Lib Novel Page 142
“Strange question I actually know the answer to because Anna and I got him some for his birthday once when we were kids. Eternity.”
“Calvin Klein.” Sonya nodded. “I should’ve known. Same as my father. I’ve caught a trace of it a few times. Just a trace, but I recognized it. Collin’s still here, not just because this is home, but…”
“Because Johanna’s still here,” Trey finished.
“Yes. And he either found a way or decided it was time to connect with Owen.”
“It was good to see him, talk to him. Even though, given how he looked, I’d have been a toddler.”
Pausing, Owen looked at his cousin.
“He didn’t have to tell me to have your back on this, Sonya. Already there.”
“I know it.”
“I’ve gotta get going. Got a fancy yacht to build among other things.”
“Do you have one?” Sonya wondered. “A fancy yacht?”
“What would I want with that? I’ve gotThe Horizon. A sloop, a beauty who heels and hardens up like a dream. Let’s move it, Jones. Later,” he said, and with the dog beside him, went out the back.
“I’ve done a little sailing with Cleo, and I have no idea whatheelsandhardens upmean.”
“I’d explain, but I have to get going, too. You’re okay.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement Sonya appreciated. “I am. And if it follows pattern, after that explosive show last night, she’ll need some time to gear it all up again.”
“Good luck with Gretta.” He kissed her, lingered. “I’m afraid you’re going to need it.”
He took his plate and hers to the sink.
“Do you have one? A boat?”
“I don’t need one. I’ve gotThe Horizon. Come on, Mook.”
When he left, Sonya smiled over her coffee. She’d never had a brother, but she recognized brothers when she saw them.
It seemed silly, maybe shallow, to worry about wardrobe for this visit to her great-aunt, but Sonya wanted to appear friendly and respectful.
Whether Gretta noticed or not.
By the time she got upstairs, she discovered the decision had already been made.
The sage-green dress with its high V neck and fabric belt lay on the neatly made bed. As they were paired with her earthy brown pumps, Sonya agreed with Molly’s choice.
“Friendly but not frivolous, simple but not stuffy. Nice work. Nervous.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t know why, but I am. She won’t know me, probably won’t even talk to me. This whole trip is most likely a waste of time. But I’m nervous anyway.”
Clover’s musical response was Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business.”
“Yeah, that’s what I have to do. Take care of business, family business.”
Dressed, makeup done, she debated—too long—whether to wear her hair up or down, then settled on using a clip that allowed a combination of both.
“Nearly ready!” Cleo called out from her bedroom when Sonya walked by. “Two minutes.”
“I’m going to let Pye and Yoda out so they can do everything they have to do until we get back.”
She found herself reluctant as she stood alone in the kitchen checking her purse one more time. Reluctant to leave the manor, to take this drive, to meet this woman who, in a very real way, had betrayed her own brother, the woman her brother loved, and two helpless infants.