Page 7 of Life

Gillian beams and grabs my hand. “How did you sleep? Any more nightmares?”

I cringe and inspect the table setting, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. “No.”

“You have nightmares?” Elijah asks, as if it’s normal, everyday conversation to talk about something so profound and personal.

I take a deep breath. “Sometimes.”

I didn’t ask for it, but Bentley sets down a plate of food in front of me. “Again, marry me?” I glance up, and he chuckles and shuffles away. Funny little man, but an amazing cook.

Eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and an English muffin stare at me. My mouth waters as I fork a few bits of potato and plop the bite into my mouth.

“Jesús dulce bebé. Tan bueno.” Sweet baby Jesus. So good.

“So, Mr. Redding, how long are you staying in San Francisco?” Chase asks.

Elijah pokes at eggs and then sighs. “Not sure.”

“Why’s that?” Gillian asks, always the nosy one. Thank God.

He offers a sad smile. “Thomas left all he had to me. His house, car, fuck…everything.” His chin tightens, and that scruff I saw yesterday looks even more ruggedly handsome today. Elijah rubs a hand through his hair, and I can’t help but watch the action. This is what Tommy would have looked like if he had hair. Sexy as hell.

Mentally, I chastise myself for the thought. This guy isnotTommy.

“Do you have a family somewhere else to get back to?” Chase asks pointedly.

Elijah shakes his head. “Nah, nothin’ like that. I have a few crash pads throughout the States.”

I guffaw. “What are you, a drifter?”

His eyes turn sharp as knives as he focuses his gaze on mine. “No, Maria. I’m a bounty hunter. The job I have doesn’t afford me a lot of opportunity to settle down. I stay where I gotta.”

Immediate embarrassment heats my chest, neck, and face. I’m certain I look like a red, juicy tomato. “I’m sorry,” I say softly.

He lifts one shoulder and then drops it. “No big. I get that a lot. But, I just ended a job, only it was a little too late to make the funeral on time. It’s why I wasn’t there.”

“Doesn’t exactly explain why I didn’t know about you.” I poke my food so hard with my fork it clanks against the plate.

Elijah leans his elbows on the table and rests his chin on one knuckle. “No, I suppose it says more about your relationship to my brother,” he fires back.

“Hey now, that isn’t fair!” Gillian strikes before I even have the ability to utter a word. The hangover has made my reactions a tad slower.

“Maybe you weren’t important enough to mention.” I stand up and push back my chair. “Thanks for breakfast. Suddenly, I’m not all that hungry.”

“Maria, wait!” Gillian says as I stomp down the hallway toward the guest room.

I turn on a dime and point down the hall where the kitchen is and raise my voice to my girl. “Who the hell does he think he is, saying that to me? He knows nothing about my relationship with Tommy!”

Gillian holds up her hands and shakes her head. “No, no, he doesn’t and I agree. Both of you were out of line.”

“Both of us?” Am I hearing her correctly? Is she siding with him?

She clenches her teeth, making her jaw look sharp and formidable. “Ria, you’re upset because you didn’t know about him. I understand. But he does have a point. Why wouldn’t Tommy tell you about him? I think that’s the bigger question.”

I focus my gaze on her face. “You think he was keeping it from me for a reason?”

She shrugs. “Well, yeah. That’s obvious. You don’t date someone for nine months and then magically find out he has a long-lost identical twin. There’s a big, fat reason, and the only one who knows why is sitting at my kitchen table.”

I slump down onto the bed and grab my forehead. “I can’t deal with this right now. I need to go home. Be alone for a while. Think about all this.”

---