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“No worries. So far, I’ve seen nothing that makes me want to get to know him. Only deeds that motivate me to help take him down.”
“We’re all on the same page there. Jake will be equally livid when he finds out that Carson cheated on our mother in such an insulting way. Not at you. But he was especially close with our mom.”
Lisa nodded. “I understand and I don’t blame either of you for that.”
They rode the elevator up to Jake’s office.
Tanner knocked on the door, then opened it, not waiting for a reply.
Jake looked up from his paperwork. “Hey there. What’s up? Oh, hi, Lisa. Is Marie okay?”
Tanner hated to do this to his little brother, Jake was a kind soul. He was a milder personality than him, and Tanner had always worked to protect Jake from the worst of people whenever he could. “I’ve got some news that couldn’t wait.”
Jake’s eyebrows went up. “Okay. Shoot.”
“You’ve met Lisa.” They both smiled and nodded at each other. “Well, we spoke with Lisa’s parents in New Orleans and found out that Carson is Lisa’s biological father.” Tanner waited a second to let that settle in on Jake.
“So, she’s our—sister?” Jake’s eyes widened. “Wow. I’d call that news. So, how—”
Lisa spoke then. “I’m sorry at having to barge in and surprise you like this. We just found out and figured we’d better tell you ourselves before word got out or maybe Carson decided to tell you for some reason.”
Jake frowned. “No—it’s okay. I-I mean, how is it possible that we have a sister somewhere in our own age group? I hate to ask how old you are—” Jake spoke to Lisa then.
“I’m the same age as Tanner. Thirty-two.”
“Dad cheated on Mom in law school with Justine Chaffin at the same time I was conceived.”
Jake’s comprehension turned to anger. “Thatbastard! He’s done so many rotten things over the years, but two kids by two different women at the same time? It’s unconscionable.”
“He’s never had a conscience, so it’s not out of the realm of believability where he’s concerned.”
“No. You’re right about that. I’m so disgusted by him right now.” Then Jake realized what he was saying and looked at Lisa like he was just seeing her. “No offense to you, Lisa.” A ghost of a smile lifted Jake’s lips. “A sister. Never had one of those, have we, Tanner?”
“No, little brother, we haven’t.”
“Um, I guess Leah doesn’t know either yet, huh? She’ll love this.” Jake appeared to contemplate the idea further. “Well, welcome to the family, Lisa. Just remember, we are nothing like Carson, and neither are you.”
Lisa nodded, tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Jake.”
“I hate to do this, but we have to go and see Marie. There are some other things we learned that she needs to know right away. The good news is that Carson shouldn’t be a free man for long.”
“Finally? He’s going to pay for the evil he’s done in this world to others? I find it hard to believe.” Jake appeared stunned.
“I know. Me too. But it’s all about to go down, so be ready for it. There’ll be gossip and a big hubbub. Most people here in town will probably cheer, but being Carson’s sons has never been easy, so this might not be either.”
Jake gave a humorless smile. “I’m willing to take the social consequences as long as he finally pays for his crimes, whatever they are. Especially his treatment of our mother. Even if it wasn’t an actual crime by law. Hopefully he’ll get what’s coming to him.
“I’ll see you soon, Jake. And again, I’m sorry to show up with this announcement out of the blue like this.” Lisa smiled at Jake and Tanner could already see the beginnings of a big sister–little brother relationship budding between the two, which eased his heart a little.
*
Carly
I got toNana’s in time to overhear Momma telling Nana that Allison was flying in in two weeks just prior to hers and Daddy’s vow renewal. I was glad to hear it. Something about this emotional discovery of Lisa being Tanner and Jake’s sister made me want to see Allison and make a better effort to get to know her.
I realized during this manic journey to find Marie that I hadn’t let myself soften toward Allison. I’d held her apart from everything else. Like she was some unknown brand that I’d yet to pass judgment on. Whether she was good enough. But it didn’t matter what I thought. Allison was my sister. Everyone else seemed to accept her without any real questions. Maybe I’d worried too much about how her entrance into our lives might change things within our family.
“Where’s Marie? I wanted to check in on her while Lisa is tied up with something else.” I needed to see how she was doing today so I could take the temperature for Lisa’s and Tanner’s coming discussion about Justine and the past. We now had almost all the answers, but presentation would be everything.
