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“Give me your number,” I said and handed him my phone. “I’ll think about it.”
I hated to admit it, but I must have done something right by going to that yoga class because the second I got back to Robbie’s I passed out on the couch, not even stirring when he threw a blanket over me. It was the first solid five hours of sleep I got in more than a week. I awoke late afternoon feeling refreshed and with more energy than I could handle. Opting to skip out on coffee, which was very rare for me, I made a few phone calls to my mother, Dr. Van Sant and a detective back in New York who was working my case.
As expected, there were no new leads. I knew there wouldn’t be. He was too smart, too quick to disappear. Plus, there were some serious crimes in the city, and I was smart enough to know that mine took the back burner.
Trying not to dwell on the fear that I would never have any answers, I showered and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up Robbie’s house, finding out that he had canned food that expired three years ago. I finally unpacked my suitcases, not knowing what the future had in store for me. All I knew was that I couldn’t live out of suitcases and, for the time being, I needed to be home and surrounded by my family.
But not having a home of my own made me restless. Taking a deep breath, I smoothed my hands down my legs and looked around. I was staying in a guest bedroom, sitting on a bed that wasn’t mine, in a house that didn’t belong to me.
God, what a pity party I was having.
It was true, though. I was so mixed up, all I wanted to do was scream out my frustration. I was happy to be home, happy to be bonding with my brothers and Simone, but not having my own space killed me. My whole life had been upended by some unknown freak with an agenda and I simultaneously wanted to punch my ex boyfriend and shove my tongue down his throat.
I stood and looked at myself in the full length mirror. Taking notice that the bruise around my eye was finally starting to fade and the cut on my lip was gone, I tried to smile only for it to come out as a grimace. My blonde hair was piled on my head in a messy knot and there wasn’t an ounce of makeup on my face.
“My sister is such a beauty,” Robbie said, appearing at my door.
“She’s my sister, too,” Logan appeared next to him, shouldering his way in front of Robbie and holding up a brown paper bag. “Chinese?”
If there was anything in this world that could make me feel better, it was chicken lo mein.
Downstairs, we grabbed paper plates and a roll of paper towels before tossing everything in the center of the table. Logan supplied the food, Robbie supplied the beer and I brought my appetite.
“I can’t believe you listen to country music now,” Logan said in disgust as Sam Hunt sang a ballad about tailgates and lightning on Robbie’s phone while we sat at the kitchen table.
I slurped a noodle into my mouth before pointing my chopsticks at my oldest brother. “Wasn’t Simone saying something about how she’s been on a Sam Hunt kick lately?”
Robbie cast his eyes down before shoving an entire chicken finger in his mouth. “I wouldn’t know, we don’t talk much.”
“Bullshit,” Logan coughed and then looked at me from across the table.
I dabbed the paper towel against my mouth before setting it down. “You and Sim have gotten awful close lately.”
Robbie’s eyes shot daggers at me across the table before turning to look at Logan. “Ask our sister who she ran into the other day.”
Logan didn’t miss a beat. “No, we’re talking about you.”
I laughed and stuck my tongue out at my oldest brother.
It struck me how much I missed them. I missed joking around and laughing instead of stressing over deadlines and dealing with bridezillas. My brothers were two of the best men I’d ever known, and I knew how fortunate I was to have them as not only my brothers but my protectors, too.
“We’re friends, that’s it.”
“Friends that kiss?”
“Friends that fuck?” Logan asked with raised eyebrows.
“Jesus Christ, the two of you are vultures. Vultures,” he emphasized the word before standing up with his plate and moving toward the living room.
I pouted at the table while Lo said, “Aw, come on! Don’t be such a big baby. You’re supposed to be setting an example for your little brother and sister.”
“Right. You guys are fucking relentless.”
We left the conversation at that, laughing and joking around, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something going on between Robbie and Simone. I wasn’t worried, I’d be able to pry the information out of my friend soon enough. Simone was, for the most part, an open book. She wore her heart on her sleeve and was a self proclaimed “emotionally intact intellectual”. I’d figure out whatever was going on between them.
After all, I would be home for a while.
Chapter 6
