Slightly Off Balance

by Kaylie Hunter

  Filling the sink with hot soapy water, I was washing dishes when Reel and Uncle Mike walked through the back door.

  “Tweedle,” Uncle Mike nodded, as he waddled in his baby-suit into the dining room.

  Reel stalked toward me, his eyes glaring. The effect was completely lost due to the sparkling silver eyeshadow. I snorted.

  “You think this is funny?”

  “Yes, I do, actually,” I grinned. “Go clean up. Aunt Carol left some dinner for both of you.”

  “This isn’t over, Tweedle,” Reel said as he stomped up the back stairs.

  His tutu bounced every time he slammed a foot down. I snorted again.

  I was putting the last of the dishes away when Reel returned.

  I decided it would be best if I said my piece first. “Do you remember when we were kids, and you told me I couldn’t play baseball because I’d get hurt?”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “You threw the ball at my head. I had a headache for days.”

  “You shouldn’t have had the doctor put a cast on my leg, Reel.”

  “I can explain,” he sighed. “It was your uncle’s idea. It was only to keep you safe. We didn’t want—”

  “You didn’t want me to get hurt?” I glared, turning around to face him.

  He held his hands out in surrender and took a step back. “We didn’t deserve to be drugged and dressed up like idiots.”

  “You decided to act like an idiot, so that’s how I treated you. You need to stop this controlling, overbearing big brother crap.”

  “I don’t think of you as a little sister,” Reel said, stepping forward and putting his hands on my shoulders.

  “But you sure as hell didn’t respect me enough to let me make my own decisions,” I sighed, walking away.

  Reel followed me into the living room where Uncle Mike was sitting on the couch next to Aunt Carol. She was sipping her tea, ignoring him as she read through some papers.

  “Tweedle, you took things too far this time,” Uncle Mike said.

  “Before you think that you have a LEG to stand on in this argument, let me give you a warning. If either of you ever tries to manipulate me like that again, I have about fifty other ideas of how to settle the score. I might not be the smartest, or skinniest, or most coordinated, but you both taught me how to play a good game of revenge.”

  Both men sighed but didn’t say a word.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Out of habit, I woke at the crack of dawn, showered, dressed and went downstairs to start baking. My grandmother was the original baker in the family and taught me everything she knew, though I think she only baked because she knew I enjoyed it so much. Her kitchen was state-of-the art with not one, not two, but three double ovens. I loved cooking in this kitchen.

  I emptied the baking pantry onto the center counter and started whipping up a little of this, a little of that, and a whole lot of everything else. By the time Uncle Mike strolled into the kitchen, I had three dozen biscuits, a layer cake, a French silk pie, and about a hundred cookies of various flavors and designs.

  “I see you’re still mad.”

  “More like frustrated and disappointed,” I said, beating cake batter into oblivion.

  He filled a cup of coffee and topped off my cup before sitting on the other side of the breakfast bar.

  “I’m sorry, Tweedle. I shouldn’t have done it.”

  “It’s not just the cast, Uncle Mike. You keep assuming that I can’t take care of myself. That I can’t handle being an adult.”

  “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I know, but it’s part of life. How old do I have to be before you let me live it?”

  He sighed but nodded. “You’re right.”

  “You think?” Aunt Carol giggled, walking past Uncle Mike to the coffee pot.

  Loretta and Reel came down the back stairway, and Aunt Carol played hostess, filling coffee cups.

  “Before everyone else starts gathering, we need to talk,” I said, looking around.

  “What is it?” Aunt Carol asked, setting her cup down beside me.

  “Colby. He was the one behind the store robbery and the one who broke into the Burgess house. I need the charges to go away. He’s just a kid. I don’t know what he’s been through, but I know sending him to juvie won’t help anyone.”

  “Damn,” Uncle Mike groaned. “I can’t just make charges go away.”

  “I’ll call the store and settle with the owner,” Reel said. “I’m sure it’s just a matter of agreeing to the right restitution.”

  “I can give Joan Burgess a call,” Aunt Carol nodded. “I’ll convince her to drop the charges. No one will need to know it was Colby.”

  “Thanks,” I nodded.

  “He can’t stay with you while everything is going on,” Uncle Mike said. “He could get hurt.”

  “He’s safe here while everyone is around,” Loretta said. “He can help with chores around the estate to earn his keep. It will be good for him. I’ll stay out here until I know he’s properly settled, and we’ll figure the rest out later. Lord knows that Vince could use a young man around here helping out.”

  Reel leaned against a countertop, quiet, watching the floor. Without saying anything, Aunt Carol walked out of the kitchen, pulling Uncle Mike out of the room with her. Loretta motioned to Reel with a chin up and followed them out.

  “I’m sorry,” Reel said.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Okay, maybe I’m not all that sorry. You need to be protected. I knew that if you were limited on being able to move around, you would be more agreeable.”

  “More agreeable? More like a dog on a leash!” I slammed my hand on the countertop. “What exactly were you hoping for Reel? That I’d be so dependent on you, I would move in with you?”

  He grinned, but didn’t say anything.

  “See—you’re the one not understanding. For years, everyone whispered that you had feelings for me. For years, I’ve known that my birthday flowers came from you. For years, I waited by that damn Ferris wheel. And then you bought that creepy blue house—I was stunned. You think I actually want to live there? Unbelievable!”

  I turned away, grabbing the eggs and snapping them open and into a bowl.

  “The furniture you wanted me to pick out?” I continued. “The curtains? You have it in your head that you can waltz into town and easily choose the relationship between us. But did you ever stop to think that maybe I don’t want YOU?!”

  I was so angry, I grabbed a ball of bread dough and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest, dumping his coffee down the front of him and sending dough and flour everywhere.

  “I’m the one who gets to make the decisions about MY LIFE!” I yelled, storming out of the room.

  I stormed through the dining room where everyone was gathered. “Aunt Carol, can you pull the bread from the ovens?” I asked, not waiting for an answer.

  In the foyer, I was stopped by an angry-looking Grandpa. “Who the hell are all these people in my house?” he yelled. “Why the hell is there an IV in my arm and a hospital bed in my living room?”

  “Bridget?” I called out.

  “Yeah?” she answered, bouncing out of the dining room and into the foyer.

  “Can you take a picture of my grandpa and me?” I asked, turning to stand beside Grandpa and face Bridget.

  Grandpa quickly straightened his hair and slid the IV stand behind him before standing at parade rest for the photo. Bridget snapped a pic with her phone, only the edges of her mouth turning up in a grin.

  “Now Grandpa, be aware that if you anger me any more than I already am, I will have that picture sent to the local paper. You might want to take a look at your outfit before you open your mouth again.”

  I marched up the stairs with my head held high, turning the corner to go to my room. Down the hall, out of sight from the others, Tansey stood. She opened her arms and folded me in them as I cried.

  “Bastards,” I whispered.r />
  “I know,” she whispered back.

  “Okay, enough tears,” Tansey ordered a few minutes later, shaking me by the shoulders hard enough to make her bed jiggle.

  “Time to put on my big-girl panties?” I laughed, finishing the long-standing joke.

  “That’s right.” Tansey shoulder-nudged me before standing up. “What did Reel say about the blue house and the annual birthday flowers?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. I was too angry.” I blew my nose and tossed the tissue into the trash.

  “I have to get ready for work,” Tansey said as she pulled clothes out of her duffle bag. “Did you want to come with me tonight?”

  “Yes. But I need to do the adult thing and go downstairs to talk to Tucker and my grandpa,” I sighed. I got up, checking to make sure that I had thrown away all the tissues before turning toward the door.

  “That’s the spirit. And, hey,” she said as I neared the door, “I want a copy of that picture of Grandpa wearing the pink boxers.”

  “Deal,” I laughed.

  I went directly to the den, knowing I’d find Tucker and Grandpa there. Grandpa’s shoulders dropped when he saw me.

  “I still love you, Gramps,” I said, kissing the top of his freshly showered head.

  “I’m not sure why,” Grandpa sighed. “Sounds like I put you and myself in a terrible position. Damn Marlians.”

  “You mean Martians?”

  “No,” Grandpa said, looking at me, confused. “Why would I say Martians?”

  “Because you’ve been running around saying that the Martians were dangerous,” I shrugged.

  “No, the Marlians are dangerous,” Grandpa said sternly. “You must have misunderstood.”

  “Were you wearing all your teeth when you said it?” Tucker laughed.

  Grandpa scowled at Tucker, then sighed. “I found my partials in the bathroom soaking, so probably not.”

  “Who are the Marlians?”

  “They’re a wealthy family over in Sarrosa County,” Grandpa explained. “I did business with them about twenty-five years ago. I found out they were crooked, and Tucker helped me dissolve the business arrangement. I hadn’t seen any of them since, until about three months ago. Randall, one of the kids, about your age, showed up. He was asking questions I wasn’t willing to answer. I sent him packing, but I knew he’d be back.”

  “Why didn’t you call Tucker or Uncle Mike? Hell, you could have at least told me. You put me in charge of your medical situation and then didn’t warn me.”

  “It was stupid. I know,” Grandpa said, shaking his head. “I thought I could deal with it on my own. But the next thing I knew, I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t find my housekeeper, Adelle. The groundkeeper stopped coming. The drunk nurse wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t keep my thoughts straight.”

  “What did this guy want? When he visited you?”

  “He wanted to know about his father and where his father stayed when he lived in town. Who he spent time with. Meaningless stuff, but he was asking too many questions.”

  “Uh-huh. So, really, he was asking about what happened twenty-eight years ago? Was that the timeframe he was trying to corner you about?”

  Grandpa’s sharp eyes pinned me to my seat, but I didn’t look away. I nodded slowly.

  “Tucker already knows, but how did you find out?” Grandpa asked.

  “That my sister is my half-sister?” I asked, leaning back and crossing my arms over my chest. “When your lawyer died, Mother stopped getting her spending money. It wasn’t hard to trick her into coming over here and answering some questions. I was trying to find out whether she was behind your poisoning. Never expected to hear that she had an affair almost three decades ago.”

  “You weren’t supposed to know,” Grandpa said. “It’s not safe.”

  “Talk. Now,” I ordered.

  “She’s right,” Tucker nodded. “It’s time.”

  Grandpa glared at Tucker but then sighed, realizing it was time to come clean. “Randall’s father, Morgan, is a very dangerous man. Think gangster thug. By the time your mother realized she was pregnant, he’d already left town. She convinced your father it was his child, so he’d marry her. By the time I figured out the truth, she was already pregnant with you. I didn’t want Darlene or you associated with that man. It wasn’t safe. I’ve been paying your mother to keep her mouth shut ever since. I never even told your grandmother.”

  “But this Randall guy is snooping around, looking for answers. Why? What is he looking for?”

  “Darlene was about six or seven when Morgan came back into town. He rented a house and stayed for a few months. I was having someone keep an eye on him but to my knowledge, he never talked to either of you girls. When I found out that your mother was visiting him again, I put my foot down. He left a week later. Your father must have found out about the affair too. He left around the same time. I don’t know whether he found out that Darlene wasn’t his daughter. But I suspected that Morgan figured it out.”

  “Was that the last time this Morgan guy came to town?”

  “That I know of,” Grandpa nodded.

  “So Randall could have found out about Darlene through his father?”

  “That was my theory, but then the meds started messing with my head.”

  “If it was Randall that was drugging you and ripping you off, we can get him put behind bars. Let’s start there. We’ll have the nurse ID a photo of him.”

  “What if people find out?”

  “Lies and secrets, Grandpa, eventually float to the top of the water. It’s time Mother tells Darlene the truth. She’s an adult now.”

  Grandpa nodded, and his shoulders slouched another inch. I walked off to find Uncle Mike.

  I found Uncle Mike in the kitchen with Aunt Carol.

  “I need you to get a photo of Randall Marlian and have the nurse ID him as the guy we’re looking for. He came to see Grandpa before everything started going to hell. He has a vendetta against the family. You might want to look into the lawyer’s death too. Wouldn’t surprise me if this guy killed him.”

  “You sure?” Uncle Mike asked.

  “That he killed the lawyer? No. That he attacked this family? Yes,” I nodded.

  I walked over and grabbed the house phone, calling my mother.

  “Yes, dear. Did you get my checks straightened out?”

  “Still working on it. In the meantime, it’s been decided that you need to talk to Darlene and tell her about her biological father. Today. I don’t want her hearing it from someone else. Her half-brother might be going to prison for stealing from Grandpa.”

  “What on Earth will I say?”

  “Tell her the truth. You had an affair and got knocked up. Honestly, I’m surprised Darlene hasn’t gotten herself knocked up yet, and she’s older than what you were back then.”

  I hung up without saying anything else.

  “Your mother had an affair?” Aunt Carol asked.

  “Yeah. Darlene’s my half-sister, and her father is a criminal, as is his son,” I shrugged.

  “You think your mother will tell Darlene?” Uncle Mike asked.

  “She’s still hoping to get her monthly checks rolling again, so yes, she’ll talk to Darlene.”

  I walked upstairs and packed my bags. Then I walked across the hall and packed Tansey’s too, since she had left with Rod for her shift at the bar. I carried all our bags downstairs, setting them in the foyer. Grandpa and Tucker stopped at the entrance of the living room. Aunt Carol, Uncle Mike, and Reel walked out of the kitchen and stopped at the dining room. Bones, Bridget and Wayne stepped in through the front door. Loretta and Colby walked down the stairs.

  “Good, you’re all here,” I smiled. “I’m moving back home.”

  “We should wait for the ID,” Uncle Mike said.

  “No need, I know it was him.” I shook my head. “Grandpa, this is Colby,” I said, pulling Colby closer with an arm wrapped around his shoulder. “He’s go
ing to live here for a while and keep an eye on your grumpy old ass. Loretta will stay until she knows he’s settled, or until I can get other housing arranged for him. He has my phone number if he needs it.”

  Grandpa nodded at Colby, and Colby looked at me, unsure.

  “His bark is bigger than his bite,” I whispered. “And this house is plenty big enough for the two of you.”

  I turned to Bridget and grinned. “Thank you for coming to help. I know you all came as a favor to Reel, but I appreciate it.” I hugged Bridget.

  “If I ever need a good revenge plot, I’ll be calling.”

  “If I ever want to learn how to pickpocket, I know who to contact.”

  All the guys checked to see whether they had their wallets. Bones, Reel, and Tucker went over to the tall vase to pull theirs out.

  “Grandpa, get the books and legal documents sorted with Tucker. I’ll come back in a few days. If you want me to be in charge, then be ready to explain the details of the estate.”

  “It’s going to take about a week to sort it all. It’s a mess,” Tucker said.

  “I can help,” Colby offered. “I’m a fast learner.”

  “We will get it ready,” Grandpa nodded, placing a kind hand on Colby’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure you and Tucker have all the information. I also called Adelle, and she’s coming back to work.”

  “Good,” I said. “Aunt Carol, can you drive me home?”

  “Of course, dear,” she said, grabbing her purse from the table and leading the way.

  I walked out the door without looking at Reel. I just didn’t have it in me to face him again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It had been a long week, but it ended up being a good one. With the bakery under construction, Samantha and I started baking and selling goods out of my rental house. We arranged tables in the dining room and did takeout orders only. I didn’t have as many ovens, but I had a built-in double oven and the standard oven that was part of the stove. Plus, we moved the oil cooker over to make donuts. Of course, Samantha made me fry the donuts, but it felt good. Familiar.