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“Were?”
“They passed away about five years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Well, it’s not. It’s... you know. Part of life, I guess.”
“Very pragmatic. Well, what help does your sister need?”
He groaned – not at me, I could sense, but at the thought of his sister’s problems.
I waved my hands. “It’s okay. I’ll just follow your lead. I’m sure I’ll get the gist of it.”
“Thanks.”
He was quiet for the rest of the flight. I gathered that there was some adjustment needed going from his life as Forest Brock to his ‘old’ life as Forest Jones.
I’d not even asked where we were going. We stepped off the jet in a new city, and got straight into a cab. I quickly figured out where we were.
“Holy shit, we’re in Chicago.”
My surprise was at least enough to bring a smile to Forest’s features, if only briefly. “We are. Sorry, I should have said.”
“Where are we going?”
“Random street corner.” He sighed. “Juniper gives little detail.”
We pulled up on, indeed, a random street corner. A woman in her thirties, dressed younger, was waiting for us, slouching against a wall.
“Thought you were never coming!” She sounded exasperated, but she embraced Forest with a great deal of energy, practically leaping into his arms.
“You do realize I live in New York, right?”
“Yeah, but you’re rich. And a dork. Can’t you teleport?”
“Soon. Not yet. Juni, this is Ria, my girlfriend.”
Juni craned around Forest to peer at me. “Oh, wow. I thought she was a billboard. Look at you!” She came towards me now with those open arms. “How’dmy brotherget someone like you? Oh, wait, money, I forgot.”
I couldn’t help but laugh in her embrace, despite the implication I was a gold-digging billboard model. Juniper was so normal that it amazed me that she was Forest’s sister. I supposed Forest himself had been normal once.
“Ignore her, Ria. She’s just jealous. Why are we here, Jun?”
Juniper clapped her hands together. “I didn’t know you’d be bringing a plus-one. But I’m glad. Might need the two of you to get the job done.”
Forest put his hands on his hips. The stern, responsible big brother. I could see it. “What’s the job?”
“Alright.” Juniper splayed her arms out, ready to tell the tale. “I broke up with my girlfriend last week, alright? I give her a week’s grace to cry and punch shit or whatever you do when you get dumped by me, a queen. It’s gotta be hard for her, y’know? But get this. After a week, I turn back up to get my stuff, and she won’t let me in. She’s all like,you can get your stuff back when you take me back. It’s all or nothing.”
Forest’s shoulders were getting tenser by the minute. “And I’m here to, what, strongarm my way into your ex-girlfriend’s place? Don’t you have someone else you can call on for that?”
“Not really. And you said if Ieverneededanything-“
“Alright, alright. No problem, I’ll do it. Why do you think it’ll take two of us?”
“She’s an ex-bodybuilder.”
“Bodybuilding’s all for show anyway.”
