Holly
Holly’s stomach knotted and bunched as she watched Dougie return to the gazebo with Mandy Meadows. What was she doing here and why had she been spying on them? Could she have had something to do with the fire?
“What’s going on, Dougie?” Holly noticed that Mandy didn’t meet her eyes.
“I’m going to let Mandy explain.” He pushed the girl forward. “Go on. Tell her what you told me.”
Mandy chewed on her bottom lip and fiddled with the hem of her shirt before finally lifting her eyes. “I came to Courage to find you because you’re my sister.”
Holly grabbed hold of the railing as her knees gave way. “What are you talking about? I don’t have a sister.” She’d always wanted one, but there was no sister in her life. There was a brother, one she didn’t talk to very often any more because he’d followed in the steps of their father, but there was no sister. Holly had been the only girl in their family.
“Half-sister then. I have a different mother, but Brad Bingman is my father.”
The railing was no longer enough. Holly stumbled over to one of the chairs and sank down. Another kid? She’d always thought it was possible with the many affairs her father had, but none had ever surfaced, and she had certainly never expected one to find her and waltz nonchalantly into her life. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maybe if she just refused to acknowledge this woman’s story, she would go away.
Mandy sat across from her in the other chair. “Sure you do. Brad met my mother, Amy, on the campaign trail years ago.” She tucked a raven strand behind her ear. “I didn’t really understand who Brad was until I was in high school. When I found out, I started trying to track you and your brother down. He was easy, but you’d disappeared from the news, so the only thing I could find was your high school graduation announcement until a few weeks ago. Then I saw the story about you on the internet.”
“That stupid story.” Holly had tried so hard to distance herself from her father and his issues, and one story had brought her past into the present. She sized up Mandy. She didn’t look like Holly other than the dark hair. Nor did she resemble Brad, but Holly didn’t really either. Thankfully, she’d taken after her mother. Still, the cautious side of her warned her to be careful. She’d let Frederick in her life not realizing what he was, and she wasn’t keen to do it again. “My father knows about you?”
Mandy nodded, an aura of sadness floating around her head like a halo. “He does, though I wish I had a different dad. I told you he met my mom during one of his campaign trips when he was trying to run for governor. He only came back a few times though he sent money every month and extra on birthdays and Christmas, like that could make up for it.”
“And you met my brother?” Holly hadn’t spoken to her brother in years, but she was surprised he wouldn’t call her to tell her this. Or at least email. He still managed to send an electronic birthday wish once a year and a formal Merry Christmas one.
Mandy’s nose wrinkled as she grimaced. “Well, he wasn’t really up for meeting, but I did speak to him. He told me I was a liar and that if I went public, he would ruin my life. I was afraid you’d say the same, but you seemed different from him, different from both of them, so I thought maybe…” She let the sentence trail off.
“Maybe what? What exactly is it that you want?” Holly’s words weren’t harsh but cautious. If this woman had come looking for money, she was barking up the wrong tree.
“I was just hoping we could talk. My mom never remarried, so it’s just been the two of us.” She lifted glassy eyes to Holly. “I always wanted a sister. It’s silly, but I was hoping maybe we could be friends at least.”
As Holly fumbled for a response, Dougie stepped in. “It was you watching Holly’s place the other night. It felt like someone was watching, but I never saw anyone.”
Mandy nodded, a flush of embarrassment climbing her cheeks. “I didn’t want to just spring it on you, especially after how your brother acted. I met Becca and she needed help at the bakery, so I figured I could do that and learn a little about you to see if you’d even be open to the idea. I didn’t mean to spy. I was just trying to build up my courage to approach you.”
“Were you watching the restaurant the night of the fire?” Dougie asked.
Mandy chewed on her lip again as she looked up at Dougie. “No, I saw Holly leave with you and figured there was no point.” She turned back to Holly. “I’m so sorry about your restaurant. I wish I had seen who did it.”
Holly’s head reeled with the barrage of new information. She had a sister who wanted to be part of her life. How many other half siblings might she have in the world? Shaking her head to focus, she looked up at Mandy. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have just dropped in your life like this, but I thought you might not take my call if I tried calling.”
“You’d probably have been right. I parted ways with my father a long time ago because of his affairs.” Suddenly, a piece of the puzzle clicked into place. “Did you tell my father or brother you were coming here?”
Mandy nodded. “I told your brother that I hoped to meet you one day and maybe you’d be more welcoming.”
Holly glanced up at Dougie. “I bet that explains my father’s PR rep coming to town. It makes much more sense that she would come here expecting a scene and try to get ahead of it.”
Dougie nodded. “That sounds reasonable, and it means she probably had nothing to do with the fire.”
Holly wasn’t so sure about that; she wouldn’t put anything past her father, but she chose not to focus on that and turned to the woman across from her again. She still wasn’t convinced Mandy was telling the truth — after Frederick, she didn’t trust as easily as she once had. But Mandy did seem earnest, and what reason would she have to lie? “So, tell me about you. Where do you live?”
Mandy’s lips mashed together. “Um, I’m from New York, same as you, but I’ve been thinking about moving. I don’t know if I’ll stay around here, but I’m enjoying working for Becca right now.”
“Did you attend college?” The woman looked younger than Holly but old enough to be out of college if she’d gone right after high school.
Mandy nodded. “I studied business, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.”
“That will help you with whatever you decide.” Holly wasn’t sure what else to say. Not only was she in shock, but her mind was trying to figure out how to tell if Mandy was telling the truth. Questions were too easy. Her father was a public figure and the right person could find out almost anything about him, but the only other option Holly could think of was running a genetics test on Mandy. “So, you really came here just to meet me? Because if you’re after money, I don’t have any.”
Mandy shook her head. “No, I don’t need money. Our father may not have been a dad to me, but he did set me up financially. I just want to spend time with you, see if we can be friends. I’m sorry I interrupted your night tonight, but would you come by the bakery in the next few days? I’ll buy you a coffee and we can talk.”
“Sure, I can do that.” Holly had nothing else pressing in her life at the moment and besides, maybe it would give her a chance to get something from Mandy to test her DNA on. She wanted to be sure the woman was related to her before she let her get too close, but a chat over coffee seemed safe enough.
“Thank you. I’ll let you get back to your evening, and I’ll see you soon.”
As Mandy hurried from the gazebo, Dougie turned to her. “What are you thinking?”
Holly shrugged and rose to stand next to Dougie. “I’m thinking of that old saying that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If she is my sister, then I’m open to getting to know her, and if she’s not, then maybe I’ll find out what she really wants. If I can snag a cup or something from her, do you think you could run DNA?”
Dougie nodded, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Yeah, I’ll try, and I’ll do a little digging on her too and see what I can find.”
Holly turned so that she was facing Dougie. “Thank you. You are doing so much for me, and I’m not sure I can ever thank you, but I’d like to try.”
Before he could say anything more, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted on her toes to press her lips against his. For a second, she wondered if she’d made a mistake when he didn’t respond, but then his arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her tighter. For the first time in a long time, she felt like things were going to be okay.