiltily.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop.”

  She reached past him and took the photograph. “You’re not. Pictures are made to look at. We had such fun that day. Lily had just lost her front tooth that morning.”

  Seamus looked at the girls and noticed the one in the blue swimsuit had a gap in her smile. “How can you tell them apart?” The girls looked identical to him, apart from the missing tooth, which was temporary.

  She glanced up at him, her green eyes wide. “I don’t know. I’ve always been able to tell the difference. David had trouble, though. Did you get through to the cruise line?”

  “Yeah. They’ll call as soon as they locate your folks. Did you sleep?”

  “A bit.” She turned as the front door opened and two small girls ran in, shedding colorful backpacks as they entered.

  “Momma! Why didn’t you pick us up?” One of the girls ran straight to Nina and flung her arms around her legs.

  “Are you sick, Momma?” The other little girl stopped as she caught sight of Seamus. “Who’s he?”

  Seamus watched as Nina took a huge breath and knelt down to hug and kiss her daughters. Both girls had short, black hair and dark, chocolate-hued skin. He was surprised at how good their English was; Neal had said they’d learned it quickly, but they didn’t have any trace of an accent as far he could tell.

  “This is Seamus. He’s Uncle Neal’s best friend. Girls, I have some bad news.”

  ***

  Nina

  “I don’t understand, Momma. Why did Uncle Neal die?” Lily’s eyes filled with tears again as she looked into her mother’s face.

  Iris was still huddled against her, head butted hard against Nina’s chest as she sobbed.

  Nina looked helplessly at Seamus, seated on the other end of the sofa. She had simply told them their uncle had died earlier that day, without going into any of the details. She didn’t want to tell them anything about gunshots or suicide. It wasn’t something a six-year-old needed to know. “We don’t really know yet, sweetie,” Nina said, hedging.

  “But I don’t want him to die!”

  Nina pulled Lily close and kissed her head, inhaling the comforting fragrance of her little girl. She hadn’t been ready to be a mother when David manipulated her into agreeing to the adoption—she’d only been twenty-three years old, after all—but she’d fallen completely in love with these two angels the moment they met. She’d held her breath through the appearance in front of the judge in the courthouse in downtown Kampala, even though she knew for a fact David had paid him off to expedite their case. He’d also paid off the officials at the orphanage, who were amenable to the bribes as long as David and Nina were willing to adopt the two sisters together. They’d brought the little girls home and had been amazed by how fast they adapted to life in the United States and how quickly they learned English. Both parents regretted the girls’ loss of their native Swahili, but neither David nor Nina spoke much beyond the most basic of greetings. It was quite different than what Nina had envisioned for her life as she finished her master’s degree and began working on her PhD in history, but she loved it. David, however, was soon bored by the structure required to successfully raise two young children; he eventually told Nina he was having an affair with a grad assistant and wanted a divorce. She wasn’t terribly surprised. After all—and to her everlasting shame—she’d been the one he’d left his first wife for. “I know, baby. I know.” She hugged the girls, sniffing and swallowing hard to control her own tears.

  “Listen, I know everyone’s sad, but you girls have got to be hungry. What if I order a pizza?” Seamus asked quietly.

  Nina smiled gratefully over the top of Lily’s head.

  Iris peeked up at her. “I’m hungry, Momma. Can we have pizza?” It would be a special treat since she was usually careful to serve more nutritious food, so Nina nodded.

  Lily sat up and glanced at her twin. “I’m hungry too. Can we have pepperoni pizza?” She was typically the more outspoken of the two girls, but Iris was more often the leader.

  Nina took the opportunity while the girls were distracted by the thought of food to ask about their day at school and get them started on their homework sheets. Soon, they were seated at the kitchen table with a box of crayons, practicing their letters. She’d needed to tell them right away, but she didn’t want them dwelling on their uncle’s death too long. There would be days and weeks ahead filled with the myriad issues that accompanied a death in the family. Seamus seemed willing to handle all the details associated with the evening meal, so she concentrated on listening to the girls practice their reading and helped them with their math problems, which they both hated. When a glass of wine appeared in front of her, she could have kissed him. She sipped the red blend he’d found in her pantry and remembered a time—long ago—when she had.

  “How do I look?”

  Her best friend, Ashley, stared at her critically. “You look fucking hot! Seamus DeLuca is an idiot if he doesn’t sweep you into his arms and make mad, passionate love to you on the spot!”

  Nina laughed self-consciously and turned back to her reflection. She smoothed her boring brown hair, teased impossibly high for the occasion, and added another layer of gloss on top of the dark red lipstick. Ashley had made up her eyes with lots of black eyeliner and dark eyeshadow, telling her it made her look sexy and sophisticated. Against her oh-so-pale skin, Nina feared it made her look dead. She’d borrowed the short, tight skirt, low-cut blouse, and push-up bra from Ashley; she didn’t begin to own anything designed to seduce a guy. And that was the purpose of tonight’s adventure: she was planning to seduce her brother’s best friend. Neal was out of town for the weekend, on a colleg
e visit with their parents, and she was finally going to make her move on the guy she’d been dreaming about for six years, ever since they were in sixth grade. She had no experience whatsoever in seduction, of course—she’d never even been kissed—but Seamus undoubtedly had plenty. She figured if she could get him to kiss her, he could handle the rest. She was seventeen years old and ready for this. Maybe. Probably. Oh, God. She knew everyone considered her a brainy nerd and she’d fostered the reputation, happy to spend her time dreaming of Seamus; the real world of boys scared the crap out of her. She had spent her adolescence fantasizing about a time when he would look at her and finally realize they were soul mates. “Hopefully not on the spot. I don’t really fancy such a public deflowering, thanks.”

  “Deflowering? You read way too many Regency romances. We need to get going, Nina! We want to make sure we get there before he hooks up with some slutty girl.”

  “Some other slutty girl, you mean?” Nina adjusted the push-up bra. “Are my nipples supposed to be poking out?”

  Ashley pulled the blouse up slightly. “There. All your goodies are tucked in. For now. I’m sure Seamus will love unwrapping his present.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

  By the time they arrived, the party was in full swing. Nina had never attended one of the parties her brother and Seamus frequented; Neal never allowed it. She would have sneaked out and gone, but it would be stupid when he would just rat her out to their parents. Besides, she wasn’t interested in parties. She was only interested in Seamus. She spotted him soon after they walked in. He was sitting with a group of his friends, laughing and drinking a beer. One of them spied Ashley and Nina as they helped themselves to drinks and tapped Seamus, motioning to them with his red plastic cup.

  Seamus choked on his beer, set it on the table, and walked to her slowly. “Nina?” He looked her up and down, narrowing his eyes as he took in her breasts oozing out of her top. “What the hell, Nina? Why are you here? You never come to these parties. You hate them.”