Matty looked down and drew her finger through a bead of water on the counter. The story Casper had just told her about Brad had touched her in a way she hadn’t expected. The way her half brother had reached out to help, in his own quiet way, was, well, it was sweet. It was what those in a community should do for one another when they have the chance. Not that everyone in a community could do what Brad had done for Robby, but it just seemed like he’d done what he’d done for the right reasons—not because he wanted his name on a brick or a building. Not the way his mother would have done it.
It also reminded her of the story Dash had told her about the young girl, Meghan, who owned the ice cream shop in town. After listening to Casper, she’d wager that Brad had made a hefty contribution to the fund to help Meghan. She was planning on doing the same but hadn’t gotten around to asking Dash about it yet. She was definitely going to do so now, in Brad’s name.
“How is your son?” she asked Casper.
He smiled. “Better now that he’s coming back. He’s in Germany right now, left Afghanistan two weeks ago. He has some leadership things he has to turn over and finish up, but he should be back in time for the harvest.”
She smiled at the good news then jumped when the dogs, once again, went into a frenzy of barking madness. She looked at Dash, who rose from his seat and opened the kitchen door. With a look back at her, he shrugged. “I don’t know who it is,” he said.
He stayed standing at the door until two women bearing baskets came into view. They were older, Matty would place them in their early seventies, and stylishly dressed. Both had white-gray shoulder-length hair, but one was several inches taller than the other.
“I’m Candy Rose and this is my sister, Autumn,” the taller of the two women said. “We heard about Brad this morning. He was a good friend to us so we wanted to drop by.”
Matty slid from her stool and beckoned the women inside as she introduced herself and Dash. “Please do come in. This is Casper Collins, also a friend of Brad’s. He brought by some of Brad’s favorite wine that maybe we can use for the memorial reception, if you think that would be appropriate?” she added, turning to Casper to ask for his consent.
“I think Brad would like that,” he answered. Matty didn’t miss the catch in his voice.
“He was also telling us how he met Brad,” she continued, turning back to Autumn and Candy. “I’m not sure if you know, but Brad and I weren’t close. In fact, I barely knew more about him than his name, I’m embarrassed to say.”
“Yes, we know all about that,” Candy said, handing her basket to Matty while Autumn handed hers to Dash. They shook hands with Casper and then, without asking, pulled out two chairs from the table. Matty smiled as she and Dash set the baskets down on the counter. She wasn’t sure what was in them but she could smell cinnamon and chocolate.
“Brad always regretted what happened to you and your mom,” Autumn said.
That brought Matty up. “He told you about that?” Dash came to her side.
Candy nodded. “Of course he did. Brad wasn’t one to dust things under the rug, so to speak. We were visiting him the day after he got back from your grandmother’s funeral.”
“And the reading of the will,” Autumn interjected.
“And the reading of the will,” Candy repeated. “He was on the phone to his mom, who wasn’t happy. Anyway, it all came out then.”
“I don’t think he was very happy about it either,” Matty said.
Candy shrugged. “Actually, he didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He was sad for his dad because it was so obvious from the will what his mother, your grandmother, thought of him. But Brad’s mother’s self-righteousness bothered him.”
“A lot,” Autumn added and Candy nodded. “But, it was Brooks family money and money from your grandmother’s family, so as far as Brad was concerned, his grandmother could do whatever she wanted with it.”
“That was very generous of him,” Matty said, not quite believing what they were saying. Her memories of the months after her grandmother’s death weren’t so blasé. But then again, in the fleeting moment she thought about it, she hadn’t heard much from Brad, just from Sandra and the attorney Sandra and Douglas had hired.
“Bah,” Autumn waved a hand in the air dismissing her. “It wasn’t generous, it was just the way he was.”
“And I think he felt a little guilty for what his mom and dad had done to you and your mom,” Candy added.
“Yeah, there was that,” Dash muttered beside her.
“Maybe we should open one of these bottles of wine now?” Matty suggested, turning to Casper, who immediately pulled a wine opener from his pocket and made for the box of bottles. “I’m glad I’m meeting all of you, but I won’t say it’s not strange to meet people who know so much about me when I know nothing of you or even much about the person who connects us, Brad.”
Dash and Casper filled wineglasses and when everyone had one in hand, Matty raised hers. “To Brad. While I didn’t know him well in life, I’m glad to at least begin to know him now, through his friends—whom I’m happy to have here with me today.”
And it didn’t end there. Matty learned that Brad had met Autumn and Candy while doing volunteer work with the catholic church in town. And then Pamela stopped by, a friend of Brad’s from the animal shelter he’d donated time and money to. After Pamela, Matty met a woman who finally enlightened her as to why Brad had decided to keep rabbits. She should have guessed; they were rescues from an illegal fur farm. When Elise noticed the cars making their way up the shared road, she decided to come back over with some pictures she had of her and Brad. The photos were taken over a period of several months during which she and Brad had worked together to get his beautiful garden in place. And then Tommy stopped by, the local lead for one of the big international disaster relief agencies—one that Brad had worked through several times, including on his trips to Haiti and New Orleans.
While Matty made a mental note of Tommy’s information, now was not the time to bring up her questions for him, questions about Brad’s activities in those regions. No, even as more people arrived—and Candy and Autumn’s baked goods were spread over the kitchen island and more of Casper’s wine was popped open—now was the time to listen and learn and celebrate the person Brad had been. A person she was just now realizing she would have really liked and, even more, respected.
CHAPTER 16
“GET OUT! ALL OF YOU! All of you—just get out!” a voice screeched at the door.
Matty, who had been laughing at a story Elise was telling, turned at the sudden invasion into what was turning out to be an impromptu wake. With so many people, over twenty now, the dogs had ceased barking at every new arrival, so she’d been unaware of the entrance of Sandra and Douglas Brooks until she heard the shrill voice and laid eyes on them standing just inside the kitchen doorway.
Sandra looked livid; her white hair in its harsh bob and her fair skin flushed red added to her sharp look. For a second, Matty could see her point; it did look like they were having a party in the aftermath of Brad’s death. On the other hand, if she’d taken even ten seconds to look around, Sandra would have known what they were doing. Pictures of Brad were laid across the table and kitchen island; people were standing around, holding photos up and talking, laughing, and, yes, some were crying. It was so obviously a celebration of his life that any sympathy Matty might have felt toward the woman vanished.
And her father, well, he did what he usually did when it came to Sandra. Nothing. Tall and well dressed with sun-streaked, brown hair that was remarkably free of gray, he stood behind his wife saying nothing. But as Matty watched his eyes, eyes the same blue as Brad’s, take in the room and register what was going on, she also noted the redness there and the dark circles underneath.
His gaze landed on her and she took a deep breath. These people had just lost their son, she reminded herself; there was probably very little in life worse than that.
“Sandra, Douglas,�
�� she said, stepping forward. She felt Dash come up beside her in a silent show of support. “This is Casper Collins, a friend of Brad’s.” As she introduced Casper, he came forward but didn’t hold out a hand. “And this is Tommy and Candy and Autumn . . .” Matty continued until she’d introduced Brad’s parents to everyone in the room. “They were kind enough to come and share their condolences, as well as their stories of Brad,” she explained.
Sandra’s eyes glistened in fury—an anger Matty knew was born of sadness, but there was so much history between the two of them that it was hard to grant her that sentiment. It didn’t help when Sandra straightened her shoulders and took a moment to glance at each person in the room, stopping only when her gaze focused on Matty.
“In that case, I just want you out.”
Matty had thought that Sandra could no longer shock her, but she had. And judging by the uncomfortable shuffling in the room, she wasn’t the only one shaken by Sandra’s words.
“Sandra,” Douglas said, putting a hand on his wife’s shoulder. A small conciliatory gesture that was too little too late by Matty’s standards.
“Stop it, Douglas,” Sandra shot back, shaking off his hand. “I want her out. If she thinks she can just move into Brad’s house, use Brad’s things, and, and . . .” Sandra’s voice faltered but Matty knew what was coming next, an accusation that she would be gunning to inherit even more of the Brooks family fortune.
“Excuse me,” Albert Redmond, an attorney in town who was also a friend of Brad’s, stepped forward. Albert and Brad had been playing chess together for nearly ten years. When talking to the man earlier, Matty had been drawn to his gentle voice and calming manner. With everything that Brad had done in his life, in his community, she suspected he’d probably liked the same things about the lawyer.
“No, I won’t excuse you,” Sandra spat back with a sharp look at the man. “I want you out,” she said, her eyes back on Matty.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to make her guests, Brad’s friends, uncomfortable. But she also didn’t want to miss the opportunity that had landed on her doorstep, a chance to know her half brother. What she really wanted to do was shake Sandra, get in her face, and remind her that she wasn’t the only person who’d lost Brad. But thankfully, Albert stepped in before she’d contemplated that course of action any further.
“I was Brad’s friend, but I was also his attorney. It’s really not the time or the place to discuss such things, but in this circumstance, I think it might behoove us all to go over the basics.”
That brought Matty up short. Ian had said Brad would probably have a will, but she hadn’t had a chance to look for it yet, and Albert hadn’t mentioned anything so far. Why he would bring it up now, she couldn’t fathom. Unless . . . Her stomach sank. She knew what Albert was going to say and if the color draining from Sandra’s face was any indication, she knew, too.
“No,” Sandra said, shaking her head.
“Is there a private space we can talk?” Albert asked.
For the first time in her life, Matty looked to her father for direction about what she should do. She didn’t want to have the conversation any more than Sandra did, but here they were. Her father gave her a small, sad nod.
“The formal sitting room,” she said, gesturing to her left. It was on the other side of the house and could be closed off.
“Then, shall we?” Albert said, taking the lead.
***
Dash watched Matty, her father, and Sandra Brooks follow Albert out of the kitchen. He hadn’t offered to go with her; whatever was going to go on behind those closed doors was a family affair. But he had given her a small hug of support just before she’d left. He hoped it was enough for her to know he was here for her.
“Well, that explains a lot,” Candy said, plopping herself down on a stool and taking a sip of wine.
Dash raised an eyebrow in question at her even as many of the others seemed to murmur their agreement. “What explains what?” he asked.
“Brad,” she said. “He never really talked about his parents much.”
“Oh, he was never disrespectful,” Casper interjected.
Autumn nodded, “He just didn’t talk about them often.”
“Or when he did,” Tony added, “He always seemed a little confused, a little sad.”
“Like he wasn’t sure what to do with them,” Pamela chimed in. “I remember once, we were cleaning out one of the animal pens at the shelter and I made some offhand comment about how proud our mothers would be at our cleaning abilities. I was a complete slob as a kid,” she said as an aside. “Brad laughed a little—not the funny kind of laugh—and said his mother would be horrified to see him on his hands and knees scrubbing a floor. I asked him what he meant and he just shook his head and said the only kind of cleaning his mother ever did was making sure the fork and knife lay properly across the plate when she was done with dinner.”
As soon as Pamela finished her story a few others jumped in, rehashing pieces of conversations they’d had with Brad about his parents. Dash only half-listened as he kept his eyes on the hallway, waiting for Matty to return.
After about fifteen minutes, he heard the door to the sitting room open and shortly thereafter, Albert walked back into the kitchen. Dash excused himself and made his way toward the sitting room. He found her standing at the front door, the one that was never used but would have allowed Douglas and Sandra to leave without having to walk back through the kitchen. Her father stood in the doorway.
“I had no idea he was going to do that, Douglas,” Matty was saying.
“I know, Matty. I know,” he replied.
“I don’t—” Dash heard her voice catch as he came beside her and took her hand. “You just lost your son, Douglas. I don’t want to do anything that will make this harder. I know what Brad’s wishes were, but if there is anything, anything, you want or need or, well, just anything at all, please feel free.”
“Thank you.”
Douglas looked about to say something else, but Matty spoke again. “I can go stay with Dash. I’ll need some time to pack up the animals and everything, and I’ll have to come back every now and then to check on the cows until we figure out what to do with them, but I’ll leave and you can come back and just be here. If you want,” she added.
Douglas blinked and lifted a hand as if to pat her on the shoulder then let it drop back to his side. “Thank you, Matty. I think,” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “I think for now, it’s better for us to stay in town, but maybe, maybe after a little while,” his voice drifted off and she nodded at what was left unsaid—that after a while, when the shock had dulled, he would take her up on her offer.
“You know where to find me,” she said.
He nodded.
“And Douglas,” she said as the man turned to leave. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Douglas’s eyes filled and he bit his lips as if to keep himself from howling in pain. Nodding, he turned and left.
“You okay?” Dash asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close after they watched the Brooks leave.
She nodded against him and, after a moment of silence, she spoke. “Brad left everything to me, Dash. Well, almost everything. I don’t know why. Honestly, I have no clue. He even made it clear that he left me the animals.”
“Maybe he knew you’d take care of them,” Dash offered.
“Hmm, maybe. I don’t know, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“I think a lot of what has happened in the past few weeks probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. Starting with him asking you to come up here in the first place. Not that I’m taking any issues with that,” he added, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“Yeah, no kidding,” she said then gave a little shake of her head. “Whatever,” she added, conceding, for the moment, to the confusion. “Maybe it’s just not something to think about right now. Maybe we should just go back into
the kitchen and join his friends.”
“Matty?” A new voice came from the hall and they both looked up.
“Chen,” she said, stepping away. “Mai.”
Dash watched as Chen, and the woman he assumed was Chen’s sister, Mai, gave Matty quick hugs and handed her a box of something Dash guessed must be food as the scent of honey and cinnamon drifted toward him.
“These were some of Brad’s favorites from a small bakery in Chinatown,” Chen said solemnly. “We were in New York visiting family when a mutual friend from the university called to tell me.”
“Thank you, both,” Matty said, taking the box. “Will you stay for a bit? Some of Brad’s other friends are here and we’re reminiscing about him. Well, I’m learning about him. A little late, I know,” she added, her voice drifting off. Dash stepped forward and put an arm around her waist. “Chen, you remember Dash Kent,” she said. Then she introduced Dash to Mai.
As Dash shook the man’s hand, a bag hanging from Chen’s shoulder bobbed forward. “Can I take that for you?” Dash asked as the bag bumped back into place.
Chen gave him a blank look then followed Dash’s eye. With a shake of his head, he spoke. “Sorry, I forgot I even had this. I was doing some consulting work while visiting family and I’ve been carrying it non-stop for two days.”
“And he wouldn’t be caught dead without it,” Mai added with a smile at her brother. “We would love to stay for a bit if it’s no problem? Brad has been a friend of the family for years and we’ll miss him greatly,” she added, blinking away a tear.
“Of course,” Matty said with a gesture toward the kitchen.
“But perhaps I can put this down somewhere out of the way?” Chen asked, lifting the bag.
“I’ll put it in the office, Matty. You three go on in,” Dash said. There was something about Chen Dash just didn’t really care for. But as he placed the well-heeled leather bag in the office, a bag that probably cost more than his first car, Dash acknowledged that it was entirely possible that his distaste was rooted in Chen’s obvious sophistication. And though Matty didn’t seem to care about that sort of thing, Dash couldn’t help but think someone like Chen—a professor, a traveler, a wealthy, urban man—would probably fit more into Matty’s life—her life in DC—than he ever would.
These Sorrows We See Page 22
