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“It wasn't your fault.” Clara took her hand and squeezed. “Your mom’s death was an accident.”
“I knew she didn’t like driving at night, but I made her come anyway.” Tears welled up in her eyes making everything appear shimmery.
“You were eight,” Naomi reminded her.
“I wasn't eight when you two tried to reach out to me. But I was angry and resentful that you got more time with my dad than I did, I thought it wasn't fair. And I had deluded myself into believing you were to blame for my mom’s accident. If it hadn’t been for you, my dad would have been home, he would have come to get me, he wouldn’t have had the accident. I know there’s no way to know that, I might have just ended up losing him instead, but I never thought of it that way. I want … is it … do you still want to get to know me?” Family was what was important, not men, and if through Nick’s actions he managed to inadvertently give her the rest of her family then maybe one small good thing would have come from this.
“Of course,” Naomi replied in a tone that suggested the question was preposterous. “We’re sisters.”
“I’ve kind of been keeping track of you,” she confessed. “A couple of years after turning you down I regretted it, but I thought I blew any chance we had of being real sisters, so I kind of watched from afar. I know about what happened six months ago. Are you both really okay?”
“We are.” Naomi nodded.
“Well,Iam,” Clara amended. “I'm fully healed, but Naomi still has a few more months of physical therapy to go before she’s back to full strength. She just likes to pretend that’s not true.” Clara grinned.
“Itisn’ttrue,” Naomi grumbled. “My shoulder is fine. That therapist just enjoys making me suffer through her sessions.”
A small smile was coaxed from her lips. “And you're still with that guy, the cop?”
“Yes, Jonathon is amazing, he makes me happier than I could imagine.”
The love that shone so clearly from Clara’s green eyes sparked a little bit of jealousy inside her, but she brushed it aside. After everything her sister had been through, she deserved some happiness.
“So tell us the whole story about this Detective Nickolas Sleigh and exactly how you got the broken arm and the broken heart,” Naomi instructed. “Maybe there’s something we can do to help.”
Sisters instead of a boyfriend, maybe the tradeoff wasn't so bad after all.
* * * * *
2:51 P.M.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, have a late lunch, talk some more?” Clara asked Aggie in the parking garage underneath the police station.
“Thanks, but I'm just going to go home, take a nap. I didn’t sleep well last night, or most nights this last week, and I think I just really need to recharge.” Aggie gave them a tired smile. “But I'd love to catch up later. Maybe tomorrow or something, if you guys aren’t busy.”
“That sounds great. Call us if you need anything,” Naomi ordered.
“I will. And thank you, having sisters is kind of nice.”
“It sure is,” she agreed. “Brothers are one thing, but sisters are completely different. I don’t know where I'd be without Naomi, and now we have you too.”
“Yeah, Andrew and I were never too close. I guess the age difference, and the fact that he spent most of his time with our grandparents. I'm really glad we’re getting to know each other. Especially now.” Aggie looked teary again. Clara couldn’t imagine going through what her sister currently was. To meet someone, to fall in love, and then to learn what they had done to you, would be utterly devastating, even if you weren’t someone like Aggie who let her emotions guide her.
“Plenty more extended family for you to meet when you're up to it.” Clara tried to cheer her up, let her know that things with Nick might not have worked out, but she had found a family who would love her unconditionally. “My older brothers basically adopted Naomi, I'm sure they're going to do the same with you.”
“Take care, Aggie, and try hard to actually rest, even if it’s hard to turn your mind off,” Naomi instructed.
“Says the woman who we had to drug with sedatives to get to rest after she nearly died from blood loss.” Clara laughed. “You'll get used to little miss bossy.”
“Caring isn’t being bossy,” Naomi protested.
“Thanks for everything, especially the advice where Nick is concerned. I have to call my friend Summer before I drive home, I’ll talk to you both tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Jonathon.” Aggie held out her hand and Jonathon shook it.
“Nice to meet you too. I know Clara and Naomi are thrilled to be getting to know you. I'm happy for all of you.” Jonathon had his arm around her waist, and Clara leaned into him.
They had had their ups and downs when they first met, a major disagreement that nearly ended things before they'd even begun, but Jonathon had never betrayed her, never used her, never been anything other than the amazing man she had fallen in love with. The last six months had been tough on her, but Jonathon had been beside her every step of the way, supporting her however she needed him to. It still surprised her that every morning she woke up in his arms she realized that she loved him even more than she had the day before. He had helped her to grow, learn to smile more, and not constantly keep herself tucked away and living in the books she loved. Clara had a sneaking suspicion that Jonathon was getting ready to propose, and she was driving herself crazy trying to guess how he was going to do it.
“So, what do you guys think?” Jonathon asked as they climbed into Naomi’s car. “Is there a chance your dad could have done this?”
