“How far away from you?”
“Just put your address into Google Maps, and you’re about five minutes from where I am. If you don’t want me to drop by, or you want to plan something, I’d totally get it.”
“No. Come by. It’d be good to see you.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
Another few beats of silence. “Alright. Then I’ll be by in a bit. Looking forward to it.”
“Same here.”
When I hung up, I wasn’t sure how I felt. I’d been gone for a long, long time, only sharing bits and pieces of my life here and there on social media. But it was time to join my life already in progress, as difficult as it might be.
I stepped into the living room, opening the windows and letting the fresh, fall air into my home. Once that was done, I set some coffee to brew and waited.
I was going to see my brother again. Maybe his friendly tone on the phone was a trick to get me to lower my guard so he could greet me with a slug to the face. Not like I didn’t deserve it for what I’d done.
I spotted his Mercedes when it pulled up in front of the house. It came to a stop and he stepped out, putting his hands on his hips and looking around as if taking in the sight of my home. I greeted him at the door, opening it before he had a chance to ring the doorbell.
Tall and built with a face so much like mine we were nearly twins, he regarded me with an unsure expression. “Duncan.”
But I didn’t need words to express was I felt. I stepped forward and opened my arms, pulling him into a powerful hug. He froze in place for a moment, as if not sure how to react. Then he hugged me back, and I knew all was forgiven.
“Come on in,” I said. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”
He stepped into my house and I shut the door behind him.
“Still can’t get over this place,” he said, looking around. “Maybe one day I’ll have a home like this.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “You’ve got the bachelor pad to end all bachelor pads.”
He took off his gloves and pea coat and I hung them up for him. Andrew was dressed well, in tasteful but stylish clothes. It was clear just looking at him that he was doing well for himself.
“Yeah, but this is a home. You can’t tell me that when you bought this place you weren’t thinking about a family down the line.”
“Maybe. But not like that’s even close to where my life’s at now. Come on in.”
I stepped into the kitchen and poured us each a cup of coffee, handing one to him. We sat at the bar and sipped.
“It’s…good to see you,” he said. “It’s been too long.”
“Right.”
“And to be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d be okay with me coming by.”
“You kidding?” I asked with a smile. “You’re my brother, Andrew. No matter what.”
He smiled, his expression relieved.
I went on. “When I was in Africa, I saw a lot of people who didn’t have anything close to what we do. Lots of people there who’ve lost everything, everyone. No way you can be around that and not come away with a deeper appreciation for what you have. And I’m glad to be back, to have you in my life again…as much of a prick as you might be.”
Andrew grinned. “I know the feeling. You leaving was like life before I knew you were my brother. And whatever our disagreements might be, I don’t want to go back to that.” An expression of concern formed on his face. “And…Mom’s still asking about you all the time.”
My gut tensed at the mention of my birth mother.
“Maybe it’s time to see her?” he asked.
“Maybe. I’m still getting used to being around indoor plumbing, to be honest.”
“I get it. These things take time.” He sipped his coffee. “Speaking of parents, how’re your mom and dad doing?”
“Good,” I said. “Thanks. Mom’s mom, and Dad made a full recovery from the surgery.”
“Good to hear.”
“I stuck around until I knew he was going to be fine. Not a chance I’d run off to Africa if he was still in a bad state.”
He chuckled. “Aren’t you a good son?”
“I have my moments.”
We sipped our coffee in silence, simply enjoying one another’s company.
“Come on,” he said, a knowing smile on his face. “Are you seriously not going to ask me?”
“Ask you about what?”
“Duncan,” he said. “You go off to Africa because you broke up with her. And then while you’re there you set up a program at the hospital to have local musicians play for the patients – just like she used to do. And now you’re going to seriously act like she’s not on your mind?”
He had me there. “The perils of uploading everything to social media,” I said. “But yeah, I’ll bite. Have you seen her?”
He shook his head. “That’s the thing. After you left, I spotted her a couple of times when I’d come to town. We never really talked – she’d usually be at the coffee shop with that cute friend of hers. I figured if it hadn’t happened, it wasn’t going to, you know?”
“That’s really how you feel? You were willing to just let her go like that?”
He shrugged. “Hardly even a decision. I’d said my piece, and she didn’t take me back. What else was I supposed to do? Show up at her work every day with a bouquet of flowers? Getting a restraining order didn’t exactly sound like romance.”
I laughed. “Good call.”
“But,” he went on. “You’re the one who lives in White Pines. There’s a good chance you’re going to see her, despite the fact that it sounds like she’s dropped off the face of the earth.”
“Where do you think she went?”
Another shrug. “Couldn’t tell you – she’s been like a ghost on social media, too. Maybe she went back to live with her parents for a while or started a new job.” His eyes lit up. “Or wait, maybe she went to Africa too and you just missed her.”
I laughed again, shaking my head. “Funny.”
“But I meant what I said before you left – we don’t need to let a woman come between us. We’re blood – our ties go deeper than that.”
“Right…” I trailed off.
He cocked his head to the side. “What’s the matter?”
I wasn’t sure how to say what was on my mind, which was what, exactly, I’d do if she were to come back into my life. She was gone, sure, but that didn’t mean she was gone for good.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
“Sorry,” I said. “Don’t want to be rude, but it might be someone from work.”
“Sure, sure,” he said, waving a hand. “Let’s grab a bite to eat. I’m thinking we run into town and grab some pizza.”
I nodded, but as soon as I took my phone out of my pocket, I knew there wasn’t going to be any pizza in my future.
It was her.
It was Annie.
My hand shook as I placed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Holy shit,” spoke the voice on the other end, a woman who most definitely wasn’t Annie. “He really picked up.”