The Naked Truth (The Honeybrook Hamdens)

"Mom has been living in this?" Julie turned to find her brother leaning against the door. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought he was seeing the place for the first time, too. He looked so sad as he surveyed it, rubbing his scruffy chin as he looked around.

"Only recently. We tackled the bedrooms first. Want to see yours?" He nodded toward the stairs in front of her which were mercifully clean save for the years of wear on the dark red carpet.

"I'm not sure I can take it, truth be told." She took a deep breath, thinking of the room she'd had when they'd lived in this house.

Back then, the place had been like something out of a Home and Garden Magazine. All old mahogany fixtures and ancient built-in carvings. Sure, they were probably still here...somewhere. But her room? With its worn white trim and its rickety closet? With the tiny white rocking chair in the corner and the light pink blanket Gran had knitted for her...

It'd hurt to see all that wasted now.

All those memories lost in the muck.

"I handled it myself. Come on." Luke moved past her and started up the creaking stairs, so she gripped her suitcase tighter and followed him.

"I can't believe she managed to do all this in two years. She must have been some kind of super-hoarder." When Julie reached the top of the stairs, she paused and looked from side to side. The avalanche of rubbish was apparently exclusive to the downstairs. Here, things were almost exactly the way she remembered.

Her grandmother's prized oriental carpet still ran down the hall, and the dry sink she used to keep plants in was there, though devoid of its usual violets.In front of Julie, just beside the bathroom, was her own chipped white door.

Luke turned the glass knob and led her inside.

And that's when the tears pricked her eyes.

It was here. All of it. The walls had the same gaudy rose wallpaper Gran had put up when she found out they were coming to live there. She'd picked it out just for Julie, who always loved helping her in the rose garden.

The rocker was there, too. And her afghan. She hefted her bag onto the tiny twin bed, the ancient springs sighing with the pressure.

She took a deep breath, and when she was sure the tears had subsided, she turned to Luke and asked, "You did this?"

He nodded. "I think this is how it was."

"It is. It's...perfect. Beyond perfect. It must have taken you forever."

He speared a hand through his hair, the side of his mouth tilting in a modest smile. "Anything for my baby sister, I guess. Anyway, it was no big deal. You should probably find Mom and catch up. I've got to hit the road."

"But I just got here. You can't, I don't know, hang out? Just for a while?"

"Can't." He glanced at his shoes for a second, and then met her gaze. "The bar'll be opening in a few hours and I'm already late. I'm shocked Chase hasn't called me already."

"Oh, right." She swallowed, then nodded solemnly, trying to ignore the way her heart had turned over in her chest at the name.

Even after all this time...

She shook her head. If she was going to be home, she had to deal with the eventuality of Chase Westmore and everything that came with him. She had to be a good sister and talk about her brother's bar...even if she didn't particularly want to know about who helped him run it.

"How is that going, by the way?” She braced herself, then added, "You know, with Chase?"

"Good. We're still fixing it up, but we're getting there. People seem to like the small town feel, even if we are sort of a hole in wall."

"I'm sure you're not," she lied. In truth, she couldn't figure out how they could be anything but a hole in the wall. Back when the place had belonged to old Sully, it had smelled so strongly of smoke that nobody wanted to live within a block of the place. And the decor...

Well, the one time she'd ever dared to enter the place, there had been a running motif of green shag carpeting. Even in the bathroom.

Luke shrugged. "Well, you oughta come down tonight and see the place for yourself. I'm sure Chase wouldn't mind catching up."

I wouldn't be so sure...

"Sure, I'll think about it." She nodded, and then he left, closing the door softly behind him.

She sat on the bed beside her suitcase and let out one prolonged sigh as she sorted through all her problems.