With that, the four of us stumble out the door for a week we won’t forget.
27
Claire
Asher’s friendsare something else. Nervous energy coursed through me when they barged through the front door, my body freezing in place on the sofa. I was caught between wanting to shake their hands and run down the hall for Asher like a coward.
In the end, the decision was made for me when the man I now know is Benji shouted, “You must be Asher’s Claire.”
Asher’s Claire.
They welcomed me with warm hugs, and a peculiar feeling of déjà vu flooded my system. Like I’d been in this precise situation in another lifetime. Despite how easy the introduction was, I was relieved to be called away for a medical obligation. Surely Asher has been eager for some alone time to catch up with his buddies. And if I interpreted the vibe they were giving off, they were itching to talk about me behind my back.
The tween girl who twisted her ankle while hiking with her family, is super chatty, regurgitating a ghost story she heard around the campfire last night. Her animation and commitment to the spooky voices remind me of Bea. Personable patients like her always brighten my day. After she’s properly mended with anACE bandage and her mom fills out all the paperwork, she gives me a giant hug and hobbles out the door with a smile on her face.
I wrap things up in the office, then stop by the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat and a takeaway iced coffee. When I return to the cabin and discover that it’s empty, relief washes over me. I’ve been yearning for a nap in the shade on the hammock Asher set up for me on the back lawn. He claimed it was for Bea, but Jack let the truth slip when I bumped into him the other evening.
Just as I’ve finished changing into comfortable clothing, Millie FaceTimes me. Excited to talk to my friend who’s been too busy for more than random texts since her wedding, I answer quickly.
But it’s not Millie who pops up. It’s Bea.
“Hi,” she squeals. Her toothy smile fills the entire screen. By the way she’s already jostling the phone, I give it forty-five seconds before I’m nauseous.
“Millie, is that you?” I bluff. “You look different. Did you dye your hair?”
She giggles. “I’m not Lee Lee; I’m Dolly.”
“Dolly? When did Daddy get you a phone?” I tease.
Her responding cackle is a major ego boost, even if she’s five.
Off screen, Millie whispers, “Isn’t Auntie Claire silly?”
Bea’s laughter settles, her expression turning serious. “She’s not my auntie. She’s Daddy’s girlfriend.”
Heart lurching, I bobble the phone.
Between one blink and the next, my friend’s face replaces Bea’s.
Then Ezra is calling out, “Dolly, come help Kane and me in the kitchen.”
“Claire.” Millie’s tone drips with demand as she walks down the hall of their apartment, away from her husband and Bea.
“I-I… She…We,” I stutter, my face flaming. “I don’t know why she would say that. We’ve beencareful.”
“Aha! I knew something was going on between you and my brother.”
“What?” My lungs seize up. “No. She must assume I’m his girlfriend because I’ve been staying at the cabin this summer, that’s all. Kids are so funny.”
“No… you said you’ve been careful. Which means something reckless has been happening.”
“I didn’t say that.”At least I don’t think I did.
“Bullshit, babe. You absolutely did.”
Fuck. How do I dig myself out of this grave?Hello, operator, I’d like to order a time-traveling DeLorean, please, and pay for same-day delivery.Except there’s no use in changing my name to Marty McFly now. I’ve been silent too long, and from what I can tell in the tiny box in the corner of my screen, the truth is written all over my stupidly stunned face.
“Fine,” I concede. “We’ve been…” I choose the next word wisely. “Involved.”
