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CAAADDEEEE…
I quickly walk toward the door, but it springs open before I can leave. The bell goes off louder than when I entered because Jed Greene is a moose-in-a-library kind of guy.
He stops in his tracks when he sees me and runs his hand through his hair. “Oh… hey, Clara.”
The familiar awkwardness consumes the space we’re sharing because Jed has no idea what happened between Xavier and me and therefore seems to have no idea how to act when I’m around. He constantly treats me as if my dog just died.
“They’re busy.”
His gaze sears a path to the back room. “I figured. We’re working our asses off, and Molly needs to go home. She’s still constantly throwing up. She was only helping today because it’s crazy—” He abruptly stops talking and diverts his attention away from me.
“Because it’s the first game of the season?” I prompt so he knows he can discuss Xavier in front of me.
He shoves his hands in his pockets and nods.
“Busy is good.” I thumb toward the back. “I think they’re done anyway.”
Just then, Cade and Presley come out of the back room with their baby, Leighton, fast asleep in a car seat.
“Seriously? You do it with the baby in the room?” Jed shakes his head and scowls.
Cade and Presley look at one another, my sister’s cheeks reddening as she realizes we heard them.
“Next time we’ll ask you to babysit,” Cade says. “She’s sleeping, dipshit.”
Jed rolls his eyes. “Still not right.”
“Talk to me after Molly delivers.” Cade kisses his wife’s lips. “Have fun.” Then he dips down and kisses Leighton on the forehead and whispers something. “Clara.” Cade winks at me as he passes by, and I can’t help but see his resemblance to Xavier.
As if my life couldn’t be more screwed up, my sister’s husband is Xavier’s oldest brother and Jed is Xavier’s stepbrother. Although in the Greene family, no one thinks of anyone else as a step anything.
“Bye, Clara,” Jed says.
As they leave, Jed rambles on about scarring Leighton for life and how her first word will be harder.
“Can you lock the door?” Presley asks and places Leighton’s car seat carrier on the table in the children’s area.
I lock the door and remove my light jacket and purse, placing them by the cash register. “Where do you want me to start?”
As the words leave my mouth, Jed’s voice sounds through the shared wall of the brewery and the bookstore. It sounds as if he’s on a microphone or a loudspeaker or something.
“I think they’re going extra hard this year because of Hank.” Presley gives me her sorrowful half smile. Otherwise known as a pitiful expression.
Hank Greene has prostate cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Although the prognosis is good, cancer is a scary thing. I should know—it’s what took our mother. I watched her fade away for months, her once-vibrant body turning frail, all while she kept her biggest secret from me.
Sometimes I’m still not sure I’ve forgiven her for never telling me I had an older sister that she and my dad had given up for adoption. But how does one make peace with a dead person?
“What are they doing?” I walk over to join Presley in the children’s area.
“Raffles. If you guess the right score at the end of each quarter, you get free food or drinks.” She shrugs as if it’s nothing big, but the fact that there’s a microphone and the place is packed says that’s not the case.
I remember Hank’s face when Xavier was drafted. Xavier invited Hank, Marla, and me to the draft, and when Xavier’s name was called first and he walked up to that podium, Hank put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, “Can you believe it? Our boy is going to be a household name.”
Chills rack my body as the words “our boy” repeat in my head. Well, he’s not our boy. He’s just Hank’s boy now.
“Let’s start with the kids’ section.” Presley has her laptop and a stack of inventory papers in hand, and I distract myself from my memories and join her.
I sit on the floor. I’m always Presley’s helper for inventory. Once, Cade tried to take my place, but they didn’t get much done. I’m positive that’s when Leighton was conceived.
