Page 112 of Peppermint Bark

I rose from the chair, buttoning my suit jacket. “I’ll speak to my brother.”

“You’re going to be the youngest partner in our firm’s history,” Hamilton said, exuding paternal pride.

Houghton leaned in. “Now that the secret’s out … is it true what they say about redheads?”

I cleared my throat. “What is it they say exactly?”

Thankfully Hamilton changed the subject. “How did you manage to keep your brother a secret? Unless …” his eyes widened like he’d just had a terrible thought, which absolutely should have occurred before pitching this promotion.

I contemplated the years of strain based on my resentment at his burgeoning fame. Then I thought about true estrangement, the deep-rooted hostility from Grace’s father and brother.

Maintaining a tight-lipped smile, I replied, “Our family values his privacy. As you’ve demonstrated, things change when people realize that your brother is,” I scolded them with my gaze, “Apollo, the God of Truth.”

Chapter 39

Grace

My body remained frozen on the staircase, itching to reach out but uncertain if he was there for acceptance or condemnation. Fear and hope mingled painfully in my chest as ice water dripped down his face.

Mallory descended the final step, placing herself between me and my estranged brother. She straightened to her full 5’1” height and asked loudly, to be heard through the thick door, “What do you want?”

He tore his eyes from my face to assess the protective blonde.

“Please, I …” his voice cracked. “I just want to talk to her.”

Her. He used my pronoun. Hope blossomed in my chest until I remembered that Levi had, too. It wasn’t enough.

Elijah's eyes returned to mine, scanning every contour of my face before his lips lifted into a shy grin. He spoke directly to me, a recitation through the glass: “I looked for you, the one my heart loves, but could not find you.”

“Song of Solomon,” I murmured the explanation to Mallory, knowing in my heart what he was telling me. “The love song of the Bible.”

I gathered my courage to lower the final step, approaching the door.

Elijah’s fingers spread against the glass, trying to reach through as he recited. “Night after night, I searched the whole city. I asked the watchmen, ‘Have you seen my beloved?’”

His other hand rose to the door handle as I spun the handle and I couldn’t say whether I pushed or he pulled. The door flew open and I threw myself forward, the force causing him to stumble back as his arms instinctively wrapped around me, cold water soaking through my sweatshirt.

His familiar laugh resonated deep within my soul. He continued the verse into my ear, “When at last I found the one my soul loves —”

I finished his thought, as I had for most of our lives: “I held on to him and would not let him go.”

“Grace,” Elijah murmured, my chosen name both a declaration of support and a sigh of relief. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

He squeezed tighter for a fleeting second before pulling back. “Wow, Mama said you looked good, but …” His hand rose tenderly, brushing my cheek. “I didn’t know my sister would be so beautiful.”

Sister.

Adrenaline rushed after years of questioning and craving his approval.

“Your sister?” I said, wanting to hear it again, a balm over the wound.

“Of course,” he replied, his thumb brushing melted raindrops and tears off my cheek. “My twin sister.”

I invited him into the studio, locking the door behind us. Elijah shed his soaked jacket and shoes, and I tugged off my wet hoodie tighter as we all tromped upstairs. Mallory hovered nearby as my silent guard, phone clutched in case she needed to sound the alarm.

Still stunned at Elijah’s arrival, I asked, “How did you —?”

“Your boyfriend told Mama your name was Grace and you worked at a yoga studio. She said the truck still had New York plates,” he explained, looking approvingly around the reception area. “I’ve been canvassing yoga studios all over the state, anywhere with a Grace on the class schedule.”

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