to make my girl come—we head down to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. I sit on the stool and watch Charlie work her way around the kitchen like she’s racing.
“What’s the hurry, sweetheart? It’s not like we told Grandma a specific time.”
“I want to beat traffic.”
“There’s no traffic on Sunday.”
She pauses to give me a droll look. “You’ve clearly never visited Ophelia on a Sunday. It’s prime visitation day. The place will be packed, and we might not even find a parking space if we arrive there late.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize families visited the residents that often.”
“They don’t, only on Sundays. I’m not sure why.”
“Maybe they go after Sunday mass because they feel hella guilty.”
She chuckles. “Maybe.”
“Do you think Grandma knows about us?” I ask.
“How could she? Unless your sister told her.”
“I doubt it. Jane is discreet. She wouldn’t blabber about my love life to anyone.”
“We should invite her to come to LARP next weekend. I’m sure Fred would love the surprise.” She smirks.
“Yeah, I’m sure he would.” Suddenly, my good mood turns sour.
“You don’t have to worry about Fred. He’s harmless,” she assures me.
“No guy is harmless unless he has no dick.”
Charlie rolls her eyes and resumes making coffee. A minute later, she sets a cup in front of me and then leans against the counter with a mug of her own.
We don’t speak for a moment as we blow into our hot beverages. I bring the cup to my lips and take a tentative sip.
“You know Andreas has a thing for your sister, right?”
I choke on my drink and also manage to spill some on my jeans. Shit, it’s hot. Charlie laughs at my clumsiness.
“How do you know?” I ask, not hiding my annoyance.
“It was obvious. At game night, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. And let’s not forget that he almost beat Fred up for asking her to blow on the dice for luck.”
I run a hand through my hair. I was hoping I had misread the signs. “Fuck. I was afraid that would happen.”
“She’s eighteen, right? You can’t keep all the guys away from her. She’s gorgeous.”
“Watch me,” I retort angrily.
She shakes her head and takes another sip of her coffee.
“You think I’m being ridiculous.” I square my shoulders, too tense for someone who just had the best blow job ever.
“Only a little. I mean, I get it. You’re protective of your sister, especially considering what hap—” She stops abruptly, her face going ashen as she realizes she said too much.
Edgier than before, I ask, “Considering what, Charlie? What were you going to say?”
I can’t mistake the sudden tension on her face or the guilt shining in her pretty blue eyes.
“Jane told me about your brother.”
A bucket of ice-cold water pours over my head. I can’t breathe. I can’t move. I can only stare at Charlie while my heart gasps for air.
“Troy?” She sets the mug down and moves closer.
I put my coffee down with a jerky movement, spilling it all over the counter, and then stand up. “She had no right to tell you that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? You weren’t the one who gossiped.” I look at the ceiling, laughing without humor. “I can’t believe I just said Jane was discreet a minute ago. I guess I don’t know my own sister.”
“She didn’t mean to gossip. She was trying to make me understand you.” Charlie walks around the counter and stops in front of me.
“Why?” I frown, crossing my arm over the sling.
“So I wouldn’t smother you to death in your sleep.” She gives me a tentative smile, and damn it, it almost works. Almost.
“I don’t know why she would tell you that. I never speak about Robbie. Not even Andreas and Danny know.”
“Why is that?”
I look away, unable to hold her stare when the guilt of my fuckup comes back with a vengeance. I don’t want Charlie to see the monster rearing its ugly head.
“Can we drop the subject? Please?”
She touches my lower back and then rests her forehead between my shoulder blades. “Okay. But know that I’ll be here for you when you’re ready to talk. Always.”
The “always” gets to me. It makes me so thankful and yet undeserving of her. I let my brother die. What would she think if she learned that? I swallow the lump in my throat, vowing to never let her know.
“We should go. It’s getting late.”
I step forward and away from Charlie’s touch, missing the contact at once.