Page 21 of What We May Be

Chapter Seven

Charlie swiveled on a padded barstool in her dad’s old house, now Annie’s. Their second family home was in a quiet neighborhood of older homes closer to town and HU with a private marina on the waterway where the family boat was docked. Charlie was glad her sister had kept the house after their father’s death. Even happier that Annie had started updating the place. As a librarian at HU, Annie’s salary limited major renovations, but while she saved for the big things, she’d already begun making some of the easier fixes. Painting the dark wood wainscoting white, stripping the wallpaper above it and painting the walls a warm buttery yellow, cleaning out the attic, ripping up the carpet to expose the hardwood floors underneath.

She was making the place her own, further evidence Charlie didn’t need to worry about leaving her little sister. Annie was almost thirty and a smart independent woman. Plus she had Abel, Jaylen, and her friends from the softball team and HU. She deserved her time in the spotlight.

“Nice pick on the wine,” Annie said, drawing Charlie out of her thoughts. “It was perfect with the tapas. I’m sorry I couldn’t drink more than a taste. Headaches lately.”

Charlie swiveled back around to the kitchen. “It’s fine. And bravo to you on the food.” She clapped for her sister, pleased when Annie’s face lit with pride. “The tapas were delicious, and I needed the escape.”

“The rumors are true, then?” Annie rounded the bar and climbed onto the stool beside her. “Sean is back?”

Charlie drained the rest of her wine, then rested her head on her sister’s shoulder.

Annie chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“He’s here about the case.”

Delicate fingers smoothed over her shoulder, squeezing tight, reminding her so much of their mother. Charlie may have been the spitting image of Alice Henby, but Annie had the same big heart that had made their mother a beloved teacher. “At least it’s just the one case,” Annie said.

“Except that part where I might also be working for the feds.”

Annie dropped her hold with a “What?” and Charlie cursed the wine-laced slip.

“Is that why you’re going to DC?”

Charlie reared back, the crack of her sister’s voice like a whip. Annie had their mother’s heart, but she also had the same temper they’d all inherited, for better or worse. “No, it’s a recent development,” she explained. “They’re recruiting me, and it’s not a done deal. I have an interview tomorrow.”

Annie hopped off her stool, rounded the bar, and began furiously scrubbing the kitchen counters. “How did this happen?”

“Annie—”

“Is it because of Salazar?” As she feared, Annie had taken no time to put the pieces together. “Which division, Charlotte?”

She was busted. Annie would know between being a librarian and always having half an ear on police conversations. “CID,” she admitted.

“Criminal Investigative Division. The organized crime unit?”

Charlie nodded.

Annie cursed and scrubbed the counters harder. “How could you do this?”

Charlie slid off her stool and stepped around the bar. Removing the towel from Annie’s grasp, she placed her hand on top of her sister’s. “Annie, I—”

As quick as her sister’s temper had flared, it waned. Her shoulders slumped, and her head bowed. “How could you do this to me? To Trevor? How could you be so selfish?”

Charlie sucked in a choked breath, Annie’s question a direct hit. She was being selfish. She was thinking of herself, thinking about moving on, and in doing so, hurting those she loved in the process.

“There’re my girls.”

Both of their heads whipped up and to the side, eyeing the front door where Trevor stood balancing a green and white box of doughnuts.

Observing their standoff, his smile vanished. “What’s going on?”

Before Charlie could answer, Annie bolted for the back door, yanking open the sliding glass door and practically running down the steps.

“What’s wrong with A?” Trevor asked as he stepped into the kitchen and set the box on the end of the counter.

“She’d heard about Sean.” Charlie stared out the open door. “And then I let slip about the FBI opportunity. Things went sideways from there.”

---