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Bending down to sweep the items back under the gap, I’m struck dumb by the name and address on a piece of post.
Sienna Wolfford.
A company logo for a well-known DNA testing service is blazoned across the envelope. Underneath it, are two further identical envelopes. One by one, I shove the post under the gap, noting that each one is addressed to Sienna and that each one has been opened.
“Thanks,” she says, her voice now more recognizable. “What a klutz!”
“Mmm, no problem,” I reply pinching my nose and aiming for a southern accent. I need to acknowledge her somehow, but I cringe at the terrible attempt to disguise my voice.
My hands tremble as I pee. My period has barely started, so all I need is a thin pad. Sienna washes her hands and uses the paper towel dispenser as I deal with mother nature. When the door opens and her steps recede, I finally breathe.
What the hell is she up to?
Later that afternoon,Brecken collects me from the restaurant and drives me a little way up the mountain on slow, meandering roads. I’ve been meaning to visit Gates’ Cakes sooner, but the job has completely taken over any spare headspace I had. The projects are full-on, and I didn’t want to ask anyone else to have this discussion.
The couple that own Gates’ Cakes are like family to me, and I haven’t seen them in so long. I want to be the one to share the potentially good news.
I reach for Brecken’s hand, our fingers lacing together as we drive. He asks me a bunch of questions about my lunch date.What did you talk about? Did they ask about your job? About Dad? Did they ask if he was seeing anyone? Did Mom talk about all my hockey injuries? She can be such a mother hen.
Once I’ve fielded all his questions I ask my own. “How are things with Sienna and you these days? Does she still hate me?”
Brecken throws me a curious look. “She doesn’t hate you.”
I make a face. “Er, is that what she’s told you, or what you’ve deduced so far from the few interactions we’ve had?”
He flashes me an easy grin. “She knows that you and I are together, now. She’s accepted that. And she likes you.”
“She said that?” I ask incredulously. “She was dead against it at Vail.”
“Well, I made it very clear how I felt about you. So yeah, she likes you. She’s happy for me.”
Hmm. I’m pretty sure she’s lying through her bright, white teeth. Deciding not to tell him about our little run-in on New Year’s Day, I ask, “Do you see her much?”
“We got lunch together a few days ago. Sheismy sister,” he defends. “I don’t see her often, but I don’t want to exclude her from my life just because she’s creating a difficult situation. Family's important, Dad taught me that.”
I don’t ask what his views are on the Big Topic, the future of the hotel and what side of the fence he’s sitting on, but soon he’ll need to make a decision. And, interestingly, he makes an effort with her, including her in his life. Luca and Reuben go out of their way to avoid her.
“Is your loyalty to Reuben and Luca, or her? If youhadto pick a side?” I push.
“Luca and Roo.”
His immediate, emphatic answer is what I needed to hear. “I bumped into her today. She didn’t know it was me in the neighboring restroom stall, but she had three envelopes from a DNA company spill out of her bag right by my feet. What’s that about?”
“Huh. I don’t know. Three?”
“Yup. From the same company.”
We turn off the road, pulling into a parking spot by the cake shop. In my view, referring to the splendid concoctions they make as justcakeundersells their product. “I’ll ask her.”
“No, don’t,” I rush out. “I don’t want her to know it was me.”
“What does it matter?”
“Brecken, please. Let’s just wait and see what, if anything, transpires.”
He grabs his hat, pulling it over his head, tufts of hair poking out from under the wool. “I doubt it’s anything bad. But it does sound suspicious,” he amends when I raise a brow. “She only has Dad and us. No aunts or uncles. Maybe she’s tracking down other family.”
I shove on my hat, a forest green color with a red bobble on the top. Despite his admissions when we were in New York, I don’t want to engineer a situation where he has to choose between Sienna and me.
