He knew he was in trouble when he caught his mom gesturing to his dad with a slight jerk of her head in his peripheral vision. A lecture was coming, and he gave Stella the stay signal so she wouldn’t crawl out from hercomfy spot in the shade just to hear her human get spoken to in the opposite of awhat a good boytone of voice.
They didn’t speak until he’d unlocked the store, stood back so they could go in first, and then locked the door behind him. His dad went and sat in one of the chairs, and Brian assumed his mother would take the other, but she was pacing in a tight circle.
That was areallybad sign.
“Explain yourself,” his mother commanded suddenly as she stopped pacing and crossed her arms.
“Can you be more specific?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You want specific? Okay. Why do I have a grandchild I don’t know about?”
Her question slammed into him so hard, Brian actually took a step back. “What? Mom, no. Are you talking about Oliver? You do know other people in the world have dark hair and blue eyes, right?”
“It’s not just the blue eyes,” his mother insisted. “Although theyarea pretty distinctive shade of blue. His expressions are so familiar to me, it’s like seeing the past—when you boys were little—laid over the present. I know Gran saw it. I’ve caught Steph looking at him like she sees it. That boy is a Kowalski. I just know. I canfeelit.”
“Then go talk to my brothers because I’m not that child’s father.”
“Brian,” his father said in a stern voice, a signal that Brian’s tone was close to thatdon’t talk to your mother like thatline. “We love you and whatever’s said in this room stays in this room because we have your back always. But I have to ask.”
Bracing himself, Brian focused on breathing and staying calm because he wasn’t going to like whatever his dad was about to ask him, but he had to contain his response.
“Did Kelly leave you because you had an affair with her sister?”
The tremor started deep in his muscles, spreading until Brian realized he was literally shaking. “No.No.”
“We need to know what’s going on here,” his mom said in a worryingly soft voice.
“You think I cheated on Kelly?” He dropped into a chair because he was afraid his legs might stop holding him upright. “With her sister?”
“I’m sorry, honey, but I’m trying to figure this out. You’ve always said you don’t know why Kelly up and left you, but maybe you didn’t want to tell us the truth?”
“You really think I did that? That it’s something I’m even capable of?”
His mom looked at him for a long time, her gaze locked with his. “No. I really don’t.”
“I don’t, either.” His dad sighed. “It had to be asked, but it would be so out of character for you, it would make even less sense than what’s already going on.”
“I swear on my dog, Dad—on Stella.” He didn’t know how to make it any more plain. “I have never touched Siobhan. Not even once.”
“I don’t understand how this is happening,” Lisa said, shaking her head.
“I don’t, either,” Brian said in a grim voice. “But I’m going to get some answers.”
Chapter Four
Siobhan kept her eyes on her son, but through her peripheral vision, she saw Brian storming out the back door of the store—it was the only word for it, really. He definitely stormed. Lisa trotted after him and eventually caught him by the arm. Their exchange of words looked intense, and then they looked toward the gathered family.
Brian looked at Oliver, and Lisa looked directly at her.
The last thing Siobhan wanted right now was a big scene in front of Oliver—or the rest of them, for that matter—so she stood and started toward her son.
“Oliver, Mommy forgot something. Let’s go up to the store while they’re still up there.”
“Nora and I can keep an eye on him,” Ellie said. “So you can…”
When her words died away and several people shifted in their chairs, Siobhan realized most of them knew something was going on. She didn’t want people whispering all week, so the best thing to do was meet it head-on.
“Thanks.” She smiled at her son and then headed across the grass toward the store.
