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I sent back a poo emoji and laughed. But as I parked in my usual spot in the voluminous garage of the Big House, it faded. Evan had agreed to meet Hunter, but that didn’t mean it would be easy. For any of us.
“Spit it out, Stel.” Evan’s impatience was evident as he drummed his fingers on the wooden surface. Despite the private ambiance of a table tucked away from Orchid’s main dining room, the tension between us felt thicker than the humid evening air. Now that the moment was here, I’d been hemming and hawing, chatting about nonsense. My brother’s handsome, clean-shaven face grew stonier, and finally, I jumped in.
“Hunter’s coming home for lunch,” I said abruptly, like ripping off a bandage.
Evan stopped drumming and leaned back in his chair, his expression becoming guarded. Unlike the rest of us, Evan took after our deceased mother in looks, with light-brown hair and blue eyes. “When?”
“Sometime next month. He agreed to it.” I cradled my iced tea, tracing the condensation on the glass. “We need to mend things, Evan.”
He smiled, a more natural expression for him. “Always the peacemaker, aren’t you?”
“We can’t choose our family. But we can choose to try to fix what’s broken.”
“Easy for you to say.” He glanced away, suddenly finding a gorgeous bright pink cymbidium orchid fascinating.
“I know it’s not easy for you,” I shot back. Frustration crept into my voice as he darted his eyes back to me. “I did you a favor by taking this position and starting immediately, remember? Now it’s your turn to help make this work.”
He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture one of exasperation more than concession. “I get it, Stella. You stepped up when I needed to sort out my own mess. It’s just…” Evan’s voice trailed off, his eyes dropping to the wooden tabletop as his jaw bulged.
“Hey.” I reached across, placing my hand over his in an unspoken plea for understanding. “We said we’d support each other, right? Hunter’s trying to reach out after all this time. We can’t just shut him out. And you need this as much as he does.”
Evan sighed heavily, and the fight drained out of him. “I know what I promised. Fine. I’ll sit down to a meal with Hunter and anyone else brave enough to come. But if the whole thing goes south, it’s on you.”
“Fair enough.” I nodded, even though my stomach twisted. “Just remember, we’re all adults here. We’ve changed.”
“Have we?” he asked pointedly.
“Only one way to find out.” I forced a smile, wishing I felt as confident as I sounded. “If things get tense, we’ll deal with it as a family.”
“Family,” he repeated, almost wistfully before giving me a resigned nod.
I withdrew my hand and took a sip of iced tea, the cool liquid doing little to calm my nerves. “There’s something else.” I glanced toward the window where the ocean brushed against the shore. At the unpleasant surprise that had greeted me upon entering for my shift. The empty spaces had jumped out and practically bitten me. “Two orchids are missing from the outdoor wall display. And Ben Coleridge?—”
“Ben?” Evan perked up, his interest piqued. “What about him?”
“He’s part of the landscaping company doing the work installing new lines and sprucing up the grounds.” I hesitated, piecing together my thoughts. “I can’t help wondering if there’s a connection.”
Evan snorted. “He’s a damn Coleridge and the last person we need hanging around here. But we can’t tell the landscaping company who to hire, can we? Still, it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out. Thanks for the heads-up.”
The Markhams and Coleridges shared enmity that went back over a century. Hell, Gabe had gotten into a fist fight with Ben the first night he’d returned home to Calypso Key. Having a Coleridge around was never a good thing.
A server approached, refilling our glasses, and the momentary distraction allowed me to collect myself. My gaze lingered on Evan’s profile as he thanked her, the lines of worry etched into his forehead now smoothed out.
“Let’s just focus on getting through dinner with Hunter.” I forced cheerfulness into my tone. “A couple of orchids is no big deal. I’ll go to the farmer’s market and pick up more.”
“Spoken like a true Markham,” Evan joked, raising his glass in a mock toast.
“Thanks,” I said, grateful for his support. Evan was like the sun, always there and warming everything it touched. Except Hunter, anyway. “I just hate the thought of there being trouble in paradise, you know?”
“Paradise is where trouble often likes to vacation.” Evan broke into a broad smile, a gleam entering his eye that warned me something was coming. “Speaking of unexpected visitors, I heard Aiden Mitchell made quite the entrance back into town—and right into your path, no less.”
I rolled my eyes, huffing a sigh. “Isn’t anything a secret around here?”
“Come on, Stella.” His laugh sounded like the breeze whispering through the trees outside. “You know better than that. You told Maia. But hey—” Sobering, he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “He’s not a high school boy anymore. He’s Dr. Aiden Mitchell now, and you’re not the same starry-eyed girl either. You going to see him again?”
“Maybe,” I conceded, my thoughts drifting to Aiden’s hesitant gaze when he walked in, the way my pulse now quickened despite my reservations. “But I’m not sure I want to.”
“Time changes people, Stella.” Evan’s voice softened, that old vulnerability peeking through. “You should give him a chance to explain. Who knows? Things might be very different this time.”
