Between Us Girls

by Sally John

  She pulled her ring of keys from a pocket. “You kept her out long enough.”

  “She wasn’t ready to come home yet.”

  “ ‘Home.’ ”

  “Figure of speech.”

  Liv chuckled and unlocked the door. Keagan entered behind her and shut it against the cool night air while she turned on lamps. Of course he was thinking the same thing she was. “Google?”

  He carried one of the overstuffed chairs around the desk, sat down in her leather executive chair, and pulled out the keyboard. “I’ll drive.”

  She smiled and sank onto the more comfy chair beside him. The desk was a big old thing with enough legroom for two. “You can be such a guy sometimes.”

  “Mm-hmm.” He turned on the computer, which she had already shut down for the night. “We went to the Maritime Museum. She wanted to see the displays again about the tuna fishermen in the early days.”

  “I thought she might have wanted to do some online research.”

  He shook his head, typing, eyes on the monitor. “I’m not sure she has a technical bone in her body.”

  “Probably not. She’s all heart. She kept saying she doesn’t know where to put this information. It’s a shock to her system, for sure. How was she when you picked her up at the airport?”

  “What you just saw, only ten times worse.”

  “Weepy and giggly?” Liv tried to imagine ten times worse. Then she tried to imagine Keagan dealing with that. “What did you do?”

  For a moment, he did not reply. His hands stilled over the keyboard. “Took her over to the Blue Crab for clam chowder.” He typed again.

  “Clam chowder? Now that’s the way to comfort a woman.”

  He clicked the mouse, apparently engrossed in where the links were leading him.

  Or he might be keeping a private moment between him and Jasmyn private. Had he offered a hug? Any other guy would have, but stoic Keagan? She wasn’t sure, but if he had, it had been a significant event.

  And she should stop meddling.

  “It is the best chowder in the county,” she said. “Did you find anything at the museum?”

  “No. She studied those faded photos until we were kicked out at eight.”

  “It’s after ten.” She winced. Meddler.

  “Then we drove around Point Loma,” he offered, no hint of exasperation. “She seemed to just want to hang out where her distant relatives might have lived.”

  “Do you think they are her relatives?”

  He tilted the monitor to give her a better view. “What do you think?”

  Liv adjusted her glasses and looked at a family photo. An elderly couple, a middle-aged couple, a twentysomething couple, and two little tykes stood in front of a fishing boat, its hull and cabin painted an aqua color. The caption read: Carlos Anibal, center, founder of Anibal Cargo, and his family. From Tuna to Total Shipping Services—Transportation You Can Trust.

  Except for the young woman, the people faded from Liv’s sight. “Oh, my. Do you see the same spitting image of Jasmyn that I see?”

  “There’s a resemblance in Carlos too.”

  Liv refocused her eyes. It was true. The hair, the skin tone, the stature, something about the nose. “Oh, my.”

  There was a rap on the office door and Liv jumped. It opened a crack and Samantha peered inside. “Hey. Private party?”

  “Come in, dear. Have you talked to Jasmyn tonight?”

  “Jasmyn?”

  “She’s still here.”

  Sam, speechless, sat in the chair across the desk. She had just arrived home from work. Liv and Keagan filled her in. They showed her the online photo. Her eyes grew larger and larger.

  “This is freaky,” she said more than once.

  Keagan continued his research. He found the date of Carlos’s death—a year ago in September—and Manda Smith’s name as his daughter and owner, with her husband Jake Smith, of Anibal Cargo.

  He looked up. “What else?”

  Samantha stood. “DNA?”

  “I’ll work on that.”

  It was hard to tell when Keagan was joking. For all Liv knew, he had a plan to get samples from both Jasmyn and these people. She halfway hoped he did have such a plan. That would be true meddling.

  Samantha stood. “I should go see her.”

  When she had shut the door behind her, Liv turned to Keagan. “Do you think it’s too much to hope that Jasmyn finds her biological family and they’re wonderful and she decides to move to San Diego? To the Casa?”

  His expression deadpan, he shut down the computer. Then he swiveled in the chair, leaned over, and gave her a peck on the cheek. “There’s always hope, Livvie,” he whispered and left the office.

  What an odd evening. Keagan comforting Liv with a son-like kiss. Samantha behaving like a friend to Jasmyn.

  She did not think she could have asked for more.

  Not counting that little thing about Jasmyn moving into the Casa on a permanent basis.

  Fifty-Five

  Sam had stayed late at work in order to avoid the emptiness waiting for her back at the Casa de Vida. Even before Jasmyn’s goodbye that morning, her absence wormed its way inside of Sam, chewing at the joy she felt in her presence.

  Evidently Sam had been given a reprieve.

  She stood now in the shadows outside Jasmyn’s purple door, her hand poised to knock. She hesitated.

  Lights glowed behind the drawn bay window curtains, but that didn’t necessarily indicate Jasmyn wanted a visitor. Sam wouldn’t want a visitor at eleven o’clock at night. Her lights would be on because she was watching the news, not because she was ready to welcome an unannounced guest.

  But Jasmyn wasn’t like Sam. She was probably the exact opposite in most areas, especially the way she put others first. She was kind. Genuinely kind. Thoughtful.

  And she might be in need of a hug. Sam knocked.

  Jasmyn opened the door, her eyes wide, her hair half in and half out of a ponytail, her face ashen. “Sam! Did you hear?”

  “Yeah. Freaky.”

  “That’s for sure. Um, thanks for stopping by.” Her smile didn’t hold. “I’m sorry. I just can’t talk about it anymore tonight.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Jasmyn shut the door.

  Sam blinked at the purple door. She blinked a few more times. Her eyes stung.

  That hurt. That really hurt. Her stomach felt like a solid knot. Which was the number one reason not to get involved. Not to be friends with anyone. Except it was too late. As far as she could tell, she and Jasmyn were friends. BFFs, actually. Right? And her BFF was not in a good way.

  She took several deep breaths, exhaling with each a layer of pride.

  Sam knocked again and Jasmyn opened the door. “Jasmyn, you don’t have to talk about it. Keagan and Liv told me everything. How about I make some tea? And I’ll just sit with you.”

  Jasmyn started crying, a quiet weeping. Another reason not to get involved. Tears were incredibly messy.

  Sam walked inside, shut the door, and hugged Jasmyn. “Oh, good! The couch is still here. Sit. I’ll get tea.”

  Hoping that there was tea, she went into the kitchen and searched the cupboard. Of course she found a box of mixed flavors, no doubt placed there by Liv. She chose chamomile and heated water in the microwave, eyeing Jasmyn as she bundled herself inside an afghan and sat on the couch.

  While the tea steeped, she rummaged some more and almost gave up until she opened the freezer. There was the telltale round plastic container. Liv must not have had time to bake a fresh batch of cookies and resorted to her storehouse of frozen goodies. Next she found a small serving tray because the hostess with the mostest figured every kitchen needed one.

  A few minutes later she set things on the end table, handed a mug to Jasmyn, and sat beside her.

  “Thanks, Sam.”

  “Shh. We’re not talking.”

  Jasmyn nodded and sipped.

  Sam
sipped.

  Jasmyn smiled. “We could talk about something else.”

  “Yeah, right, after hearing you have a whole biological family close by. Well, almost whole. A sister and brother-in-law, a niece and a nephew anyway. How can you think about anything else?”

  “What? A niece and a nephew?”

  Ohhh. Sam groaned softly.

  “Sam, what are you talking about?”

  “Uh. Um. Oh, nuts. I’m so sorry, Jasmyn. You didn’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  “That Manda Smith has a husband and kids.”

  Jasmyn stared at her. “She didn’t mention kids to Quinn. Just that she and her husband owned the business.”

  Sam wanted to kick herself. “Keagan and Liv got online. They found information about the trucking company. The family trucking company and how—”

  “Stop!” Jasmyn held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear anything else. I want to meet her first.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “The thing is, what if we’re not even related? I don’t want to get my hopes all up and then…” She paused. “A niece and a nephew?”

  Sam hesitated and then she nodded.

  “How old?”

  Sam took a breath. “The photo was taken a few years ago. They were little then. One and three maybe?”

  Her lips were a straight line.

  Sam exhaled. She was not good at the BFF stuff. Not good at all. “Jasmyn, I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”

  “Sam, you can stop apologizing.” She gave her a tiny smile. “Really. It’s okay. I think I asked you why you didn’t go searching online for your family history. It seems the natural thing to do nowadays.”

  “If you care to know anything.”

  Jasmyn’s eyes focused elsewhere. She seemed lost in thought for a long moment, and then she whispered, “I’m an aunt?”

  “Technically half a one.”

  Now she groaned. “I couldn’t figure out where to put Manda, and now there’s a niece and a nephew to fit in.”

  “What do you mean, ‘put’?”

  “Put inside of me. In my heart.” She touched her chest. “I’ve been at a total loss about where to put all this new information, these people without names or faces. They’re not real, but they are. They need a space in here. I’ve kept a spare room waiting, but for some reason they don’t fit in it now.”

  “Your heart has rooms?”

  “Doesn’t yours?”

  “I never thought about it. So do you have a whole house in there?”

  “Sure. Bedrooms, dens, living rooms, basement, porches. I used to shut the mudroom door on my grandfather when he was being all loud and gruff.”

  “Mudroom. You’re a fruitcake, Jasmyn.”

  “I am.” She nodded. “What do you do with people?”

  “Ignore them as much as possible.”

  “Sammi, you don’t mean that.”

  She actually did, but typical Jasmyn urged her on to higher things. “I probably compartmentalize them in my mind.”

  “Same thing.”

  Not quite. Little lockboxes in cubbyholes were not the same thing. She let it go. “Do I have a room in there that you shut the door on?”

  “No, silly. Everyone at the Casa is in a big kitchen and family room, an open area, where I spend most of my time. When I go back home, I suppose I’ll have to close it all up. Winterize it, like Danno does the patio— Attic! That’s where I’ll put them for now. They can move into the spare room after I meet Manda in person. I hope, anyway.”

  “On Friday.”

  “Yeah.” She raised the mug to her mouth, her knuckles white from gripping so tightly. “What do I do until then?”

  “Build an attic?”

  Once again, her smile went up and slipped right back down.

  Sam hoped her own stayed in place and dazzled her BFF with confidence. “Rest assured, Jasmyn, those people in that kitchen and family room of yours will make sure you get through the week in good shape.”

  Instead of smiling, Jasmyn started crying.

  Messy. Messy. Messy.

  Fifty-Six

  Early Tuesday morning, in the courtyard near the trickling fountain, Liv leaned forward to look straight into Jasmyn’s blue-violet eyes. They had begun to resemble those of a woman panicked by the loss of her car and belongings. “Listen, dear. There is nothing to worry about. You are part of the Casa family. Everyone will ask why you’re still here.”

  “Can’t we just say my flight was canceled?”

  “Oh, applesauce. This news of yours is an exciting development.”

  “It might be a lot of drama for nothing.”

  Samantha appeared behind Jasmyn. “And you are such a drama queen.”

  Liv laughed.

  Jasmyn frowned.

  Samantha nudged her shoulder against Jasmyn’s. “And we are such a nosy bunch.”

  “I feel like the butterfly I killed when I was in sixth grade. Flutterbee. I never should have named him. I pinned his wings to a two-by-four. It was a science project.”

  Samantha chuckled. “Liv, what on earth are you going to do with her today?”

  “Put her to work scrubbing the walls in Three so Beau can start painting them.”

  “Good idea. When I get home, Jasmyn, we’ll go for a run.”

  Beau approached from the direction of Cottage Three, wiping his hands on a rag. For a large man, he moved quietly. “I thought I heard voices.”

  Liv noticed two bright spots erupt on Samantha’s cheeks. She smiled to herself. Interesting that she and Jasmyn had been talking for several minutes and Beau had not heard voices until after Samantha joined them.

  “Miss Jasmyn!”

  Jasmyn rolled her eyes and groaned. “Yes, I’m back.”

  “Isn’t that the cat’s meow?”

  “Or something. It’s a long story. Sam can tell you.”

  Samantha shook her head. “Gotta go.”

  “I’ll walk you out, Miss Sam. I need to get something from my truck.”

  At the sight of Samantha hurrying toward the back gate and Beau taking long strides to keep up, Liv couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “That was brilliant, Jasmyn.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t mean to put her on the spot. She’s just good at giving short explanations.”

  “Reader’s Digest versions.” Liv laughed again. “I’m happy to give an uncut version if you’d rather not.”

  “I’d rather not—oh! Here comes Tasha.”

  The little girl raced from her front door and around the fountain, squealing, “Jasmyn! Jasmyn!”

  Jasmyn caught her up in a hug. “Hey! I’m back.”

  “Yay!”

  Riley appeared as Inez and Louis made their way over from their cottage. Noah emerged from his. She imagined Keagan lurked behind some plant.

  Chad called out from his doorway, “What’s up? Piper there?” His eyes were at half-mast, his hair a messy tangle. He ducked back inside, probably because he did not see the love of his life and it was only seven a.m.

  Liv smiled. Most of the family was up and about, heading to work and school. The shortened account would have to suffice for now. It would be enough for Inez and Louis to invite Jasmyn out to breakfast, for Riley and Tasha to set up a visit to the library after school, and for Noah to offer to bring over a casserole for dinner.

  The attention made Jasmyn uncomfortable, but that was life at the Casa. They would get her through the next few days and be there after, when Jasmyn would have to deal with whatever she learned about her biological family.

  Fifty-Seven

  At a corner table in Jitters Coffee Shop, a third refilled cup in hand—decaf this time—Jasmyn crossed one leg over the other and swung it vigorously.

  She glanced at her watch. Twenty minutes to go. She had arrived early. Way early. The crowd had dwindled to a midmorning lull.

  She should be having coffee with Quinn at the Flying Pig, figuring out what to do about Danno’s offer, moving out of t
he studio apartment, getting reacquainted with her first-ever brand-new car that was turning old by the hour. It was a nice powder-blue Versa hatchback with tan interior. Driving it off the dealer’s lot had been such a kick.

  Instead…Her stomach lurched. Excitement. Anticipation. Dread. She took a deep breath.

  Instead, she was going to meet her sister. Half sister. Probably half sister.

  Maybe half sister.

  And learn about her dad. Her maybe dad.

  A niece and a nephew?

  There would have been grandparents. Maybe there were still grandparents.

  She checked her watch. Only eighteen minutes to go now.

  Lord, help. Help me to be nice to her. Help me not to be stupid. Help me hear the truth about my mom and her dad. And if there’s nothing—well, help me deal with that.

  She recrossed her legs, stared out the window, and wondered where Keagan was.

  Not that he had told her he’d be out there. Nope. He didn’t have to. Not that she had asked him to. Nope. She didn’t have to do that either.

  Keagan. Talk about wondering where to put someone inside her heart. She tried to keep him with the others, in the kitchen/family room. He kept slipping out to the back porch where the sun rose and warmed her and did its whoosh and wham thing.

  She shook her head.

  For the past three days, the others had basically taken care of her, much as they had that very first week she had been at the Casa. She didn’t have one meal, run, or walk at the beach alone. Keagan asked at least twice a day if she needed anything. Most of the hours she spent working with Liv and Beau on Cottage Three. Scrubbing worked wonders for her frazzled emotions.

  She should have let someone join her, in person, to meet Manda Smith. Keagan would have. Sam offered to take the day off from work. Liv and Inez offered, a duo backup team. Chad offered. Even Piper and Riley offered.

  Jasmyn checked her watch. Fifteen minutes to go.

  She could add up her travel expenses, or rather her going-nowhere expenses. Canceling and rebooking flights were not cheap choices. She hadn’t even rebooked the return yet. How could she know what was next? Her future hinged on this meeting.