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“Well, yes, but I mean helping me talk to Mom after dinner about the prosecutor and Roxanne’s charges.”
“Yes, I didn't forget we are here on a mission,” he chuckles. “I hope I will get good compensation, though.”
I ignore the quip and its obvious double meaning, inviting him to walk through the library with me as we go over what exactly our plan with my mother is. Johan doesn’t take his eyes off me, but he listens and doesn’t try to flirt with me like I’ve been afraid of, and it makes me hopeful that this might really work. The library is quiet and still, the air smelling of paper and ink. It’s the perfect place to hatch a scheme like this one, but our discussion is cut short when I hear someone clearing their throat from the other end of the stacks.
Johan and I both turn at the same time to see Hannah, who must have just escaped our mother, her hands behind her back. I didn’t notice before, but she’s over dressed for a semi-casual family dinner in a black sheath dress with short sleeves, her long hair hanging straight down her back.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she starts. “But I was wondering if you wanted to come and see how much my collection has grown, Johan? We have about thirty minutes before dinner.”
“Hannah, leave Johan al––” I try to say, but Johan is stepping in front of me and offering my younger sister his arm before I can finish.
“I’d love to.”
It happens so fast that I can barely process what is happening before I’m following behind the two of them, feeling like the third wheel. Hannah, usually stoic and quiet, talks to Johan like he’s an old friend that she has missed terribly, and it doesn’t surprise me as much as it should. Mom told me earlier that she had been counting down the days until Johan’s arrival, but I guess I hadn’t taken it seriously. It’s bizarre, especially for Hannah.
Reluctantly, I stay a few steps behind as we reach her bedroom, and they start exploring Hannah’s collection. As I watch from a distance, I can see how smitten Hannah is with Johan, her eyes lighting up as she shows him her prized possessions. After only seeing Hannah’s collection a single time myself, I crane my head to try and look at everything she’s showing him, fascinated by the part of my sister that she kept secret from me for so long. There are bits and baubles everywhere, ranging from trinkets that I would have walked right past had I seen them on the ground, to jewelry that I can’t believe would be so easily found on beaches and other such places. To Johan’s credit, he seems genuinely interested in what she has to show him, which makes my heart feel soft. Johan is a good man, and I’m reminded of that fact over and over again.
Then I hear Hannah say something that catches my attention. “Here Johan… I want you to have this. I’ve been collecting sea glass in some of the little jars I find and this is my favorite. The red glass is rarer than the others.”
She hands him a tiny jar, which looks like it might have held buttons in the past, but is now full of smooth, colored glass shards in shades of red, green, and blue. Johan takes it from her hands, holding it up to the light, but shakes his head, giving it back to her.
“It’s beautiful, Hannah, but I can’t accept this. You already gave me a gift last time, remember? I haven’t given you anything.”
“I still want you to have it,” she insists, pushing it back into his palms. “Just give me two gifts next time.”
Those words hit me like a bolt of lightning. Suddenly, everything starts to make sense in my head and I realize that there is more going on here than I initially thought. I need to pay closer attention to what's happening around me. I'm filled with a mixture of emotions as I watch my sister and Johan together. On the one hand, I'm definitely not interested in Johan romantically. But on the other hand, I'm filled with a sense of unease, wondering what the future holds for all of us.
Hesitantly, Johan accepts the gift once more, pocketing in with a soft smile. “Thank you, Hannah. I’ll cherish it.”
“Johan,” I pull him aside, which makes Hannah frown, but I don’t care. “Why don’t you go down and see if Mom is ready for us? I’ll catch up. I need a moment with my sister.”
He looks between the two of us, seems to sense the tenseness of the situation, and shrugs. “Alright. I’ll see you ladies downstairs, then.”
“Why did you make him leave?” Hannah grumps once we’re alone, crossing her arms. “I wasn’t finished showing him everything.”
“Since when do you have a crush on him?” I ask bluntly.
Taken aback, Hannah’s eyes go wide. “What do you mean?”
I stand my ground, not letting her pretend to be ignorant about what I can clearly see with my own two eyes. “I need to know the truth, Hannah,” I demand, my voice rising in intensity. “Did it start the day he came here the first time and you gave him one of your precious random treasures?”
“You’re being ridiculous. We just get along, that’s all.”
I can’t help the bark of laughter that bursts out of me. “Cut the bullshit. You look at him like you want to eat him alive.”
“Like I said,” Hannah moves about her room, turning off the lights on the displays of her treasures and speaking to me dismissively, “you’re being ridiculous.”
I can feel my frustration growing, and it’s never been so obvious how young Hannah really is. “Why did you go into my phone and block Johan’s number?”
Hannah's demeanor changes, her body tense and her eyes narrows. “I already told you, I don't know what you're talking about.”
I won't be deterred so easily. I take a step closer to her, my own eyes burning with a mix of anger and determination. “You're a very bad liar. It’s obvious it was you, and I want to know why. So tell me, Hannah, why are you trying to keep Johan and me apart?”
My sister tries to push past me, but I don’t let her. She stops, hands fisted at her sides. “Let me go or I’ll hurt you.”
It’s true that she’s taller than me, but I’m not scared… instead, I’m hurt, the reality of it all becoming clearer and clearer by the minute. “Just tell me the truth, Hannah.”
“I did,” she snaps, shouldering me aside and not even looking back in my direction. “Now, drop it.”
