Beck lowered his hand, slid the device into his pocket. “I’m meeting a client here in thirty minutes. And this was way too important to put off.”
Beck’s tone pushed away her annoyance. Worry lines were visible around his eyes and his normal casual stance was rigid and tense.
“Besides,” he continued. “Inconveniencing you a little is hardly equivalent to letting Ty ambush me about his grandfather.”
She bit her lip and fiddled with the strap on her purse. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I should have called you. I wasn’t thinking.”
His scowl lessened. “It’s fine.” Beck had a hard time staying mad at her. It was probably the only reason their young, ill-fated relationship had lasted so long. “I just ended up saying way more than I ever should have.”
“What could you have said that I didn’t already tell him?” They’d been together. Heard the same shouts, saw the same argument.
“Dad talked to me after you left that night. He paid the guy off to go away.”
Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh Ty. He must be so upset.”
“Not nearly as upset as he was about learning he has a half brother. Or at least a guy claiming to be. Personally, I think it’s all a little too convenient.”
“Wait. Ty has a half brother?” Her heart stuttered, and not only because this news would be life-changing for Ty, but also because he didn’t tell her. “When did he find out?”
“Yesterday. When he went up to Elgin to get his grandfather’s stuff.”
The pain in her chest worsened. “I didn’t know,” she whispered.
The door burst open and April breezed in like a star on the runway. Her tailored suit and high-heeled shoes cost at least two grand. Combined with her cool, unaffected eyes, as always, her presence and Beck’s fought for dominance. Much like their personalities.
“You weren’t invited.” Beck’s irritation was laced around every word. There was a time when April and Beck’s bickering was in jest, like siblings determined to goad one other but that all changed when Sean left town.
“Let’s go get a drink. If I have to be subjected to you, I’m doing it with a glass of wine.” She eyed Journey, and as always, could sense her mood. “Looks like you could use a stiff cocktail as well.”
Journey attempted to shake off the growing hole in her stomach. “I’m fine. I mostly just need a shower.”
April hooked her arm through Beck’s, pulling him in the direction of the bar. “Fill me in on the way. What on earth has your panties all rolled up in a ball?”
He detangled himself from her grip, which earned him a dark laugh from her roommate.
Journey lagged behind, her head still processing the fact that Ty had gone to Elgin, learned he had a brother, and never once called.
The restaurant noise pounded against her eardrums, laughter from one table, glasses clanking as a busboy cleared another, a baby crying from the back corner. Proof that life went on, even through heartbreak.
She lifted her head to catch where April and Beck veered off to and paused, sure her thoughts were causing hallucinations. On the far wall, just outside the bar area, Ty sat with a man Journey had never seen before and their mostly empty plates indicated they’d been there for a while.
A firm hand touched her elbow. “We found a table over here…” Beck’s voice trailed off, catching the same visual she had. “Is that Ty?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes blurred. There he sat, also moving on with his life. It’d only been two days since she’d last seen him, but it felt like a lifetime had sprung up between.
Despite the conversation he was still engaged in, Ty’s gaze strayed in her direction, pausing when their eyes met. She suddenly couldn’t breathe. He could always see past her shield, past the smile and the groomed composure. Could he tell she’d been painting again? That thoughts of him had consumed every brush stroke?
His gaze shifted and a frown followed. For her or Beck, she wasn’t sure, but it was definitely for one of them.
April clicked over, wine glass in hand. She’d obviously hit the bar, tired of waiting on them. “What’s the hold up? I’m down to fifteen minutes.”
“Ty’s over there.” The words came out in a choke. There was no handbook for what to do. Ignore him? Go say hi? Pretend they hadn’t loved each other for years?
“Excellent,” she said.
“April, wait.” But the protest came too late. She was already moving toward the two of them, Journey and Beck both begrudgingly following.
“Fancy meeting you here.” April’s voice held that sweet tone, the one she used with strangers assuming they’d miss the sarcasm. They usually did. “I don’t suppose we could crash your party?”
There were times when Journey wanted to clamp her best friend’s mouth shut, and this was definitely one of them. The sharp confidence that came with her career as a corporate attorney was way too often used as a bully technique.
“We’re finishing up.” Ty’s agitated tone would have been obvious to everyone, not just the three people he’d once claimed as friends.
“If you don’t want to see us, you shouldn’t frequent our old stomping grounds.” April smiled at his tablemate. “And you are?”
The dark haired guy offered a hand. “Dustin Court.” He wasn’t much older than Ty, but seemed much more…aware. Something about the way he examined them all, like he could pinpoint their collective net worth in one glance, gave her uneasy prickles.
“Nice to meet you. I’m April Duncan.” She stepped aside and Beck followed with his own handshake.
“Beck Kinder.”
As usual, recognition flashed at Beck’s surname. A typical response that came with old Texas money. Journey’s family wasn’t poor by any stretch, but no one would ever double take the way they did with Beck and April.
“You should join us,” Dustin offered, not bothering to shake her hand. But then again, she was dressed like a two year old in a paint fight. “You don’t mind, do you, Ty?”
“No, not at all.” Ty glanced up at her with a softness she loved. It was the same unguarded look they’d share when they were alone, whispering their hopes and dreams to each other.
She eased into the space next to him and the moment their shoulders touched, she let out the breath she’d been holding. Under the table, Ty extended his hand, palm up, a clear invitation. She laced her hand through his.
He pressed his thumb against her fingers, running it along the dried paint and her chipped nail.
“Are you painting again?” The words were a whisper.
She shook her head. “No. Just helping a student.” She didn’t know why she lied. Maybe because he’d had this monumental change in his life and didn’t include her. Or maybe because she wasn’t ready to share it with anyone yet. Not even him.
Ty quit his rubbing and lowered their hands so they rested on his leg.
April slid in next to her and Beck pulled over an empty chair to the head of the table. Once settled, he cleared his throat. “So…Dustin. Where are you from?”
“West Texas. Lubbock area. I moved this way after high school. Tried the college deal, but didn’t like it much.”
“Lubbock huh? I have a friend from there, Caroline Crawford.”
“Don’t know her, but then again, Lubbock’s not exactly a small town.” Curt, to the point. Dustin wasn’t going to make the interrogation easy.
Beck leaned up on his elbows, his eyes indicating he was just getting started. “What do you do for a living?”
“Beck.” Ty’s voice held a stiff warning and she bumped his shoulder.
“Let him do this thing,” she whispered. “Two minutes and he’ll move on.”
His lack of response expressed his annoyance, but his body did relax. His hand going tighter around hers.
Dustin leaned casually against the cushioned back, appearing completely unaffected by the attention. “I’m a caretaker for the elderly. Not the medical stuff. But I offer companionship, help them with household
chores. That kind of thing.” Dustin smiled and Journey couldn’t help but return it. Beck would be hard pressed to find something wrong with that answer. “It’s how I met our grandfather.”
Ty furrowed his brow. “But I thought you came looking for him after you found the adoption paperwork.”
“Well, yeah. But my profession is how he hired me. I didn’t tell him who I really was until later.” Dustin shifted and focused on April. “You said your name was Duncan? As in Duncan Electronics?”
“That’s my father’s company,” she answered with icy detachment. “Why?”
“I knew I recognized you. You starred in their commercials, right? That jingle was so catchy.” He hummed the old song, and Beck practically spit out his drink.
“How did I not know this?” Beck kept his eyes on Tyler’s brother, a wicked smirk plastered on his face. “I want those videos. Whatever it costs; I don’t care.”
“Shut up, Beck,” April scrutinized Dustin’s smirk. “Those commercials are almost twenty years old. How did you know about them?”
He shrugged. “I guess I have a good memory.” When she continued to stare a hole in him, Dustin finally caved. “Ok, fine. I watch a lot of old VHS tapes with the elderly. They tend to record the commercials. What can I say, you were a memorable kid.”
A smile spread across Journey’s face. Dustin was nice. A little on the strange side, but interesting too. She wondered what Ty was thinking. If he liked him. If they’d already figured out their similarities and differences.
“Oh hey, there’s Mr. Pierson.” Beck jumped from his chair. “Ty, if you get a chance, maybe you can come give me a hand.”
“I’m on sabbatical,” he answered, not even bothering to look at his best friend.
Beck stared at him, his mouth pressed together in both frustration and remorse. Whatever had gone down with them last night, it remained hovering at the surface.
April clicked her phone. “I have to run, too. The team’s reconvening. And I snagged a spot on a huge merger.” She shoved her phone back into her purse and tucked it on her shoulder. “Dustin, it was nice to meet you. If you show anyone those commercials, I will personally sue you for damages.” She laughed, casual to the untrained ear, but Journey knew better. There wasn’t anything April hated more than being under a magnifying glass.
Dustin saluted her and winked. “Threat received.”
Journey couldn’t help but admire him a little. He never seemed to get rattled. Not when Beck interrogated him or even under April’s glacial stare, which had been known to make even the most innocent people confess their sins.
“You’re charming.” April touched a manicured finger to her lips. “I can’t decide if that’s good or bad yet. See you later, Ty.” She squeezed Journey’s shoulder on her way out, probably a silent advice that she should bail too.
It would be wise to listen. Let Ty have this moment with his brother. But he hadn’t let go of her hand and something told her he needed her here. And while they were in a perpetual state of limbo, one fact wasn’t in question. She loved him, which meant she was going to be there as long as he needed her to be.
“I think it’s really admirable what you do,” she told Dustin. “My grandmother has Alzheimer’s.” Ty’s hand tightened around hers. A show of his strength and support that encouraged her to keep talking. “She lives at Yellowtree facility, which is one of the best in the area, but still so many of the other patients have no family come visit at all. They just pay the bills and think that’s enough.” Like my father. On instinct, her right hand found the locket around her neck, rolling it the way she always did when she thought of her grandma.
“That’s a beautiful locket,” Dustin said. “Can I see it?”
“Um, sure,” she said, though she felt totally uncomfortable with the request. Ty squeezed her hand and let go, a clear indication he supported the exchange. Ty obviously wanted her to trust his new brother, so she would try, for his sake.
Journey carefully unclasped the necklace and placed it into Dustin’s hands. She immediately felt empty without it.
“May I?” He asked, his thumb on the spring lock.
“Go ahead.”
He pressed down and the lock sprang open, revealing the picture of Ty and her from prom. Dustin grinned at them. “I didn’t realize you two were a couple.”
“We’re not…anymore.” Ty glanced out the window and the sting of his dismissal was worse than an ant bite.
Dustin must have sensed his shift in tone because he closed the locket and handed it back to her. “It’s a stunning piece.”
“Thank you.” She carefully linked it back around her neck, eyeing Ty again. He wouldn’t look at her, the moment of connection lost. She should have taken April’s advice. When would she ever learn? “I better get going and let you two get back to your dinner.” She began to stand when Dustin suddenly jumped to his feet.
“Let me walk you out. I have to get back on the road, anyway.” He threw two twenties on the table. “You don’t mind closing us out do you, Ty?”
He absolutely did, she could see that without any guesswork, but he said, “Nah, it’s fine.”
“Great. I’ll give you a call the next time I’m free and we can go through Norm’s stuff.” He gestured for her to lead the way out.
She stepped forward, but dared to take one last glance at Ty before she left. He nodded and offered a ghost of a smile. Relief stretched through her body. He hadn’t totally forgiven her, but this was progress and she’d take it.
Dustin followed her through the restaurant and out into the parking lot.
“I assume that locket was your grandmother’s once?” he asked when she stopped by her car.
“It was. How did you know?”
“You touch it when you talk about her.” His voice softened. “Plus, I have a fascination with antiques. Norm actually got me into it. He had a big collection at one point.”
“I’m really glad you got to know him. I know Ty wishes he’d had the same opportunity.”
She’d stopped at her car, and he leaned against the side. “Does your grandmother still recognize you? Like, um, is she here in the present or are you someone else to her?”
Journey startled at the question at first, but then reminded herself this was his profession. He was probably just curious. Like she’d be if he’d mentioned art.
“It depends. I visit a lot. Sometimes I’m a stranger and other times, I’m, well, me I guess.”
“And you’re the only one to visit her?”
Now the question felt intrusive, but again she reminded herself that Dustin couldn’t possibly know her family dynamics. “Nana is loved by many people,” she finally said.
“I can see that.” He stepped closer and right as the proximity felt uncomfortable, he opened her driver side door and smiled. “I’m glad she has someone like you. Not many of them do.”
His voice was pleasant enough, but something in it made her pause. It wasn’t judgment or anger… she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Journey slid into her car, offering a quick goodbye before shutting herself inside. Her skin prickled, and she felt a sudden need to lock her doors, which made no sense at all. Dustin had simply been curious and kind, that was all.
Ty had offered an olive branch and she wasn’t going to let paranoia destroy their chance for reconciliation, or listen to the sixteen-year-old girl inside of her who was still terrified of Ty’s family stealing him away.
Chapter 16
Morton’s had grown uncomfortably crowded, even sitting alone in his six-person booth. The waitress eyed him with annoyance, waiting for him to leave so the hostess could fill her table again. Tyler understood. He’d been there, scraping for every dime in his pocket, yet he didn’t move, not when the seat next to him was still warm where Journey had been sitting only minutes ago—comfortable and unassuming.
It was rare to see her out in public without her makeup and trendy clothes, yet tonight he’d found it near
ly impossible to take his eyes off her. She seemed different somehow. Brighter. Freer. Happier. Exactly like the person she’d once been before the darkness of her father’s desertion.
The waitress slid by, easing the holder with his signed credit card receipt into her apron. “Anything else I can get you?”
He continued to ignore the hint. “I’m good, thanks.”
She moved on and he took a slow sip of his almost empty iced tea, replaying the night over again in his head, picking through the conversations Dustin had had with each one of his friends. Not surprisingly, Journey had been the only one who tried to make Dustin feel welcome. The only one who bothered to do more than fish for information. But that was her. She didn’t know a stranger, nor did she ever make anyone feel excluded or less important.
Maybe that was why he’d so totally let his guard down. Seeing the trait he admired most in her on display with his new-found brother, not only messed with his head, but he felt himself forgiving her.
He’d rationalized her deception more times than he could count. She was afraid. She was young. They all trusted Harold Kinder and would never defy him. But then he’d go back to the night after graduation, when he’d shown her his father’s death certificate. When he’d told her how angry he was that his mom had kept it from him. Journey had justified his mother’s actions, and now he knew why: she was part of the lie.
How did they recover when trust was no longer there?
Tyler slumped back in his seat, confusion a constant throb in his temples. The thought of returning to Beck’s empty house was nauseating. Being alone had never suited him and after six months of it in Dallas, he had no capacity for the silence.
A couple holding hands slid into the booth behind him. The guy mumbled something that had the woman giggling and the hostess promised drinks would be right out.
Their voices shifted into background noise as Tyler focused on the two men at the bar. Beck had been trying to work the Kinder magic for a full on twenty minutes now. But George Pierson didn’t operate like most in his field. He was old school. A loyal family guy and shrewd businessman who respected authenticity above all. That was how Tyler had pulled in the account to begin with, by simply asking him about his daughter. George had said he was the first salesman who actually listened to his answer.
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