Opening my eyes, I glance to the side and meet Evan’s worried gaze.
“I take it she affected you the same as the rest of us.” He stares at the opposite wall. “Mom left earlier in tears, and Dad hasn’t been in yet.”
“What about you?” I ask.
“Yeah, me as well.”
“I thought she got on okay with everyone, but me. I seriously don’t get how my mom can visit and her whole attitude has changed. I got an apology, I never in a million years expected.”
The headache I’d started out with this morning is coming back with a vengeance, to the point my stomach is starting to roll. I don’t know whether to put that down to shock or stress.
“Well, whatever your mom said to her, she’s been apologizing all day . . . all morning. She’s never been the easiest of patients, and we all put it down to her frustration because of the situation. She’s said things over the years to hurt,” he shrugs, “but she’s my sister, you know.”
“Yeah, I get it. I really do.”
“C’mon, you can’t sit here all day. You need to leave and you’ll feel better once you do. Sometimes I wish I could walk away from this house and never step foot inside again. It’s oppressive.”
Evan holds his hand out and hauls me from the floor.
“Do you want a clean break or do you want me to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on with her?”
A clean break is what I came to ask for, but now, I’m not too sure I can do that.
“Keep me up-to-date,” I reply quickly, before I change my mind.
We shake hands as I walk outside into the sun. I lift my face and close my eyes while I absorb the rays and try to rid myself of the gloom hanging over my head after my visit.
Feeling my cell vibrate, I palm it and glance down to see I have an incoming call from Dahlia.
Without answering, I send it straight to voicemail before slipping it back into my pocket and climb into the truck.
My emotions war inside me and I’ve no idea what I’m going to say to Dahlia. I left my apartment this morning with the intention of breaking all ties to Brittany with the divorce. Now, how can I look Dahlia in the face and tell her I decided to stay in touch with Brittany and her brother? My conscience won’t allow for anything else. Not after hearing what she had to say in there.
Driving away, I decide to detour into the city to try and meet up with Jace. There’s no way I can be with Dahlia right now.
I don’t have any romantic feelings toward Brittany, never did, but I do, after today, feel damn sorry for her, which leaves an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Chapter Eleven
Ryder
My trip to the city is turning out to be more of a detour than planned. Having spoken to Jace, he’s directed me to the field where he’s in the middle of teaching softball to some second graders from the local elementary school.
It’s a game that we played all through school and Jace is still on the academy’s softball team. The team is partly responsible for pulling him out of the darkness, which took hold after the shooting that cost him his detective badge, as well as a limb.
As I pull up at the field with the window down, all I can hear is screaming kids, and watch as my brother is in the middle of it all. Not to mention, there’s also a cute, little red head trying to calm the kids down.
I grin as I jump from the truck. I’m starting to think that maybe there’s more to this whole coaching business than he’s let on.
Jace doesn’t spot my approach, but the red head does and looks between us, causing him to turn.
He grins and pulls me into a hug with a thump on the back when I reach him.
“You okay?” he asks, frowning.
“I need to talk to you . . . but first, introduce me to the babe.”
I’ve no interest in her, but I have no problem testing the water with my brother’s feelings for her. By the frown, I’d say I’m getting to him. Interesting.