Page 408 of A Matter of Time

The ride was long and boring, and when I finally reached the house—I had the address in my contacts with all the rest of her information—I was antsy and close to being claustrophobic. It was a split-level ranch on land I couldn’t see the end of. I felt the same way I did after a long plane ride, like if I didn’t walk around, I would just snap and start screaming.

Standing beside the mailbox next to the road, I saw how lush and manicured the front yard was. There were solar panels on the roof, three golden retrievers playing together in the fenced front yard, and two Toyota Priuses parked in the driveway. The front of the house was a wall of windows, and I saw someone moving around inside. The trumpeting barks from the dogs brought Gwen, Caleb’s sister, out the side door.

“Jory,” she called over to me, waving.

I waved back as the dogs continued to bark at me.

“Knock it off!” she yelled at them, which—surprisingly—worked the first time. I watched her closely, unsure of what to do.

“Come in,” she motioned for me. “Hurry up, it’s cold as shit out here.”

So not the greeting I was expecting. “Hey.” I waved at her.

“Just walk inside the gate, the dogs are loud but harmless, I promise.”

Taking her at her word, I opened the gate, which brought on lots of happy whimpering, and stepped inside, closing it behind me. I petted each of the dogs, who were all sweet and fluffy, and when I started toward the house, they all followed.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping out onto the porch.

“I was in town for business, and I thought I’d come see ya.”

She let the screen door slam shut behind her, and when I reached the porch, she rushed forward to hug me. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Me too.” I sighed, hugging her back.

“Ohmygod.” She jerked away, looking at my face. “What happened to you?”

Interesting that she had no idea. “I was in a small car accident. Just a fender bender, and all is well.”

“Good,” she consoled me. “You don’t look that bad, but I can tell you’re a bit banged up.”

“I am,” I agreed.

“Ohmygod, you’re not gonna believe this, but my folks are actually in Chicago as we speak.”

I squinted at her. Was she kidding?

“I know—how funny, right?” She widened her eyes before turning back toward the house and introducing me to the dogs, giving me all their names. She had each of them shake hands with me.

I was more concerned with her brother though. “Gwen?”

“Yeah?” she asked as she led me into the house, the dogs coming with us.

“Honey, what about Caleb?”

“What about him? He’s good.”

I just stared at her.

“What? Are you gonna see him while you’re here too?”

I wasn’t sure if she was messing with me or not.

“Jory?”

“What are your folks doing in Chicago?”

“Mom said they had to go see Dane about something.” She made a face.