Page 15 of Read With Your Heart

Jess steps up to the table, and Amaryllis’s brother’s eyes instantly meet mine. His lips purse with hesitation a second while Jess begins the introductions. “Leon Ramirez, this is my family.” He points out Tom and Karyn. And then me. “And this is our baby sister, Tricia. You might remember her as the one you rescued in the alley.”

Heat rushes to my face, and Karyn turns on me. “What happened in the alley?”

“It was nothing,” I mutter.

“Trent cornered her,” Jess announces, catching Tom’s eye.

“Why don’t you announce it to the entire bar?” I mumble.

“Why don’t you just tell us what happened?” Tom retorts. He’s rarely serious, but when it comes to my divorce—which seems sudden to my family—he doesn’t joke. They all want answers that I’m not ready to give.

“Do we need to do this now?” I hiss, shifting my eyes from Tom to our guest, who is still watching me.

“Ms. Carter is also my sister’s teacher,” Leon says, drawing the attention away from Trent but still not entirely off me.

“Ms. Carter,” Tom drawls, arching an eyebrow at me with a little grin.

“Well”—Karyn sighs—“maybe big brother needs to come in for a conference.” I crane my neck, facing her, wondering how she knows big brother does actually need to do that, and then she winks at me. More heat rushes to my face, and despite the looseness of my dress, I tug at the neck again. Glancing up, I see Leon watching me adjust my clothing like I did earlier.

Jess directs Leon to the seat next to mine and takes the last seat available at our table for himself.

“Where’s Pam?” I ask.

“Who knows?” Karyn answers. Our sister has a mystery job that she works outside her regular job as manager at Mae’s Flowers, a garden center up the highway from the main town. She always jokes she’d tell us what she does but then she’d have to kill us. In all seriousness, it comes with an NDA, and she refuses to break it. Not even a teeny-tiny hint.

“So Leon, new in town? Got a wife, children, more sisters?”

“Jesus, Tom, just cut to the quick why don’t you?” Karyn admonishes her husband before reaching for her beer and turning back to our guest. “Ignore him.”

“Don’t ignore me. Just answer so we can feel like old friends and move on,” Tom states.

“What is this, a chick flick? Let’s be friends? Let the guy enjoy a beer,” Jess protests.

“How do you know each other?” Karyn asks.

Jess smirks. “We’re old friends.”

I shake my head. This whole conversation is going nowhere, and I almost feel sorry for Leon. He rubs his hands down his thighs.

“Actually, the quick and dirty is, I’ve lived here about six months. I work at Dixon’s Repair and Restoration, and I’ve newly acquired my little sisters. Lys is Ms. Carter’s student, and Lena is a senior.”

“Our daughter, Meghan, is a freshman, too.” Karyn smiles. “And a senior? Does Lena know our Madison? She’s also a senior and a cheerleader.” Karyn’s proud mama moment passes when Leon continues.

“Yeah, I don’t think Lena’s into the sports scene.” He reaches for his beer and takes a quick sip, and I have all kinds of questions I want to ask. How did he “acquire his sisters,” as he calls it? What happened to his parents? Did something tragic happen? Lys mentioned they were missing. What does that mean? I want to fire off my own set of questions, but Leon continues.

“No wife. No children that I’m aware of,” he says with a smirk, and Tom snorts.

“Think there might be?” Jess asks, his voice a little edgier than necessary.

“No. Definitely not.” His eyes flick to me for a moment and then drop to the table.

“See? None of that was painful, and now we know it all,” Tom says like he’s a friend-making master.

“Except where you are from,” Karyn says.

“Chicago.” As soon as Leon answers, Jess stiffens with his beer held almost to his lips. The woman of his dreams lives there, as does his ex-wife—who was definitely not the woman of his dreams.

“Chicago?” Tom asks excitedly, and I close my eyes on behalf of my other brother. “Do you know Emily Post of Chicago?” Tom adds a chuckle to her name, and we all look over at Jess, who looks like he’s caught between feeling sick and wanting to kill our eldest brother.