It was the first thing that had gone right since we’d been back at our old apartment. We had to make the most of it.
“We’re gonna be late, sis.”
Eric poked his head in my bedroom door.
“I just need to put my shoes on.” I balanced on one leg, hopping as I tried to put on a heel. “That purple brings out your eyes, bow tie.”
“And you look really pretty,” he said once I’d straightened.
“Ready to tackle the day?” I grabbed my purse and keys.
“Ready.” He hung around in the door. “Do you think Lincoln will help us with the big order?”
My heart dropped. Eric had been a little down since we’d moved, and I hadn’t been great at trying to work through the hurt. Because I didn’t want to face it. And of course he was sensitive to that.
I brushed his hair back from his face. “I don’t think so.”
His features dimmed another notch, but he was tough. “I’ve got your phone.”
“Then let’s do this thing.”
If it wasn’t for Eric, I wouldn’t be holding on. But I had to put on a brave face for him. I figured if I spent most of my waking hours pretending I didn’t miss Lincoln, that eventually one day it would become true.
“Hey, Garrison.”
Eric tried to wave with the box he was carrying in his hand, but failed.
Garrison laughed when my brother grinned. “Hey, Eric. Hey, Lexie.”
“We have a few more boxes to get.”
“Set these here, please, and I’ll help you.”
“We’ve got it,” I said. “Thank you, though.”
“Wait. I have some dog treats for Grey Paws if you don’t mind delivering them.”
He slid a giant jar across the counter.
“They’ll be some happy pups.”
We retrieved the rest of his order. I handed him the invoice.
“If you have a minute, I’ll write you a check.”
“Sure thing,” I said as he disappeared into the back.
“Can we get one of those for Millie and Muffy?” He peered into the case of specialty treats. “They’d like the bones with icing.”
How could I tell him we wouldn’t be seeing them again?
“Okay.” That was a lot easier than a no. Maybe Pepper would deliver them.
“That friend of yours is certainly convincing,” Garrison said as he returned.
“Pepper is great,” I said, grateful for her support.
He passed me the check. “It wasn’t Pepper.” He frowned. “I didn’t catch his name, but he was tall, had on a suit. He really believes in you.”
Lincoln.
I was at a loss for words.
He tapped the counter twice. “You should go around the corner and see the progress at Grey Paws. They’ve cleared most of the rubble.”
“We’ll do that.” I clutched the check, still reeling at the fact Lincoln had talked to Garrison and convinced him to give us another chance.
We pushed out of the store and the bell jingled a goodbye.
“Should we take some pictures for Teague and Pepper?” I asked.
“Good idea.”
We rounded the corner of the familiar street. I’d missed coming to this location. I’d always liked Chelsea. Would Pepper and Miss Adeline rebuild and come back?
Woof. Woof. Woof.
Eric surged ahead.
“Eric. Wait up.”
“Millie! Muffy!” he shouted as he ran.
The two dogs yanked on their leashes in the distance. I slowed my sprint at the sight of who was holding them.
The last time I’d seen him in that spot, he’d been in handcuffs. And somehow made it look fashionable.
He still wore an exquisite suit. His expression still was unreadable. But instead of feeling irritated by his presence, it made me sad.
It had barely been five days since we’d moved out. My heart hurt as much as it had when we’d cranked the van and driven out of the garage. More, if I was honest with myself.
Eric dropped to his knees and threw his arms around Millie. Muffy jumped and licked. The two dogs squealed and whimpered, peppering my brother with kisses.
They’d missed him as much as he had them.
Had I been wrong? Not to fight harder? I thought I was protecting us both, but maybe I’d only hurt us worse.
“Can I give them the treats?”
At the word treats, the dogs attacked Eric all over again with licks. He giggled and squealed along with them.
I gave him the bag.
Lincoln snapped and they immediately sat. Hadn’t seen that in a while.
Eric broke off a piece and fed it to Millie, then broke off another for Muffy. He continued on until both treats were gone.
“We’ve missed you, Lincoln.”
My heart twisted. Eric wasn’t angry. He didn’t have any resentment. Pure honesty.
“We’ve missed you too.”
As he said the words, all of that intensity was focused on me. I couldn’t handle it.
I glanced behind him. “This looks good. It’s really coming along.”
He nodded approvingly. I had a suspicion this work was happening at warp speed thanks to him.
“If I were arrested, would you send me letters in jail?”
I laughed in confusion. “What?”
“I would,” Eric volunteered.
Lincoln waited for my answer.
“Did something happen?” Worry darted through me.
“No.” He continued to hold the leash, looking much more natural with them than he had not so long ago. “Before, you said you wouldn’t. I-I wondered if that had changed.”
“You still don’t say hello.”
“I thought we’d established that wasn’t such a terrible thing.”
It wasn’t. It was an amazing thing. Except I didn’t get his versions anymore.
“We should get go—”
“I remembered something my mother said to me not that long before she died.” He shoved a hand in his pocket. “A couple of things actually.”
He lowered his voice. “How angry are you at me?”
My heart rate picked up pace. “I was so angry,” I whispered. “Now it just hurts.”
He glanced down at Eric, who was playing with the dogs, as if he were uncertain about having this conversation in front of him.
A little more of what was left of my anger evaporated. He was considerate of my brother and how things would affect his feelings.
“She said you can’t be that angry at someone you don’t love.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but it was useless. In this case his mother was right. I did love Lincoln. Even after all the hurt.
“She also said people have different ways of showing their emotions. That some of us don’t know how to.”
He was trying to tell me he didn’t know how. But he did. Maybe not in the conventional holding hands, cuddly kind of way. It was in the ways that counted.
“I know what you did with Garrison.”
His expression stayed unmoving. “He was wrong.”
“So was I.”
A brow lifted. “About what?”
“I blamed you for what happened. It’s why I didn’t put up much of a fight when . . .” I looked at Eric, choosing my words carefully. “You said what you said.”