“She just might.” She and Tessa link their arms and walk to my kitchen while Hawkeye and I trail behind.
“Whoa.” Daphne stops in her tracks. Hawkeye bumps into the back of her legs before coming to a halt.
She gazes around the custom-designed kitchen I dreamed up a few years ago. Two ovens, a six-burner stove, and a kitchen island larger than the childhood racecar beds Tuck and I had. She coasts her hand along the creamy marble countertop.
“Um, are you okay?” Tessa asks in confusion as she glances at Daphne, to me, then back again.
“This kitchen’s gorgeous.” The awe in Daphne’s voice sends a weird streak of pride in my chest. I designed it after all. With the help of an architect. And a designer. But I approved their ideas, so that counts for something, right?
“Haven’t you seen it before?” Tessa asks.
Daphne shakes her head. “No. Tristan’s a pretty private person.”
I don’t miss the shady way she says ‘private’ like it’s a swearword.
“Well, I’ll let him give you the tour.” When Tessa turns her back to Daphne, she flashes me a wink and a thumbs up. Luckily, Daphne’s too fascinated by the stovetop to notice the,“I like her,”she mouths.
They’ve barely spoken, but I’ll take it. If Tessa approves of Daphne, then that’s one sibling’s approval down. Hopefully Tuck will like her too.
“Daph, you better come to family dinner on Sunday,” Tessa demands.
“We’ll be there,” I tell Tessa. “We’re having dinner here anyway.”
“Make sure he shows you his bedroom,” Tessa shouts before cackling at me.
Heat creeps up my neck as Daphne lets out a bark of a laugh.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, Tris.” Tessa pats me on the shoulder before she heads out. “See you Sunday, Daphne.”
“Bye, Tessa,” Daphne calls out with a wave. “Thanks for watching Hawkeye.”
“No worries.” She flashes a wide grin over her shoulder before she saunters out. The front door alarm beeps on her way out.
“So, that’s your sister,” Daphne smirks as she rests her elbows on the counter. Her breasts squish together and I could fall into the cavern of her cleavage. I’d suffocate, but at least I’d die a happy man.
I glance back up at her blue eyes and she’s smirking at me like I’ve been caught with my hand in the metaphoric cookie jar. “Tessa’s not one for subtly.”
“I appreciate that,” Daphne’s smirk slips into a genuine smile. “I’m used to polite backstabbing. It’s nice to have someone be blunt for a change.”
“She’s always been honest.” My heart warms at the memory of how spunky Tessa’s been since we were kids. “Dad used to say she got her mouth from him, but her brains from our Mom.”
“You mentioned your Dad died,” Daphne says. “What happened to your mom?”
A sheer veil of sadness covers my heart at the thought of Mom. I don’t think about her often, but when I do, it’s always with a level of sadness.
“She died when I was seven. Car accident,” I say with a tightness in my throat that I thought I’d resolved years ago. I barely remember her most days. If it weren’t for Dad’s home movies, I wouldn’t remember her smile or her laugh or the soothing sound of her voice. “Tessa barely knew herwhen she died. She had just turned four. Dad took it hard, from what I can remember, but he was still a great Dad.”
Daphne strolls over to me, like she’s trying to hear me better.
“I had to help raise her.” My voice is weak, and it’s so soft I can barely hear myself speak. “I started working in a mechanic shop, the one where Dad worked. The owner was an old family friend, and he trained me. I took on odd jobs. Catering. Grocery bagger. Painter. Lawncare. If I was awake, I would be busting my ass to make sure there was food on the table and a roof over our heads. I had to send Tuck money for school since he only had tuition covered, but he needed room and board.”
“What about your brother? Did he help?”
I clear my throat. “Tuck is… gifted. He’s always been a bit of a genius. He skipped two grades when we were in elementary school, which is shit when you’re the dumb twin. He was a senior in high school when I was a freshman. I told him he’d better stay in school, and I’d kick his ass so hard he’d need a plastic surgeon to resemble a human being again. He focused on his schoolwork and managed to get through college. Once he started working in his residency, he’d send some money to help, but by then Tessa was pretty independent.” Independently hacking into rich asshole’s computers and syphoning money to make sure we were comfortable. But I spare Daphne those details.
Daphne’s eyes widen. “Whoa. So, your brother’s a real-life Doogie Howser?”
I laugh. “He’s a doctor in the ER. He works with kids mostly. But yeah, he’s always been the smart one.”
