“Really?” Tracy asked.
When Bubba glared at her with what he knew was a protective look on his face, she rushed to explain.
“I’m just surprised. I mean, she’s spent most of her life in Juneau. It just seems fast. Things must’ve gone well out there in the bush.”
Feeling his ire rise, Bubba did his best to push it down. He knew people would talk about how fast their relationship seemed to be progressing, but he didn’t care. Intense experiences had a way of cutting through the bullshit in life and showcasing what was important.
But he had a feeling nothing he said to this blowhard would matter, so Bubba merely said, “We’ll be in contact with her new address, but what I was going to ask was if you could recommend a service to look after Zoey’s house. We haven’t talked about what she wants to do with it, but if she decides to stay in California, she’ll need to either rent it out or sell it. And whether she moves to Riverton permanently or decides to come back to Juneau, in the meantime, she’ll need someone to look after it for her. Make sure there aren’t any leaks or anything.”
“I can help,” Tracy offered immediately. “I’ve got a great realtor, and I’m willing to assist in packing up her stuff and helping to stage the house if she wants to sell.”
“Thank you. We’ll be in touch,” Bubba said, wanting nothing more than to get out of the building and out of this state. The hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up, and he didn’t know why. He turned and saw his brother was still in the lobby.
Glancing at Rocco and Phantom where they were still standing with Zoey, he gave them a small chin lift, indicating that they should meet him outside.
Nodding, Phantom leaned over and said something to Zoey. He then took her elbow and led her toward the door. She looked back at him, and Bubba did his best to smile. He knew he hadn’t really succeeded when she looked extremely worried as his friends led her out of the office.
Taking a deep breath, Bubba wandered over to where his twin was standing. “You okay?” he asked.
Malcom merely shook his head. “Let me guess, you’re out of here.”
Feeling bad for a split second, Bubba nodded. “I’ve been gone too long. I had a few days’ leave to come up for the reading of the will and Pop’s memorial service, but I obviously used more than I’d planned. I need to get back.” Bubba had been upset when he’d heard his dad’s memorial had gone on without him, but not exactly surprised. He’d told Zoey that would probably happen, but it was still a little sad. He and Zoey would just have to have their own private ceremony when they got back to California.
“Right. I’d expect nothing less,” Malcom muttered.
Angry now, Bubba growled, “You want to do this here? Fine. What are you pissed about, bro? That Pop gave me some of his money? That he gave his investments to charity? That you didn’t get all of his business?”
“You really want to know?” Malcom asked.
“Yeah, I really do.”
“Fine. I’m pissed that even though Pop worshiped the ground you walked on, you couldn’t bring yourself to get up here to visit him even once. I’m pissed that he gave you part of the business, since you haven’t been involved for even one day in your entire life and made it clear you hated everything about it from day one. And I’m even more pissed that he gave any part of it to that bitch who’s been milking him from the day she met him!”
Bubba could handle Malcom being upset that he hadn’t been to Juneau to visit. He was mad at himself for that. But he couldn’t let his dig at Zoey go. “Why do you dislike her so much?” he asked between clenched teeth.
Malcom sighed, and his voice gentled just a bit. “Look, I get that you two had a harrowing experience together. I’m happier than I can say that you’re all right. But Zoey’s not what you think. You don’t know her like you think you do.”
Bubba didn’t believe one word his brother was saying, but he asked, “And you do?”
“Yeah, Mark. I do. She’s been hanging around him since we graduated. She’s always got one sob story or another. She talked him into renting her that house for half what he could’ve gotten from someone else. Then she wheedled her way into his private life too. Coming over and playing board games. Watching TV. She had her eye on his money and business the entire time. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knocked him off to get that house. She was probably working with Ashley, that incompetent nurse he hired. Hell, she probably poisoned him!”
Bubba was genuinely stunned by his brother’s resentment toward Zoey. It was true he didn’t know her like Malcom did, but he honestly couldn’t see her doing any of the things he was accusing her of.
“First of all, you hired Ashley, not Dad. Secondly, Zoey was in Anchorage visiting her mother when Pop passed,” Bubba reminded him.
He snorted. “Right. I thought you were worldly, bro. She could’ve hired someone to kill him. Like I said, all it would take is one dose of arsenic or cyanide or something. If she was working with the nurse, it would’ve been easy.”
“Seriously? Jesus, Malcom, what’s wrong with you? I can’t believe you’re actually accusing Zoey of killing Dad! Normal people don’t immediately think ‘murder’ when their loved ones die. I’m sorry you didn’t get more of Dad’s money than you wanted, but that’s no reason to be such an asshole.”
Bubba was done with this conversation. “I’m headed back to Riverton in the morning. But I’m going to do a better job of being involved. If you need anything, call. If I’m not on a mission, I’ll always be available. I can help with the business and making decisions. I’m sorry I wasn’t around for Pop, but I’m here for you. I love you, Malcom. You’re my brother. My twin. And we might annoy each other, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t family.”
He saw Malcom struggle with some inner demon for a moment before nodding. He held out a hand, and Bubba shook it.
“Thanks, bro. I’m going to take you up on that. And don’t be surprised if I ask you to come back up here at some point in the near future. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes shit that has to happen now that Pop’s gone. And since the two of us are the second and third biggest owners of the business, we have to be involved in those decisions.”
“Understood,” Bubba told him. “Be careful out there, Mal. Someone wanted me and Zoey out of the way. You could be targeted next.”
“You think Sean is pissed he didn’t get Dad’s shares?”
Bubba should’ve been surprised at how quickly Malcom jumped to that conclusion, but after his accusations of murder, he wasn’t. “I have no idea. All I’m saying is for you to watch your back. You’re my only family now. I don’t want to lose you too.” Then Bubba surprised both of them when he reached out and pulled Malcom in for a quick hug. It was a little awkward, but it felt good. Right. “I’ve missed you,” he told him when they stepped back.
Malcom nodded and said, “I’ll be in touch.” Then he turned on his heel and left.
Taking a deep breath, Bubba looked up at the ceiling for a brief moment. “I’m trying, Pop,” he whispered, before exiting the room to go find Zoey and his teammates.