Page 12 of Rescued By My Best Friend's Brother

“Oh, did she now? Did Elena tell you anything else?” I ask. Elena hasn’t really been in our lives for a long time. There is no telling who she has become over the years, and I want to make sure my daughter is safe.

“Oh yeah! She told me what you were like in high school.” This can’t be good. “And how you always looked out for Auntie Josie.”

That’s a surprise. I expected something more demeaning, not flattery.

“I asked her about Mommy, but she didn’t know much about her, said she doesn’t think she met Mommy.”

My chest tightens at the mention of Lily’s mother. Lily looks so much like her, even with her short hair. Her smile, her eyes, and even bits of her mannerisms mirror her mother. It hurts seeing these reminders of a time when I had been in love with her mother, but it leads to the memories of us getting a divorce, the fights, the screaming, the throwing things. It’s painful seeing moments of our story reflected in our daughter.

I tuck a strand of hair behind Lily’s ear and give her a kiss on the forehead. “I’m sorry. I know you miss your mom.”

“What happened to her? Why did she leave without telling me?”

I hug her. “Mommy just isn’t well right now and can’t be around people. It’s not your fault nor is it mine, it’s just the way things are.”

She nods. I watch her in silence, waiting for the tears to fall, waiting for her to cry over her loss, but she doesn’t. She had already passed that part of the mourning process. I give her another squeeze.

“You’re so strong. I’m so proud of you. Now go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” I tucked her back into bed and walked towards the door. I paused before leaving. “I love you, and Auntie Josie said she does too.”

“Love you too, Daddy,” she says before rolling over on her side.

Chapter Six

Jasper

Ishutthedoorbehind me and walked back downstairs. I go to my office, remembering I have yet to check the mail I grabbed on my way in. I’d simply thrown it on my desk and went straight to Lily to check on her. I also need to check on a few things for work before I go to bed.

I arrive at the door to my office and stop in front of the closed door. I’ve kept it locked whenever I’m away since Elena’s arrival, I wasn’t sure if I should trust her. I do this often anyway to protect sensitive client information. After unlocking the door, I sit down at my desk and grab the pile of envelopes. Most of them are spam, offers for credit cards and loans, but one sticks out to me. It has nothing written on the outside of the envelope, no return address or stamp, so the sender would have had to physically put it in my mailbox. I pull the card out. It is mostly blank with just a picture of a bird and some flowers on it without any lettering. It is one of those cards you could use for anything, weddings, funerals, birthdays, whatever. I open the card. The handwriting is unfamiliar to me. It resembles more of a child’s handwriting than anything. My eyes scan over the message:Leave her alone.

The note suddenly feels hot to the touch, causing me to drop it on my desk, the words still visible. My first thought is my ex-wife, Caty. This has to be a prank by her family, maybe one of her good-for-nothing brothers. They are the only ones who would stoop to sending me a note like this. They’d done it before when Caty first cut ties with them. They hated what happened between Caty and me, how things ended. Most of all, they hated the power I have when it comes to Caty. They think if I am not in her life then she will come home so they can control her. She has spoken to them and told them she is okay but they insist I am influencing her even though we are divorced. It has to be them sending this stupid, childish card, in hopes of startling me.

I pick up the note again, this time trying to keep a level head. Nothing stands out to me, that could tell me who might have authored this note. Nothing. No clues. While still holding the card, I pick up my phone to make a call. My office door creaks as I hear someone step softly into my office.

I drop my phone and open a drawer and stuff the card inside before slamming it shut a little too loudly. No one needs to see this note. No one.

Chapter Seven

Elena

Ireallywanttoclear things up with Jasper. I don’t want this feud we had for years to continue. I want to no longer walk on eggshells around him, and I think it is best to start with a simple conversation. I also want to tell him how thankful I am to him for allowing me to stay. I don’t know why he has this notion that I am such a bad person or that I can’t be trusted. Although I have made mistakes in the past, I never did anything that could truly be considered terrible. The worst mistakes I ever made was letting my friendship with Josie fade and of course my relationship with my ex was a mistake. He has tried to ruin me and is the only reason I am even here having to rely on Jasper and Josie for shelter.

Josie said Jasper was still up, so I walk into the kitchen and call out. Silence. I glance around at how clean everything is. Jasper’s place reminds me of one of those homestyle ads in a magazine: pristine and perfect. I never imagined Jasper would be such a well put together, successful adult. I guess we never really think about what our grown-up selves will be like while we are teens.

I hear someone come down the stairs and a door open. “Jasper?” I call out gently, but there is no reply.

I cautiously walk through the house. I didn’t want to wake Lily or startle Jasper. The last thing I need is another excuse for him to be mad at me, and with him, he could find the smallest reason.

I see a sliver of light in the hallway. I walk quietly over to the door and peek through the small crack. Jasper sits at his desk, his glasses on and looking at a card. His face pales as he reads it. I turn away, thinking maybe I should leave. He seems distracted and busy with whatever he is doing.

I sigh and return to the door. No. We need to have this conversation and move past this old feud that still lingers. I knock on the door, causing it to open slightly. The door makes a loud creaking sound that pierces the silence of the house. Jasper quickly stuffs the card in one of his desk drawers and glares up at me. I pause. What is he hiding? An ordinary card wouldn’t have elicited such a response. I wonder what is on it.

“Um… Sorry to interrupt. Josie said you were still awake.” I take a few steps into the room but keep some space between us.

He groans. “What do you want, Elena?”

I hold my hands behind my back to keep myself from fidgeting. This habit often distracts people and annoys them. I don’t want to annoy Jasper, and it doesn’t take a lot to do so, at least it didn’t in the past. “Listen. First, I want to say thank you so much for letting me stay while I get back on my feet. I know it’s not the most ideal situation.”

“I’ll say,” he grumbles.

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