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I waved off her apology. “No worries, Martha. I should’ve let him know when you told me. We’ll figure somethin’ out.”
Tyler reached down to scratch the fluffy calico cat, Sir Whiskers. Meanwhile, I took a good look at Candy - her blonde bob so slick it could slide off her head, and those piercing blue eyes that could probably shoot laser beams if she wanted. She was dressed in a flowy floral dress that looked like it belonged on the cover of Southern Belle magazine. I couldn’t help but wonder how this woman fit into my brother’s life, but then I saw their matching rings and felt a wave of dread wash over me.
Oh, Tyler, what have you gotten yourself into now?
I shook off my distress as best I could, my insticts kicking in. “Tyler, have y’all eaten yet?”
“Not since our last stop. I wasn’t sure when you’d be back so we’ve just been wanderin’ around here. And hey—I got somethin’ for ya.”
“What?”
Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of blue Skittles, tossing them to me. “Figured you’d need ’em for all the happy days ahead.”
Grinning through the tears that’d sprung up out of nowhere, I threw my arms around my brother and held him tight. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too, Pais. Now, feed me. I’m hungry.”
“Why don’t we head over to The Crispy Crust?” I suggested, pulling back and dabbing the delicate skin under my eyes.
“I’m always down for pizza,” Candy exclaimed.
“Great. It’s the best pizza in town, so we can grab a bite and figure out a plan since the B&B is booked,” I said, deliberately keeping my eyes off those rings. I didn’t wanna make even more of a scene in the B&B’s parlor. That was the last thing I needed, and it’d be a bummer of a welcome for Tyler. And… his wife.
The bustling atmosphere of the pizzeria engulfed us as we slid into a booth, the aroma of melted cheese and savory toppings making my mouth water. But as much as I wanted to dive into the menu, I couldn’t ignore the burning questions swirling in my mind.
“So, Candy,” I began, my tone sweet as honey but my eyes sharp, “how did you and Tyler meet? He’s never mentioned you before.”
Candy glanced at Tyler, who gave her an encouraging nod. “Well, it’s kind of a funny story. We started writin’ letters to each other while he was... away.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Letters? Like, pen pals?”
“Somethin’ like that,” Tyler cut in, reaching for Candy’s hand. “We just connected, ya know? Spent months pourin’ our hearts out on paper before we ever met face to face.”
I leaned back, trying to wrap my head around it. Falling in love through letters? It seemed like a recipe for disaster, especially given Tyler’s history. But the way they looked at eachother as they sat across the table from me... I couldn’t deny the genuine affection there.
“And then what happened?” I pressed, unable to quell my curiosity. But what I wanted to ask was how the heck pen pals turned into wedding bells.
Candy and Tyler exchanged a look, their eyes sparkling with a shared secret. “Well,” Candy began, “after we started writing letters, it just... took off.”
“We were sendin’ ‘em all the time,” Tyler chimed in, grinning. “I’d wake up every mornin’ excited to see what she’d written.”
“Even when I sprayed perfume on the letters, and you said it made everybody else’s letters all smelly too?” Candy asked.
Tyler gave her a quick kiss. “Even then.”
I bit my lip, torn between wanting to roll my eyes and being charmed by their obvious affection for each other. “I bet that went over well with the other inmates.”
“Oh, they loved it,” Tyler said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Candy reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m sure they just wished someone was writing smelly letters to them, too.”
I cleared my throat, trying to steer the conversation back on track. “So, Candy, did you ever visit Tyler while he was... away?”
Candy’s expression softened. “I wanted to, but...”
My heart clenched, bracing myself for her answer.
“...Tyler said it wouldn’t be fair for me to visit when you couldn’t,” Candy finished, her eyes meeting mine. “Plus, he didn’t want me to see him like that any more than he wanted you to. He talked about you all the time, Paisley. How much he missed you and how he hated being separated from his favorite person.”
