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Gesturing behind me, I shot him a tight smile. “I should finish my shopping.”
“Of course. Sorry to keep you. And you’ll be happy to know my shopping list includes sugar.”
And Idefinitelydidn’t appreciate his backside as I watched him walk away or smile at his bad joke.
2
JUDE
“Where are you?”came my brother Gabriel’s irritated growl as soon as I picked up the phone. I knew I should have ignored his call.
“At home.”
He huffed. “I’m at Mom and Dad’s. And you’re not here. So where are you?”
Getting off the couch, I went to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of my neighbor. “I told you. At home.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “Jude. Stop being a fucking asshole.”
“I moved out.”
“Without telling us?”
I slightly moved the curtain to the side, looking out at the empty walkway. She must have left for work already. She was a cashier at Walmart, and I made sure to go there frequently. I hadn’t been for at least a day, so I was planning on dropping in later.
“I don’t have to tell you my every move. I’m a grown man, not a child.”
Gabriel’s muted curses filled the line, and then he took a deep breath. “We need you to come to the house. Family meeting.”
I craned my neck, looking at the parking lot outside, not seeing her car. “Why?”
“I’ll tell you when we have the meeting.”
Her brother’s bike sat on the ground next to the stairs. “I’m busy.”
He took another deep breath. “If you’re not here in ten minutes, I’m going to drag your ass to Dad’s office myself.”
Stepping back, I grabbed my wallet and slid it into my back pocket. “I’ll need at least twenty minutes.”
“Fine. Twenty minutes. Not a minute longer.”
He hung up, and I grinned. I loved nothing more than pissing off my brothers. They were both older and thought they could dictate my life. And Gabriel was easy to rile up. Even though he’d calmed down since getting married, he still had a short temper. But at least he didn’t shoot anyone anymore when they pissed him off.
The drive to Mom and Dad’s, where I used to live until moving into the apartment two weeks ago, took thirty minutes. Something I knew since I’d made it a few times already.
Grinning, I walked through the front door of my childhood home, wondering if Gabriel’s face would be red. Or maybe he would have already broken something. If I had to guess, I’d say the latter. He liked to throw stuff.
My sister, Freya, spotted me first from her perch at the kitchen counter. “You’re in so much trouble.”
I changed direction and went to the kitchen, where she was talking to Nim, my parents’ housekeeper, and Vanna, Gabriel’s wife. I hugged Freya, holding on a little longer. She’d left without a word a few years ago, and I’d missed her while she was gone. I’d never take having her close for granted again.
We’d known where she was the whole time, but Mom and Dad had forbidden us to contact her. Since we all knew Freya had only ever wanted her freedom, we followed their wishes. But she was back in our lives now, and there was no way we’d let her disappear again.
She lived in Ferguson, a small town in Washington, with her husband, Gunner. But she stayed in Chicago often, especially when Gunner was out of town.
“He’ll calm down.”
She patted my cheek. “Your funeral.”
