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“It’s a deal.” We even shook on it. Her small hand was swallowed up in mine. Before I had the chance to say anything else, a burly male nurse poked his head in and declared visiting hours over. Fine, I could accept that. The doctor said she would probably be released after the standard twenty-four-hour observation period.
I bent over her bed and rested my forehead against hers for a quick moment, then lifted my head and brushed my lips softly over hers, being careful not to use my tongue. She needed her rest, and if I kissed her like I wanted, they would be calling code blue in no time. She squeezed my hand and smiled, then I made my way back into the waiting area.
It was almost five in the morning. I had caught maybe two hours of sleep in the godforsaken hospital waiting room. It was time for King Enterprises to make a donation to fund a new wait area, complete with big screens, pull-out sofas, and any other amenities that would feel like home. I made a mental note to talk to Melinda about the details. Determined to stay until Molly was released, I grabbed a cup of the freshest coffee I could find and settled back into the hard plastic chair that sat closest to her room. I pulled out my phone and tried to call Nick back.
It was early, but he should have been up and almost to the office. It went straight to voicemail, which was unusual for him. That device was practically sewn into his palm. He hadn’t called back since his last attempt around midnight, so hopefully, whatever crisis he faced, he had it under control. I was sure I would find out later.
Judging by the time, I would get to see Molly again in about an hour. As I sat scrolling through the morning stock exchange numbers, someone sat next to me. My baby brother Knight. I wouldn’t refer to him as that to his face. He had three inches on my six-foot-two-inch frame and could easily kick my ass. He was the youngest of the King boys but definitely not the smallest.
Of course, he was here. He had known Molly much longer than I had. They met at the Juilliard School and became friends. According to him, she came into the music store just a few weeks after he took over management. She had just moved from New York and needed work, and as it happened, they were short-staffed. He offered her the job on the spot, and she’s been there ever since.
When I glanced at him, his eyes were serious. Something was weighing him down. We haven’t been as close these last few years, but a brother just knows these things. “Knight, whatever it is, just say it already. The drama train has left the building.” I hoped to lighten the mood, but when he met my gaze, I could tell whatever he wanted to say was huge.
I waited until he spoke to break eye contact. “Courtland, it seems you really like Molly. Am I correct in deducing this bit of information?” Who was this person, and what had he done with my brother? Deducing? I mean, who said that shit? He looked so sincere, so I didn’t give him grief about his vocabulary, especially now.
“Yes, I really do like her. I know we just officially met three weeks ago, but it feels like I’ve known her forever.” I kept my voice even as I spoke. “Knight, what’s this about?”
He took a deep breath before continuing. “Look, it’s just. Molly, well, she’s been through some shit in her life.”
I didn’t understand what he was playing at. “Knight, everybody has shit in their lives. Molly seems like an intelligent girl who can handle a little shit.” I laughed at the thought, but when I searched my brother’s eyes, they were stone cold.
“Courtland, this is serious. I’m not sure how much I should tell you, seeing it’s her past, but she lost someone close to her when she was a kid. Apparently, Lucy has been friends with her since they were kids, and Molly told her. Somehow, Tess found out, and she told me.” What was he saying? My Buttercup survived a tragedy when she was young.
“Come on, Knight, you can’t drop a bomb like that and then retreat before it detonates. What happened to Molly? Who did she lose?” The bitter taste of bile rose in my throat at the thought of something horrifying happening to my sweet girl. Before I could make sense of what he was saying, he continued.
“Molly isn’t an only child, Courtland. She had a twin brother. His name was Michael, and they were twelve when he died.”
My mouth opened, but I had lost the ability to speak. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, and I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. “Because of her asthma, her family vacationed on Mackinac Island every March.”
What? Surely, I wasn’t hearing him correctly. Did we live there at the same time they vacationed every year? By this point, the question wasn’t whether I would be sick but when. I noticed he stopped talking, so I took a shaky breath. “Tell me, Knight. What happened to her brother?” Please, God, don’t let him say what I think he’s going to say.
“They were playing outside, like they did every day, skating across the frozen bay. The temperature had been unseasonably warm that year, so the ice wasn’t holding like it should. The spot they were playing on was weakened, and he fell through the ice. Word is a stranger tried to save him, but by the time he was pulled from the water, it was too late.”
No, no, no. I silently screamed. My legs became weak, and it felt as if all the blood had left my body, drained by some supernatural force bent on destruction.
My brother appeared oblivious to my reaction. “Hey, man, I thought you needed to know. Are you okay? It’s a lot to take in, but Molly doesn’t know that Tess told me, so please don’t say anything about it. I’m sure she’ll tell you at some point.” He stopped talking when his phone buzzed. “I’ve got to take this. Give her my best, and I’ll see you later.”
He left just as my alarm signaled the time for my visit to Molly’s room. Raking my hands through my hair, I hesitated before standing and walking to her door, pushing it open as quietly as I could. She looked like a sleeping angel, and all I could think about was how I was the devil who had destroyed her perfect world.
“It’s going to be okay, Buttercup,” I whispered to myself. The lie tasted like saccharin on my lips. It was the first of many I would tell. At that moment, I made the most difficult decision I’ve made in the last twenty years. I bent over her sleeping frame, brushed lips over her pale cheek, and walked out the door, never looking back.
Chapter 10
Molly
It had been over a week since my release from Stone Creek General. The doctor cleared me to return to light duty at the music store, but Knight vetoed that news and took me off the schedule for the next two weeks. I wouldn’t be back playing piano for a few more weeks either, and I was going stir crazy.
My parents insisted I stay with them for the duration of my recovery. I knew they meant well, but it was hard giving up an ounce of independence. After much pleading on my mom’s part, I reluctantly agreed. The broken ribs were the worst of my physical injuries, but I could take the physical pain all day long. It was my heart that needed a reprieve. Courtland was MIA, and I was devastated.
I’m not sure what happened after the first night at the hospital. He was supposed to visit me the next morning, and when he was an hour late coming in, I called him. It went straight to voicemail.
For days, I left messages that are still unanswered. I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly ghosting me. Things had been great. Better than great.
I reached out to Knight, but all he said was that he had called him and said an emergency came up at work, and he had to go back to New York. I ran into Jackson at the Bluebird, and he said Courtland had called him every day to check on me, and Ben didn’t even know he had left town when I went by the hotel to pick up the check from my last performance.
I spent the next seven days locked away from everyone, taking my meals in my room, although I barely touched food. I led my mom to believe it was a side effect of the pain meds, even though I had actually stopped taking them six days ago. On day nine, and I think out of desperation, I finally answered Julia’s call. After crying on the phone three nights in a row, she told me enough was enough.
“Molly, you know I love your ass, but you’ve got to move on. So Courtland King is showing his true colors and being the son of a bitch everyone thought he was. You can do so much better than that self-centered bastard.” I sniffled into the receiver. “Look, come to New York for the weekend. We’ll see some shows, drown our sorrows in Junior’s Cheesecake, and have some dirty fun, maybe raise a little hell while we’re at it.”
