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“Gina, he’s recovering from major surgery,” Bell reminded her, motioning for her to take a seat at the table with them. “You can’t expect him to be all chipper so quickly. Mom said the meds make him sleepy too.”
Regina frowned, taking the seat next to Bell and Romero across from Valerie and Alex. Bell poured her some coffee. “Thank you,” Regina said, reaching for the creamer and sugar. “How’s Mom doing?” she asked, turning to Bell.
She’d driven out to see her dad several times this week but hadn’t been there yesterday. Today was only her dad’s second day home. Her brother, Art, took their mom to the supermarket today while Bell and Regina stayed and watched over their dad. Pat was on her way as well. It’d been this way the whole time. Her mother hadn’t been left to deal with this alone even one day, but Regina still worried. Her mother had her own high-blood-pressure issues, and stress only added to it.
“She’s hanging in there,” Bell said, nodding as she sipped her coffee. “You know her. She’s like you, a real trooper during a crisis.”
Regina refrained from frowning, and after inquiring on whether her mom was taking her own meds, she reminded Bell she’d be willing to take time off if they needed her to come and stay with her parents for a few days. Bell assured her they had it all under control. Then Bell changed the subject to something Regina had given very little thought to all week.
“Did, uh . . .” She cleared her throat and glanced at Alex and Valerie. “Did Brandon tell you about him and Sofie?”
Him and Sofie. God, she hated how that sounded. She stirred her coffee, preparing herself to not sound defensive or jealous, though she was suddenly feeling both again.
“What about him and Sofie?” she asked then lifted a shoulder quickly meeting Alex’s eyes. “I mean I know way back something happened between them that didn’t exactly go over well with you, your brothers, and Eric since she was already with Eric, but I didn’t ask for details.”
“But he did tell you then?” Bell asked, sounding a little relieved, then gave Alex an I-told-you-so look.
Regina studied Alex’s strange expression for a moment then glanced back at her sister. “He’d told me about a girl in his past.” Regina thought about how Brandon said Sofia hadn’t even been a girlfriend. Yet she’d left such an impression on him. “He said it was someone he grew up around and later they’d had an experience. But it wasn’t until the baptism that I realized it was Sofie.” She turned back to Alex. “He had no idea either that I knew her or that he’d be running into all of you guys again.” She shrugged. “Like Romero said that day, ‘Small world, huh?’”
Valerie touched Alex’s arm, who frowned in reaction to Regina’s response. Then Bell spoke again a bit cautiously. “Did he mention what that experience had been exactly?”
Regina eyed Bell, feeling a little uncomfortable, especially given Alex’s reaction. Thoughts of Brandon and Sofia had lingered most of the week, but her father’s health had taken front and center in her mind.
“It’s been years, Gina,” Alex said suddenly. “I’m sure he’s a different guy now. And like I told Bell, as smart as you are, your judgment of character is likely spot on. I’m sure you wouldn’t get involved with someone unless you knew exactly what you’re in for. I wasn’t even gonna say anything, but it just didn’t feel right to not at least mention it.”
Regina peered at him curious now. “Mention what?”
Alex glanced at Bell as if it might be better if she told her instead of him. “Did he mention that he and Sofie’s brothers never got along?” Bell asked again, her tone a bit too cautionary. Regina was torn between being nervous or annoyed by that.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “He said something like that.”
The Morenos had always been sweethearts, as far as Regina was concerned. She didn’t want to tell them that she knew the main reason they’d been upset with Brandon was because they wrongfully blamed him alone for the indiscretion he and Sofia had had while she was already seeing Eric. From what Brandon had told her, Sofia had been just as willing. If they chose to be delusional about their sister’s innocence, that was one thing. She wouldn’t even go there unless she was forced to. But if they thought they were going to point fingers now and she’d sit there and allow it without defending Brandon, they had another think coming. So she braced herself for what Bell or Alex might mention to her next.
“Alex was just concerned because growing up it seemed Brandon’s character wasn’t always the most honorable,” Valerie explained, her tone as cautious as Bell’s, and now Regina decided it was annoying.
“It’s not even about the way he was when we were kids.” Alex shrugged. “None of us were perfect, and people grow out of stuff like that. It’s what happened later when he got back from the Marines after having been gone a few years. We all thought he’d gone on the straight and narrow and then . . .” He paused, and before he went on to say what Regina knew was coming, she interrupted because she didn’t want this to get ugly.
“He told me, Alex.” Regina informed him. “He and your sister shared a moment—a kiss—even though she was already with Eric.” She shrugged to show it was nonissue for her. “He thought they’d made a connection, especially since she allowed it.” She made sure she got that part in but wouldn’t harp on it. “He was wrong, and she admitted they’d made a mistake.”
