A heavy silence fell between us.
Long moments passed before Jackie spoke again, this time her voice laced with steel, “If that’s what you really believe, then stop stringing him along. I like you, Eva, I really do, but Jace is my brother. I don’t want to see him hurt.”
I tried to breathe through the sudden, piercing pain in my chest. Jackie was right, of course. This pretending, living day to day as if tomorrow would never come, was only going to make it harder in the end, though the thought of leaving Jace gutted me.
“You need to make a decision soon,” Jackie said, getting up. “For Jace’s sake. And yours.”
I remained in the tree house long after Jackie had gone. I thought about what she’d said, and no matter how I looked at it, I kept coming back to the same conclusion.
I knew what I had to do.
I climbed down from the tree house and went straight to Jace’s place. I made a few phone calls, packed my suitcase, and then waited for my ride.
~ * ~
Jace
“She’s not out there.” I returned to the kitchen, a gnawing feeling in my gut I didn’t want to acknowledge. “You said she was in the tree house?”
Jackie nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. I knew my twin. There was something she wasn’t telling me.
“Why was she in the tree house, Jackie?”
“She got a phone call,” she said, refusing to meet my eyes.
Goddamn it.
I hoped it was just Ross being his pain-in-the-ass self and not that something had happened to the boys. Eva put on a brave face, but I knew she worried about her sons being on tour with Black Raven, especially since Ian had had a relapse.
I didn’t blame her. Ian Flynn had a bad reputation in the business, known for his excessive drug use and divo-like tantrums. His shows, when he bothered to show up for them, were more smoke and mirrors than actual substance these days. Legit bands wouldn’t even tour with him. Black Raven was only still around because of Ross’s efforts.
That was the general consensus anyway. Ross was a skillful illusionist, and even if she wasn’t directly involved with Black Raven’s account, Eva was sharp enough to know what went on behind the curtain.
It wasn’t my place to point out the obvious. My role, as I saw it, was to be a quiet, supportive presence whenever and however she needed me.
“You don’t happen to know who called her, do you?”
“One of her sons, I think.”
“Shit.” I spotted her jacket hanging beside the kitchen door and felt that gnawing sensation intensify. “She must have gone back to the house.”
“Jace ...”
“Later, Jackie. I have to make sure Eva’s all right.”
I beat feet up the hill, wanting to get to Eva as quickly as possible and hoping that whatever news she’d received wasn’t too bad.
“Eva?” My voice echoed in the cavernous space, no answer forthcoming.
I did a quick walk-through, confirming what I’d already known. Eva wasn’t there.
My mind raced with possibilities. Was it an emergency situation? If so, why hadn’t she contacted me?
I checked my phone again. No recent messages or missed calls from Eva. I ran back upstairs, taking the treads two at a time. Her suitcase was gone, as was the pink toothbrush that had sat beside mine.
I sank down on the bed, trying to piece together what had happened. Eva wouldn’t just leave without saying something to someone. If she had time to pack her toothbrush, she would have had time to fire off a text, make a call, write a note ...
That was when I spotted the small, folded paper on my pillow.
I snatched it up and scanned it. I read it twice more, willing the words to change. Phrases like I’m sorry and better this way jumped off the page, but my mind couldn’t make sense of them.
“Jace?” Jackie’s voice called up from below.
“Upstairs.”
She appeared in the doorway moments later.
“She left. I don’t understand it. She was fine a few hours ago. Happy. Smiling. What the fuck happened?”
“I didn’t think she’d really leave,” Jackie said quietly, her voice filled with regret, her expression one of guilt.
“What do you mean, you didn’t think she’d really leave?”
“I’m so sorry, Jace.”
“Jackie, what did you do?”
Tears ran down my sister’s face as she told me what had happened. By the time she finished, I was pissed.
“You had no right.”
“I know. I’m sorry!”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it this time. What the hell were you thinking?”
She wrapped her arms around herself and paced. “I was thinking that I’d never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at Eva, and when she suggested that it was just a temporary thing, I kind of lost my shit, you know?”
“She said that? Called it a temporary thing?”
“Not exactly, but she implied that whatever you have wouldn’t last once you were on tour and she was back in LA.”
I cursed. Of course Eva would think that. I didn’t know all the details, but I did know her ex had really done a number on her, enough that, twenty years later, she was still afraid to trust anyone.
Well, Eva D’Agolino was about to learn that I wasn’t just anyone. I wasn’t giving up, and I wasn’t going to let her give up so easily either. I pulled up my phone and did a quick search for flights to LA, relieved when I saw the next one wasn’t scheduled to take off until morning.
“You want to help?” I asked.
She wiped her eyes and nodded.
“Then give me your keys. I’m going to the airport.”
Chapter 17
Dear Ida,
I love my family, but my sister’s well-intentioned meddling just undid months of progress with the woman I love and now she’s gone! How do I fix this? – Angry Rocker
* * *
Dear Angry,
Be more concerned with why your efforts unraveled. Solid foundations aren’t shaken so easily. More importantly, why weren’t you there to pick up the pieces before she left?
~ * ~
Eva
The driver took me to the same regional airport we’d arrived in days earlier. The next commuter flight to LaGuardia wasn’t for a few hours, so I had some time to kill. Unfortunately, every moment I lingered made it that much harder to leave, as if there were some invisible thread anchoring me here. I repeatedly told myself I was doing the right thing, but that didn’t make it any easier.
I didn’t have to return to LA. I wasn’t due back at the office for another week and a half. There was nothing awaiting me there, except an empty house and an empty bed and pillows that probably still smelled like Jace.
But where would I go?
I made my way to the airport lounge and ordered myself a drink. Beyond the occasional glass of wine, I wasn’t much of a drinker, so when I heard myself ordering Ross’s usual of a Lag, straight up, I knew I was a mess.
“Tough day?” said a masculine voice to my right.
Considering I’d just shattered my own heart and probably hurt someone I cared for deeply, I snorted softly and lifted the glass to my lips. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Then, here’s to life sucking ass.” The man winked, lifted his glass in toast, and tossed back his own drink. He ordered another for himself and one for me and said, “You know, it’s really true what they say. Misery does love company.”