Anette put her hand up. “Allow me,” she said. “I want it to come from me.”
“All right,” he agreed.
She rose and headed out the door in search of her brother. He wasn’t in the corridor so she continued to look.
Anette was about to turn the corner when she heard Roswell say in a hushed voice, “You need to calm down.”
“I am calm,” her brother declared.
She knew it was impolite to eavesdrop, but she felt inclined to stop and listen.
“You don’t seem calm,” Roswell remarked.
Caleb let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I am letting my emotions get the best of me. I thought I could handle it, but I don’t think I can.”
“You better or else Kendrick will send in Warnick.”
“We can’t let that happen,” her brother said.
“No, we can’t,” Roswell agreed.
Anette knew it was time to make herself known so she stepped around the corner. “Caleb,” she said. “I came to see how you are faring.”
“I am well,” he replied in a tone that was hardly convincing. “I apologize for how I reacted back there. I just was tired of Father berating you.”
“He was hardly berating me,” Anette said. “Besides, we have put our differences aside… for now. He has even offered to help me publish my book, assuming I ever finish it.”
“You will,” Caleb encouraged.
Anette offered her brother a grateful look. “You have always been my greatest supporter.”
“That is because I am striving to be your favorite brother.”
“You always have been,” Anette said. “Frankly, there is no other competition so you don’t have to try as hard.”
Caleb chuckled. “We should return to the dining room before our food gets cold.”
Roswell stepped forward and offered his arm. “May I escort you, Anette?”
“Thank you,” she said as she accepted his arm.
As they started walking back, Roswell asked, “Is your father truly going to help you publish your book?”
“That is what he said, and I believe him,” Anette replied. “But he wants me to write under a pseudonym.”
“That is fair,” Roswell said. “Have you decided what you wish to write on?”
“That is the hard part,” Anette admitted. “There are so many things I wish to write about.”
“Just focus on the one story that needs to be told.”
Anette pondered on that for a moment. If she could only tell one story, what did she want her legacy to be?
“You have done the impossible,” Caleb said. “Anette is speechless.”
“I hope not, because there is no lovelier sound than her voice,” Roswell responded.
Caleb grinned. “Wait until she is angry with you,” he joked.
