“Do you mind?” she asked, as if she was going to remove the shirt.
“You look damn good in it. But I’ll need it back at some point.”
She handed me the beer before placing the wine on the coffee table. “We’ll see. I kind like smelling like you. A little rough around the edges. I’ll be right back.”
Chuckling, I twisted the cap, taking a long pull before doing the gentlemanly thing and pouring a glass of wine. The dogs were huddled together in one chair, already best buddies. In my mind, seeing their closeness was dangerous. And why? Because getting close to anyone was the one thing I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t do.
Ever.
Not only was it not good for my psyche, but I couldn’t be trusted around myself, let alone with anyone else.
Leaning my head back, I tried to relax, but of course, my eyes happened to notice there’d been a roof leak at some point. Well, at least I could make myself useful.
I took another gulp of beer as I mentally planned how to check on the leak. Then I took another big swallow, savoring the chill as I continued studying the room. There were about fifteen pictures in frames on the mantel and maybe I should consider it snooping, but I wanted a little taste of what her family was like.
They seemed to be in chronological order. Even before I glanced down the line twice, I first noticed the picture of man in his late twenties in a fireman’s uniform. With the Twin Towers in the background. I couldn’t imagine what he’d gone through in being exposed to the horror.
Did that make what I’d gone through with my sister any easier or any less painful? No. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone down Grace’s memory lane because I had very little in the way of snapshots of my former life.
Yet I couldn’t lie that I enjoyed seeing Grace in various stages of her life from grade school through high school. And her college graduation. At every stage of her life, she was absolutelybeaming with joy and happiness, which I feared had been taken from her with her parents’ death.
And I sure as shit wasn’t the kind of guy to be able to fill her with positivity.
By the time I’d finished half the bottle, I wondered if there was an issue. I’d upset her enough, noticing the tears she’d tried to hide. I had a sense she wasn’t interested in allowing me to experience her pain. There didn’t need to be a reason why. I was just as private a person as she was.
With the bottle still in my hand, I went to check on her, even going upstairs, then coming back down. When I moved down the hallway downstairs I’d yet to pay any attention to, I noticed a light at the end of the hall.
Keeping as quiet as possible, I moved closer to the room, peering inside. She was standing in front of a painting, blocking the picture. There were two others halfway to completion, both colorful and full of her love of animals.
There was an entirely different vibe in the room, the one location that held aspects of her former life.
The room was an office and I noticed diplomas on one wall in frames. The feeling was definitely masculine, which meant it had been her father’s office for the clinic. With the number of boxes in several rooms, most with almost nothing inside, she still wasn’t ready to let her memories fade into the distance.
I understood that all too well.
A crackle of electricity sparked between us and I sensed she felt my presence.
“I added Sailor to the painting. What do you think?” She stepped aside without turning around. “I think there needs to be more flowers.”
“I think you’re too critical of your work. It’s beautiful.”
“They’re so good together. I fear they’re becoming bonded.”
“Which means we shouldn’t break them apart.” I stepped just inside, careful not to invade her space since I hadn’t been invited.
“No, we shouldn’t, but with all things bright and beautiful, there comes an end. Doesn’t there?” She finally shifted toward me, studying my eyes. There was something so beautiful about seeing her in my shirt, which on her was a dress. Unassuming, her hair disheveled and with a light shimmer on her skin, she was truly the most gorgeous woman I’d ever set eyes on.
“Death and separation are painful but sometimes necessary.”
I don’t know how logical my words were or if she understood what I was trying to say because she didn’t blink, didn’t utter a word at first. Seconds later, she turned away once again, but not before I’d noticed the tears in her eyes.
“Nobody really knows what happened. Other than that a week before the fire, my father called the police to report an intruder. That’s what everyone thought. When the police arrived, they’d mentioned a few bear sightings, even showing my father where some tomato plants had been ripped from the ground, the tomatoes eaten.”
“Let me guess. He didn’t believe in the bear story.”
She shook her head. “I laughed and told them bears were a part of Montana. Just to try and ease his fears. Maybe I should have known.”
“Grace, how could you?”
