The Ahern Brothers Collection - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,48
Abby from California disappeared and the one who came home six years ago is back.”
“Obviously, I know shit about mental stuff,” Sterling twists the cap off the beer and takes a few gulps.
“You surprise us with your knowledge, when you want to share it.” I say teasingly, waiting for some stupid remark.
“She’s a textbook case of PTSD,” he says ignoring my comment. “That doesn’t go away. It’s a permanent condition. The goal isn’t to forget the trauma because that’s impossible, but instead make it easier to deal with so it won’t affect her life negatively.”
“In other words, she suppressed it?”
He nods twice, his face totally serious.
“She was able to keep it in the back of her mind, but,” he pauses, looking down for a few seconds before his eyes find mine, “The girl returned to the scene of the crime so to speak. Every memory she suppressed rushed back within seconds.” He snaps his fingers.
I scrub two hands over my face, exhaling sharply. He’s right, I know it in my gut. She told me a few days back that she returned to Denver for me.
“If it’s okay with you, she might work from here,” I say out loud.
“It’s fine by me, but for how long?”
“What is fine by you, Sluggy?” Abby’s voice resonates through the house. My gaze lifts and I find her coming down the stairs.
“I heard that you’re taking a long vacation in Tahoe, Absters.”
“Wow, you haven’t called me that in a long time,” she says, smiling at the puppy who is waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase.
Abby sits on the first step and starts petting the little guy. “You’re a handsome boy. I should take you away from Sterling.”
“He’s not mine,” my brother warns her.
“That explains why he’s alive.” Abby sticks out her tongue and stands up. “If you ever plan on having a pet, try a virtual fish.”
She marches toward me, rising on her tiptoes and kissing my lips. “Thank you for earlier.”
I take her in my arms giving her a deeper kiss, before we’re interrupted by my brother’s loud cough.
“Are you okay, Slugger?” Abby frowns.
“What the fuck?” Sterling walks toward us and pushes me away from Abby. “What are you doing? She’s like my little sister.”
“I assume that you haven’t told him yet.” Abby arches an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side and crossing her arms.
Before I can speak, my brother does, “So, he finally manned up and made a move on little Abby.”
“Ugh, you make it sound like some weird taboo,” Abby complains sucking on her lip. “I’m not a kid.”
He looks at her from top to bottom and grins. “You’re right. I should have made a move before this one did.”
“Sterling,” I warn him.
“Chill, Weston! I’m just joking. Don’t give me that murderous look.” He walks toward the couch and picks up a leash. “I’m walking Terry while you two make out.”
As he marches toward the entry, he stops and says, “Stay away from the terrace in the main room. I’ll let you know when you can go out there.”
Abby scrunches her nose but doesn’t say anything. I’m surprised she’s not going to check on her terrace. I bet Sterling let the dog use it when he wanted to skip the dog-walks.
“We should get a puppy,” Abby suggests as she watches the dog walking away. “There are plenty of trails where we can walk him.”
“Are you sure you have time for a puppy?”
“We can have a puppy-pen in the office.” Her wide, playful smile is back.
“How’s your stomach?”
She twists her mouth and says, “Sorry about earlier. The flight and …” She touches her belly. “I’m not sure why I got sick.”
“Hey, you don’t need to apologize.” I turn around and open the refrigerator grabbing a bottle of Perrier. “Here, let me make you something light. You must be hungry.”
“What would I do without you, Ahern?” She gives me a peck on the lips, opens the bottle, and drinks it down.
“Do you think it’s a bug or something else?” I ask as I search for the deli meat and mayonnaise to prepare a sandwich.
I’m glad I called the management service earlier to ask them to stock the fridge and make sure the house was clean.
“I’ve been edgy lately. It could’ve been a nervous breakdown.” Her thoughtful voice makes me look her way. She’s staring at the window, her gaze totally lost. “There are a lot of little things that are triggering my memories.”