Page 13 of Capitally Engaged

“Oh,” I nodded. “I mean, I guess that would have worked for tonight, but eventually...”

“Yeah, eventually,” Jax said, her eyes still trained on the box in my hand.

“Do you want to see it?”

Jax nodded, her bottom lip between her teeth, the rest of her face unreadable.

I opened the box and handed it to her, box and all.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Jax said, removing the ring from its velvet covered perch.

“My mom died when I was ten. My dad remarried a wonderful woman after I started college. She found out my dad still had a bunch of Mom’s old jewelry and asked the youngest four of us if we’d like rings made of one of the pieces for us when and if we needed it. I had her make one for me a years ago when... well, in any case, I have this ring now.”

Jax stared at me, her expression hard to read. I thought I saw a flicker of understanding pass through before her eyes returned to the ring in her hand. As the silence stretched on, my tie suddenly felt tighter around my neck, my sleeves constricting my arms.

“You don’t have to wear it. We can get something else. It’s dumb,” I said, my face heating. I reached to take it back from her.

Jax moved the ring out of my reach, sliding it onto the fourth finger of her left hand. “No way. It’s perfect. Thank you for letting me wear it.” She held her hand out, admiring the way the diamond sparkled in the artificial lighting of my living room. The main stone sat between two small pieces of sapphire, my mom’s birthstone, on a band of white gold.

We stood in silence for a few beats.

“That was a weird moment, right?” Jax said, breaking the silence, and once again, saying exactly what she had on her mind.

“Somehow, not the weirdest moment I’ve had today, and probably not the weirdest we’ll have tonight.” Jax looked inquisitive, like she wanted to know more, but the vibration on my watch forced me to drag my eyes away from hers.

“Our car’s almost here. Shall we?” I busied myself with grabbing my wallet and keys. She slipped on her grey wool coat, and I followed her out the door, locking the apartment behind us.

We slid into the backseat of the car, which pulled away from the curb, taking us toward the dinner venue at a hotel in the Northwest part of the city.

The driver listened to NPR, playing a review of a new memoir written by a former child star. This made me think of Charlotte and whether she would have read it yet, which reminded me she and Hayden would be there tonight. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that earlier. Fuck. How could I have forgotten? Too much brain space allotted to fragrances.

Trying to sound nonchalant, I said, “Oh, I should probably tell you, my brother Hayden and his girlfriend will be at the dinner tonight.”

Jax twisted to look at me, her eyes wide in the dusky light of the evening.

“What? Why?”

“Charlotte, that’s his girlfriend, works for a non-profit focusing on independent bookstores that the senator is a big champion of, so they’ve been invited, along with Charlotte’s boss. Honestly, Duncan, my older brother, would probably be there too if he wasn’t traveling this weekend. His company donates to the senator.”

“I’m sorry. Let me expand my question: What do you mean your brother will be there? Why didn’t you tell me that hours ago?”

I let my forced calm slip, some of her panic seeping into my tone. “I’m sorry, you’re right. There’s just been a lot to keep track of and the fact that they’d be there slipped my mind.”

“Well, catch hold of that thought. Quick, Brandt. Are we going to”—she darted a quick look in the driver’s direction—“tell them the truth? Or go with the flow?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly.

“Well, it’s your family, so it’s your call. You’ve mentioned three brothers so far, two of which seem to live here in DC. From the photos, there’s one more who hasn’t come up. That’s potentially problematic, at least four more people knowing, but I won’t make you lie to them.”

I nodded. “Hayden and Duncan are the only ones here full time. Spencer is finishing up his post-doc and Hunter still lives in Holly Ridge near my dad and Margaret. They both visit a decent amount, though.”

Jax nodded. I could almost see her locking the information away for later.

“What do you want to do in regard to telling your family?” I asked, wanting to be sure we were on the same page.

“That won’t be a problem,” Jax responded, her face suddenly devoid of all emotion.

The car moved on while we sat in silence for a few moments. The roll of the tires on the pavement and the honking horns from drivers frustrated by the Friday night rush hour traffic joined the quiet chatter of the radio. Staring at the passing blocks, I came to a decision.

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