Page 38 of The Drummer's Heart

Then she was gone.

I lingered at the table for a bit.

It felt strange to think I might never see her again. At the same time, it was a huge relief. I no longer had to worry about hurting her.

Just as I was heading out of the bar, I heard a voice call out, “Hey, asshole!”

Who the fuck did I piss off now?

But a second later, I realized it was my sister. My mouth curved into a smile. “Hey!”

“What the hell? You’re in town and you don’t tell me?”

Shit.“I swear I was gonna tell you I was here.”

“Really?” She poked my chest with her index finger. “When?”

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. There were very few people I had to answer to in life. Very few people who scared me. But of those who did, my big sis, Tina, was at the top of the list.

“Very soon. What are you doing here?”

“I was just picking up some fries to go. You know I love the fries here.”

Tina was a widow and had three kids, two sons and a daughter. Kieran and Kenzie were twins, both twenty-four. Kieran had worked on one of Delirious Jones’s tours, and my niece, Kenzie, was a photographer. The youngest, Kyle, was a junior in high school. Their dad, Brian, had passed away after acardiac event related to a disorder he never knew he had. The kids had been small when it happened, and I’d been just a few years out of high school. My sister was my hero for the way she’d handled raising those kids alone, even if she’d had no choice. I tried my best to be there for them whenever I could. I’d take the boys camping or invite them to New York or L.A. for the weekend. But Kenzie was my princess. That girl could just look at me, and I’d give her whatever she wanted.

“Did you tell any of the kids you’re here?” she asked.

“No one knows I’m here.”

“When did you get in?”

“Five days ago.”

“What the hell?”

“I’m not hiding from you. I just knew I wouldn’t have time until these two weeks are over.”

“Why two weeks? By the way, you had time to come to the bar tonight.”

I sighed and then spent the next twenty minutes explaining everything to my sister, who thankfully calmed down once she understood I wasn’t simply ignoring her.

“Wow, I’m so sorry to hear Mimi isn’t doing well. She’s such a sweet lady.”

“Now that you know I’m here, you should come visit her.”

“I would love that. You think Nicole would mind?”

“If she doesn’t mindmebeing around, she certainly won’t mind you. She always loved you.”

My sister flashed a sad smile. “I love her, too.”

I love her three.I needed to get back to Nicole, especially with the way I’d left tonight, but there was no chance in hell my sister was gonna let me go that fast.

“Are you doing okay with all this?” she asked.

“I’ve upped my therapy sessions to once a week, if that answers your question.”

“It does, but I’m happy to hear you’re still seeing someone.”

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