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The Axe-Murdering Part (Just Kidding. Calm Down.)
EMILY
It was strange how completely comfortable I was, sitting here with Archie Kasper—a man who before yesterday had occupied an oversized and very dark place inside my head. I found myself wishing there was some way to capture his true essence for my father, some way I could teleport Dad here invisibly to stand by quietly and absorb the reality of this man.
He wasn’t a villain.
He wasn’t evil.
Archie Kasper—at least the one I’d gotten to know a bit—was unassuming and humble, intelligent and kind. And I wondered if he and Jake might have been friends. Several times during our conversation about the treasure hunt, I’d found myself thinking how much like Jake this man was, and wishing I could introduce them. A part of me still forgot that Jake was gone now and then, and I’d catch myself thinking about something I wanted to tell him or someone he should meet.
But of course, Jake had met Archie Kasper. The fact of Archie’s existence in one exact place at exactly the wrong time had led to my brother’s death. Still, that didn’t make him responsible. Not in my mind, at least. And I was starting to realize what a weight that must be for him to carry. Did that contribute to the haunted look I caught in those indigo blue eyes? Was it the reason he was a little bit guarded, hesitant?
“She’s always been kind of a live wire,” Archie had been telling me about his sister Aubrey as we sat in front of the big picture window, which framed the ski mountain behind us, lit here and there with lights shining up into the towering trees. “Willing to challenge anyone and everyone who gets in her way or who threatens someone she loves. And when she loves you...it’s pretty fierce. I’m just glad she found Wiley. She needs someone to aim all that emotion at in a healthy way.”
“She’s engaged to the bartender, right?”
He nodded. “We knew Wiley and his brother Wade back in high school. My dad was military and for a while he was stationed in Southern Maryland, so we lived out there. I guess Aubrey had a big crush on him back then.”
“A second chance romance!” I blurted this, having spent way too much of my first day of the conference learning about tropes in romance stories.
Archie laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. She was head over heels the second he arrived up here.” The words had a wistful edge to them.
“But you’re happy about it, right?”
Those dark sky eyes met mine. “Yeah, of course. I kind of miss her, that’s all. Aubrey’s always been my shadow.”
“And what about you?”
He held my gaze for a second, seemed about to say something that had me leaning forward, waiting. But then heturned his head and looked back out the window. “I think fate has me cut out to be more of a loner.”
“Fate, huh?” My heart sank a little as he said this, but I didn’t want to let it go that easily. I wanted to know about this man, his life before the accident. And after.
“Admittedly, I haven’t been looking,” he said, looking back to me. “There’ve been a few women here and there, but nothing serious. Not like what Aubrey and Wiley have.”
“Do you wish there was?”
A wistful smile crossed his face as I marveled at my sudden bravery. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“I don’t know. Maybe at different times in life, yes.” I thought of Jake, of the way girls essentially fell at his feet, but he didn’t even notice because he was focused on becoming a pilot, on achieving his dreams. “But sometimes I think we have to focus on our own paths.”
“Like you and writing,” he suggested, and a pang of guilt shot through me. This trip had been about writing, yes. About securing my career and maybe, finally traveling for work. But it had also been about a far more selfish motive.
“Yeah, maybe.” I didn’t want to ruin the evening with darker thoughts or topics. “You’re happy your sister is happy though?” I thought of Jake. Would he be happy for me if I was Aubrey? I knew he would.
“I am,” he said, nodding as his gaze fell down to the old oriental rug beneath our feet.
There was a knock at the door, and Archie sprang up to answer it. Soon, we were back at the table, eating burgers and sipping sodas.
“Tell me about your family,” Archie suggested.
I froze, one hand halfway to my mouth, the fry dangling as my thoughts scrambled. I’d managed to avoid sharing too many details yet, and I should tell him about Jake, I knew. But it wasclear how haunted he was about the accident—he wore the guilt in every line of his body. If I brought it up now, I had no doubt it would end one of the best nights I’d had in a long time, and I didn’t think I’d be doing him any favors either. So I kept it to myself. For now.
“My mom was a James Beard nominated chef in La Jolla,” I told him. “And my dad was an architect.”
He stilled, those eyes meeting mine, full of sorrow. “They’re gone?”
“Oh, sorry no.” I answered him quickly, resurrecting my parents just like that. “No, not at all. I just...they don’t...they’re retired now.”
