Читать книгу The Sister’s Secrets: Reen - Katlyn Duncan - Страница 12

CHAPTER FOUR

A rough fabric raked against Reen’s cheeks as she pried her eyelids apart. They stuck together again. Shit. She hadn’t taken her mascara off the night before. She hoped they would pull apart on their own. The room was entirely too bright, and she squeezed her eyes closed, just as the night before crashed over her.

Her futile attempt to roll over was a mistake. Her stomach tightened, and she curled into a ball. More rough fabric against her skin pricked at every inch of her body. A loud yawn filled her ears, and she jolted, the movement sending another wave of nausea through her stomach, clawing its way up her throat. She’d had way too much to drink last night.

She wanted to know who’d yawned. Sitting up as best she could, she surveyed the rest of the room. Even though she had Rose’s key in her bag, she knew without a doubt that she wasn’t in Rose’s apartment.

A flash of the group of guys surrounding her at the Brews came back full force. They’d bought her drink after drink. How could she have been so stupid? She wasn’t an amateur, but she had been last night.

As she drew in several breaths to calm her pounding heart, the details of the room sharpened. The sheets were navy, and the plaid comforter sat in a heap at the edge of the bed. Across the way was a small kitchen; only a refrigerator, sink, stove, and a compact countertop hugged the corner of the room. Not far from the edge of the bed was a brown leather sofa and a flat-screen television mounted on the wall.

A studio apartment, belonging to one of the guys from the bar. She sifted through the dark memories in her head, but she came up empty. How did she get there and with whom? Through the window, Reen recognized the street. She was in an apartment above the bar. The familiar view outside Burrow’s Brews mocked her. At least her commute hadn’t been long. Maybe that was a selling point for her when she had been an idiotic drunken mess.

She darted to the side of the bed and slowly – painfully – swung her legs until they dangled off the edge. Her shirt clung to her body, but her crumpled jeans were on the floor next to the bed. Her hand fell to her stomach, and she winced, wondering if she’d drunkenly agreed to a one-night stand. The thought brought another wave of sickness through her, and she bounded to the other side the room to the door across the way. She prayed it was a bathroom.

The knob moved further away from her reaching hand. Before she could blink, she smacked into a hard and naked chest. A towel covered his face as he rubbed it against his hair.

‘Whoa,’ the guy said as Reen shoved him out of the way. She only had eyes for the toilet. She fell to the floor, her knees smacking against the cool tile. There wasn’t much in her stomach, but it squeezed the life out of her.

A cold cloth appeared on her neck, and she mumbled a thank you to the stranger. When she finished, she glanced over her shoulder. He was gone. Unwilling to soil this guy’s apartment any more than she already had, she wiped her hand across her mouth and went to the sink to wash up. Even though her insides were empty the room still moved on its own.

‘Here,’ Brody said.

Reen glanced at him through the mirror and then whipped around.

No, no, no. How did she end up at Brody’s place? She tried to remember anything from the night before, but she came up blank. Her stomach lurched again, but with a painful swallow, she managed to keep everything down.

He stood there, in a towel, holding a glass of water. ‘Drink this. I tried to get some water in you last night, but you didn’t want any. You smacked my hand and spilled it everywhere.’ He nodded his head toward a pile of sheets on top of a wicker hamper.

She took the glass from him and stared into it, unable to meet his eyes. Relief and embarrassment flooded her. ‘What happened?’

‘You wouldn’t tell me where you were staying.’ He smirked as if recalling a particularly amusing moment. ‘So, I brought you here.’

She forced the water down her throat. ‘We didn’t…?’

His eyebrows knitted. ‘Sleep together?’

She winced again. The light coming into the room overwhelmed her more than before. Or maybe it was her straining not to look at his chest. The last time she’d seen it, there hadn’t been much definition. Unlike now. There weren’t any gyms nearby, at least as far as she knew. Those muscles were all homemade from some activity around town. ‘So, we didn’t…?’

Brody smiled. A hint of amusement danced in his eyes. ‘I slept on the couch.’

A breath whooshed out of her.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I’m going to make you some toast and get some aspirin into you. It will help.’

She followed him like a lost puppy across the space. This time, when she looked around, she saw each inch of the apartment as Brody’s instead of a stranger’s. She should have known he’d come to her rescue. The room was simplistic without many decorations or adornments. The wall behind the bed was exposed brick, giving the room a little rustic appeal. She never imagined a place like this above the bar.

Brody had always been a clean and neat kind of guy, but this place was almost sterile. Maybe he’d just moved in?

‘How long have you lived here?’ she asked, unable to help herself.

He pulled a toaster from inside one of the lower cabinets of the kitchen. ‘Three years, give or take.’

So, not new. ‘It’s nice.’

‘I’m not here much. Between shifts at The Siren and downstairs, I only sleep here.’

‘Why so many jobs?’ It couldn’t be that expensive to stay in The Burrow, especially with a shoebox apartment.

He hesitated. ‘I like to keep busy.’

He placed two slices of bread in the toaster and then grabbed a container of butter from the refrigerator.

‘I’m not sure I can handle dairy this morning,’ Reen said.

‘It’s not for you. I was an adult last night.’

He’d meant it as a joke, but Reen couldn’t help the flush in her cheeks. She had acted like someone who couldn’t handle herself. Coming home brought all the memories back to Reen from when she was a teen. Instead of keeping her guard up, she’d been careless and ended up in a situation far from the one she’d imagined.

‘I’m going to finish getting dressed,’ he said, and slipped past her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

She released a breath and hung her head in her hands. While away, anytime Brody had crept into her thoughts, she had shut them out. Now, she was inside his apartment while he changed behind the door.

Her bag hung from her chair, and she took a moment to check her phone. Surprisingly, there weren’t any texts from Rose. But she’d stayed with Shane the night before. Reen wondered when Rose would figure out that she hadn’t stayed at the apartment. The conversation played out in her head, adding to the ache in her temples. She needed to get to Rose’s place as soon as possible so that she would be none the wiser.

The toast popped up, and Reen jumped.

Brody strode out of the bathroom dressed in jeans and a blue and white striped T-shirt. With clothes on, he was easier to look at. Though, her stomach still fluttered.

He handed her the dry toast and buttered his. The sound of the knife over the hard bread raked against her brain.

‘You all right?’ Brody asked.

‘Not so much. I haven’t done that in a long time. Why did you let me?’

He laughed, and she winced again.

‘I tried to cut you off earlier, but you got a little mean.’

The night had been a haze. ‘I did?’

‘I mean, I’ve seen worse.’

‘Sorry,’ she muttered.

‘Don’t worry about it. I know seeing your mom probably wasn’t easy. You get a pass from me. If you want it.’

Even though the details of last night were fuzzy, it had more to do with Brody than Mom. If it were possible, she felt even sicker because of it. Her anger with Mom had melted increasingly throughout the years. Seeing her yesterday didn’t bring it up again. Now, she was a sick old woman stuck in a bed. Reen would be a monster to be upset with Mom in her current state.

It wasn’t just that Brody had moved on with his life, but everyone had. Mom had gotten older, Brody and Rose seemed to have it all together, while Reen was flailing in her life. Jumping from place to place whenever she got the itch. Would it be so much to ask that her hometown remained in the bubble she’d placed around it?

Reality crashed over her, and she dropped her toast onto the plate. ‘I should go.’

‘Let me drive you,’ he said.

She lifted her eyes to his. ‘I thought you had to get to work.’

‘I do,’ he said. ‘Do you want to walk?’

Not in the least. ‘I have a car here. A rental.’

‘You feel okay to drive?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ she croaked. Spending more time with Brody would only add to her hangover.

Brody eyed her, and the silence stretched on between them as he finished his breakfast. They walked together out of the apartment, down the narrow hallway and staircase to the street.

While they weren’t talking about last night, there were plenty of things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t force her mouth to form the words. She supposed it was better that way.

Reen grabbed on to all her years of hiding her feelings, and by the time she and Brody reached her car, she already had a smile on her face, even though she was slowly dying on the inside. ‘Thanks for watching out for me. I promise I’ll never do it again.’

‘Never say never,’ he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

She played with her keys, but even outside, the sound rang in her ears, forcing her to stop. ‘I’m not sticking around very long—’

‘It was good to see you. Even for a little while.’

She cleared her throat. ‘You too.’

They stood there, staring at each other, neither of them knowing what to do. Reen wasn’t about to force Brody into an awkward hug, even though it would have been nice. All she could do was think of his girlfriend, and that was enough to propel her legs toward the car. She’d come back home to say a final goodbye, not to leave a trail of destruction in her wake. It was for the best. Though, she couldn’t help watching Brody retreat down the sidewalk through her rearview mirror.

#

When Reen arrived at Rose’s place, an older woman opened the front door of the house.

‘Can I help you?’ she asked. She was a petite woman with permed hair. The sun reflected off her glasses and shone brightly into Reen’s eyes.

‘I’m Rose’s sister,’ Reen said, shielding her face. ‘I’m staying with her. I have a key.’

The older woman adjusted her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes narrowed as she took a better look. ‘Reen. Yes. I remember you.’

Reen shielded her eyes. Familiarity filled her, but she couldn’t place the woman.

‘Mrs. Collins,’ she said, placing a hand against her chest. ‘I was the school secretary.’

Reen didn’t think it was possible to feel any smaller. The older woman hadn’t aged a day since Reen graduated. ‘Mrs. Collins.’

She winked at Reen. ‘It’s good to see you again, Ms. Barros.’

Reen remembered her well. As much as she remembered teachers sending her to the principal’s office often. ‘You too.’

She gave Mrs. Collins a quick wave and headed up the wooden stairs attached to the side of the house.

Between the heat from the morning and the sun, Reen practically fell inside the apartment. She opened her mouth, feeling the stale, nasty aftertaste of beer. She walked through the space, heading straight for the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, Reen made her way around the apartment, thinking that it was perfect for Rose. Everything in each room called out as something her sister would have. Even the romance novels on the side table by her bed. Mom loved reading those, and in typical Rose fashion, she tagged along with whatever Mom did.

Rose was content to live her life in this place. She was okay with being boring and doing the same things day after day. Brody was the same way – thought he hadn’t always been. When they were together, they would talk about all the places they would travel to in the future. Between his multiple jobs in town, she knew his roots had dug deeper into the sand, anchoring his life to The Burrow.

Even though Dad’s death had rocked her entire world, Reen was happy she’d left when she did. Otherwise, she might have ended up pregnant with Brody’s kid and unable to escape the same life her parents had lived.

Once she finished brushing her teeth, she tossed the toothbrush into her bag and dropped it on the table. It was time to go. Her humiliation might follow her from town, but she didn’t intend on coming back to see the outcome.

The effects of the aspirin and hydration invigorated her, and she went to the refrigerator to see what Rose had to eat.

A picture caught her eye, held against the surface of the freezer by a magnet. She swallowed. One summer, their neighbors snapped a photo of their family on the beach. Reen was ten at the time. Mom and Dad stood behind her and Rose, Mom’s hands on Reen’s shoulders, squeezing them and making sure she didn’t stick her tongue out. Reen couldn’t help a ghost of a smile crossing her lips. The sight of her family, together and happy, brought back so many memories for her. Years of them flooded her mind. She didn’t dare touch the photograph, reminding her of a different time in her life. It seemed like eons ago that she and her family were together on the beach.

Reen glanced around the rest of the room and peered into the small living space. There weren’t a lot of photographs, but most of them were of their family. Mom and Dad’s wedding photo sat on the coffee table. Scattered across the room on other surfaces were the few portraits they’d taken together at the mall around the holidays when Mom used to be obsessed with making memories with their family. That had come full circle, as she’d ended any photographic proof of their family after Dad passed. It was as if Mom didn’t care about anything after that. As if he were the string keeping their family together.

Reen’s stomach churned, and she wasn’t hungry anymore.

The ghosts of her past clung to this place, even though it wasn’t where she’d grown up. It was as if Rose had transplanted the memories to this confined space.

She had to get out.