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“And borderline insane if you think I’m going to fall for you.”
I laugh at her blunt remark, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms over my chest. "Well, Paige, it might be crazy, but you know what they say about crazy people - we have the most fun."
She sets her fork down on her plate and gives me a long, thoughtful look. There is something so genuine about her; she’s not afraid to speak her mind and challenge me. She challenges everyone. I watch as her eyes scan the room. It’s a strange feeling to have someone new in your home. It’s like they are getting a peek inside your soul.
She catches sight of a picture of me and my sister on the wall. I show no reaction, but inside, I’m cringing. I know the question is coming. "Is that your ex-wife?" she asks.
I shake my head, a pang of sadness washing over me at the memory of my sister. "No, that's my sister," I tell her.
“Your sister?” She stares at the picture a bit longer before looking at me.
“Yes.”
“Does she live around here?”
“She doesn’t live anywhere anymore,” I reply.
Her widen. “Oh. I’m sorry. Was it recent?”
It's not something I like to talk about, but with Paige, it feels strangely easy to open up. “Three years ago.”
“How old was she?”
“Thirty,” I reply.
“Oh, my goodness. So young. Can I ask what happened?”
Few people knew about my sister. Some knew but no one actually talked about it because I made it clear it was not something I ever wanted to discuss. “She was hit by a drunk driver on her way home from work.”
“What did she do?” Paige asks. It wasn’t the usual question. Usually, it was immediately followed by another sorry or something like that. Paige was asking about Natalie. It was strange to talk about her. Our parents were long gone. We had no other family member. No one to remember her except me.
“She was a nurse at the hospital downtown. She worked the overnight shift. She was on her way home at seven o’clock in the morning and some dude was going the wrong way on the freeway. He killed her and seriously injured a couple of other people.”
“That’s awful!” she gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“Were you two close?”
My eyes drift back to the last picture of us I had. “Yes,” I nod. “Our parents died a while ago. It was just the two of us. I was in New York when it happened. I was flying commercial back then. It was strange, because I knew she was gone, but I wanted to get home. All flights were grounded because there was one hell of a snowstorm. It felt like I was leaving her alone. It took me about twelve hours after I got the call. Those twelve hours were brutal.”
She slowly nods as I talk. “I can’t imagine. That had to be so hard. Maddening. I don’t know you all that well, but I know you’re a man that likes to be in control.”
I shake my head. "It was. It still is. I went into a bit of a downward spiral after that. I hardly left my apartment for a year. I quit or got fired, depending on who you ask. It was a rough time. I finally pulled myself together and used my severance and the settlement from my sister’s accident to help buy that jet.”
Paige reaches out and puts her hand on mine. "I'm sorry for your loss."
I took a deep breath, exhaling and ridding myself of the darkness that always clung to me when I thought about my sister. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry about the plane,” she says with a grimace. “Will your insurance cover the replacement?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I shrug. “My investor is dealing with all of that. I still need to go in for an interview, but it can wait.”
“Because we’re both supposed to be dead?”
I nod. “For the most part. No one is going to be looking for me. What about you? What about your family? Do you need to call them?”
She lets out a long sigh. “Yes, but I doubt they’re really all that worked up about my potential death.”
