Page 2 of Something to Talk About

“Oh, okay, I can sign.” Miriam pulls a pen from her breast pocket, clicks it, and passes it over. I probably should have offered to do this inside, but my manners are completely out the window.

“Thank you. Once you’ve signed, I’ll get your phone number and set up a time to finish the complete transfer of the property.” I go through the motions, remembering I’m a Sinclair again, so my signature takes a moment before I tell her my phone number. Then she’s walking away, and I’m left reeling for another reason entirely.

Once Miriam is pulling out of the driveway, I finally head into the house. I’m practically running to grab my phone to make an important call. The ice cream is completely forgotten, but the bottle of wine is in my hand. I take a sip directly from the rim and pull up my sister’s number, putting it on FaceTime. It rings a few times before she answers.

“Minnie,” I say.

“Lennie,” she replies at the same time.

“You’ll never guess what happened a few minutes ago.” The papers are on the table. I prop my phone up against a stack of books and take another sip of wine.

“Wow, sister, think you’re celebrating a bit much?” Minnie says with a laugh.

“Leave her be. She’s finally rid of that worthless piece of shit,” Clay interjects in the background. He’s not in the screen, but when everything came out and Minnie shared what had happened and then some, well, let’s just say he hugged me tightly and offered to pay my divorce fees, saying the Sinclair girls are done taking shit from the world. I love him for my sister, and while he was annoyed that I didn’t take his money, he understood my reasoning too.

“Well, I’m celebrating for a good reason right now. I’m still reading over everything, and as far as I can tell, thisseems legit.” I put the bottle down, away from my phone and paperwork, and scan over the bold font to get the gist of it.

“What seems legit?”

“Give me a minute. Apparently, we had a long-lost aunt. Her name was Estelle, and in her passing, she left a house and a sum of money. The only thing I don’t understand is why your name isn’t on the will, too.” There are quite a few years between me and my younger sister, and Estelle could have very well not known she’s even around.

“Lennon Sinclair, do not even think about it.” Clementine is pointing at the screen after I tell her everything that Miriam relayed to me.

“I’m not cutting you out. This is every bit yours as well as mine. Surely, she didn’t know, or you’d have been on there. It’s only fair.” Our parents were shit, our life was shit, and while I clawed our way out, giving her as much as I could, it wasn’t enough. It’ll never be enough.

“Lennie, you’ve done everything for everyone else while your happiness has been put on the back burner. You’ve self-sacrificed, and I love you for everything you’ve ever done for me, but take this as yours. A chance to get out, away from the memories and the pain, and maybe you’ll find a man who will love you for who you are. Not what you can produce.” She says that last part on a whisper, knowing how much Zach hurt me with his words.

I’m thirty-five. My biological clock has been semi-ticking, and within the last year of our marriage, we were trying to get pregnant to no avail. The doctor said it’d take time after being on birth control for almost twenty years. Still, luck wasn’t on our side, and when my now ex-husband called mea failure because of my lack of pregnancy, that was my breaking point.

“I love you, Minnie. So much.” I close my eyes, breathing through the emotions.

“I love you, too, Lennie. I’ll figure out a date when Clay and I can come down to Florida. We’ll help you move and get settled.” I’m about to decline her offer when Clay comes into view.

“We’re coming whether you like it or not, and you know we’ll have a Johnson or two in tow. All you have to do is give us the date. We’re family, and family helps each other.” He disappears as fast as he appeared.

“Alright, I’m going to read through this paperwork, set up an appointment, and go from there. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Please do. I’m happy for you, Lennie. Really happy. This is a fresh start, and no one deserves it more than you.” We say our goodbyes, sayingI love youyet again, and when the phone goes silent, I take another sip of wine from the bottle. I’m going to celebrate with a hot bath and the rest of my wine, then I’m going to bed and hope like hell that today wasn’t a fever dream.

1

ASHER

Present Day

“Jesus, what the hell is going on?” I say into the empty cab of my pick-up truck as I pull down the road leading to my house. My eyes have to be deceiving me. I’m probably just sleep deprived and need to blink to really see what the hell is going on. The whole way home from the fire station, I rode with the windows down, needing the fresh air, the noise, and the wind to keep me alert. My shift that should have only been one twenty-four-hour stint turned into ninety-six hours. The station is understaffed, and I’m whooped.

A quick turn into my driveway, placing my truck inPark,and I’m wiping a hand down my face, trying to clear the fog from my brain to being exhausted to my bones. Tired would be a complete understatement at this point. It seemed like every time I closed my eyes, the siren would blare throughthe firehouse, and we’d be springing into action. My one saving grace is that I’ve got the next two days off before I do it all over again. Of course, I’ve got other shit I’ll be doing, so that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll get a lot of lying-around time.

At the thought, I pinch the bridge of my nose. A headache forms just thinking about it. My part in the construction company I own is piling up, and while the other owners in our group are understanding, that doesn’t make me slacking any better. Plus, there’s no way I’ll be able to shut my brain down until I’m able to at least head to the jobsite, check-in, and figure out what’s going on with what. With that thought in mind, I should probably at least text our group chat or make a phone call. Which then makes me realize there’s no use sitting in the driveway stewing over this shit when I could be inside and horizontal. I take a deep breath, turn the engine off, and go to grab my bag when my attention is diverted to the house next door.

By her.

She’s the unexpected.

She’s breathtaking.

She’s everything.

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