Page 23 of All of You

We wave goodbye and Reggie looks after them, expression wistful. “All I have to say is those kids will have a chance thanks to you and the sponsoring families. Even if one of them is Lara Crandall.”

She makes a face and we both laugh. Childless and well off, the Crandalls jumped at the opportunity to sponsor Jack—he was randomly assigned to them. Lara may be difficult, but she came through. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

The front door to the library swings open and Percy surges in, bringing a blast of cool autumn air. She’s in black boots, jeans, and her blue jacket. Was she the one pacing outside?

“Wren.” She sprints toward me. “I need to talk to you. Now.”

Eyes wild, cheeks red from the wind, she doesn’t even acknowledge Reggie. Something is wrong.

I step from behind the counter, heartbeat picking up pace. “Is everything okay?”

Reggie frowns and reaches for my sister’s shoulder. “Honey, what is it?”

“I’m fine.” She brushes her tousled red hair from her face, gaze never wavering from me. Her light blue eyes implore me. “We need to talk. Uh, Reggie, sorry, but alone.”

“It’s okay, honey.” Reggie pats her shoulder and glances my way, a tight smile firmly in place. “I’ll talk to you later, Wren.”

“Yes. Bye, Reggie. Perce, you’re worrying me. What is going on?”

“Let’s go into the kitchen. Or maybe upstairs to the media room.” She casts a glance to the staircase, then hesitates, chest heaving. Then she scans the ground floor fervently. “Are we alone?”

“Yes.” I grip her arm to hold her in place. “Please start talking. You’re scaring me. Is Pop okay?”

When Percy graduated from college this past summer, finishing her degree in only three years, she declared her interest in eventually running the Grill. Our father was thrilled to hear that she wanted to take over the family business. Since then, she has been working her way through all the positions and learning from him.

If something has happened to Pop, she’d know. They work side by side every day. My chest squeezes and I struggle to breathe. Not Pop…

“No. He’s fine. It’s…I-I-I…” At a loss for words, her gaze drops to the countertop and she’s suddenly enthralled with the wooden grain.

I grasp both her arms, tone stern. “Percy, talk to me.”

“Wren, I don’t know how to tell you this…” She pinches her lips together for a beat. “But you have a right to know.” A lone tear spills from the corner of her eye as she forces herself to look at me. “Dot’s pregnant.”

“Pregnant? Okay.” A sick feeling unfurls low in my stomach even as I struggle to make sense of this news. “And why is this important to me?”

My sister licks her quivering lips. “Oliver’s the father.”

My knees weaken. “What?”

Like a dam bursting, she gushes, unburdening every second of Oliver’s visit to the Grill. First, how he talked to Pop and Percy, then Dot’s very public announcement, almost as if she was putting on a show.

She barely takes a breath, and with each new detail, my stomach unravels, spinning to the point of nausea. This can’t be true.

“And what did Oliver say?” That’s all I care about.

“He didn’t say anything. Only that he wanted to talk to Dot alone.”

My blood runs cold. This can’t be right. Oliver said he was done with Dot, had been for years.

And why is my sister telling me this and not Oliver? Once again, I’m left wondering where the hell he is.

“He must have said more.” My insistence smacks against her shaking head.

“No. He left with Dot.” Her blue eyes burn with indignation, and despair blankets her voice. “The baby’s his.” Her voice cracks as does my heart.

Percy has always loved Oliver and looked up to him like a big brother. And no matter how I tried to keep my feelings for him under wraps all these years, she’s no fool.

But this… It’s a betrayal that I’m guessing she isn’t willing to let slide. I can see it in the way her complexion reddens and in the anguish marring her usually serene features.

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