Just a Wish Away (19 page)

"I already know that my father knew Shayla," Alexa said. "He told me they were friends."

"Yes, she had a lot of friends," Kathy said, a pointed note in her voice.

"You make her sound like a slut, Mom," Carey interjected.

"Well, I don't like to use that word, but she didn't have a good reputation."

"Was she involved with Daniel Stone?" Braden asked. "Carey looked up the rental records for the Wellbourne house, and Daniel Stone's name was on the lease for the month of August."

"Daniel was wild as a young man, as were the Wellbourne boys. They were always having big parties on their parents' yachts. I'm sure they all knew Shayla. And not just the sons, but their fathers, too." Kathy clapped a hand to her mouth. "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

"Well, you did," Braden said quickly. "Was Jack Wellbourne having an affair with Shayla?"

"There were some rumors to that effect," Kathy admitted. "The Wellbournes were always traveling or splitting time between here and their other homes, so no one ever knew where they were. But Jack seemed to be showing up a lot more often that summer to check up on his investments."

"There was a big age gap between Jack and Shayla," Alexa put in.

"Rich, older men don't usually have a problem finding eager, young, beautiful women," Kathy said.

"Did you know Roberta Wellbourne, Mom?" Braden asked.

"Not well," Kathy replied. "She was also younger than Jack, and she was always about money. She used to encourage Jack to raise the rents in town, sometimes driving people out of their businesses. I didn't like her at all. I can't believe she's back now and running Daniel Stone's campaign. She may think she's an asset, because of her past in Sand Harbor, but she's wrong. People around here have long memories, and I almost feel sorry for Daniel that he's aligned himself with her." Kathy paused. "Let's talk about something else."

"In a minute," Braden said.

"He's not going to stop, Mom," Carey interrupted, sipping on her diet coke. "You know how Braden is when he gets that stubborn look in his eyes."

"Thanks for the help, Carey," Braden said.

"Any time."

"What can you tell me about Edwin Hayes and Jack Wellbourne?" Braden asked his mom.

"Why?" Kathy asked with a sigh.

"The police investigation into Shayla's death seemed a little short," he said.

"Braden, I don't want you involved in this. You've had enough trouble in your life, why look for more?" Kathy asked.

"Because of that fight Alexa and I saw. It makes us both curious."

"You, too, Alexa?"

Alexa gave an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, but yes. Maybe it's because I'm revisiting my past that I'm so interested in Shayla. I always thought of her as this cool, beautiful woman in this big, dreamy house, and to learn that she died shortly after I saw her was unsettling, especially since no one seems to know what really happened to her."

"You never told me about a fight, Braden," Kathy said.

"I wasn't paying attention to the news."

"Or to much of anything. You were moping because Alexa was gone," Carey said with a teasing smile.

He shot his sister a dark look. "What do you know about it? You were ten."

"I was old enough to know you had a big crush on her."

Alexa smiled at the warmth that spread across Braden's cheeks.

"We're not talking about that," he said.

"Did you know that Braden wrote a song for you, Alexa?" Carey asked. "He used to play it on his guitar for hours on end."

"Where's that pizza?' Braden muttered, looking toward the counter for a much needed interruption.

Alexa was surprised. "I had no idea. You were just learning the guitar when I left."

"It was stupid. I could barely play," Braden said. "It was just something I made up."

"He was better than he's saying," Carey told her. "In high school he got really good. He played in a band, and half of my friends were in love with him.

"Carey, will you just shut up," Braden ordered.

"What? Am I embarrassing you?" she asked unapologetically. "Every girl would love to have a guy write a song for her."

"It is pretty cool," Alexa said. Braden was avoiding her gaze so she turned to Carey. "I had a mad crush on your brother, too."

"I figured," Carey said with a smile. "And now you two have finally met up again. It's so romantic."

"Alexa is leaving in a few days. She has a life far from here," Braden said sharply. "She always did." He got up from his seat. "I'm going to check on the pizza."

"Now, I've pissed him off," Carey said with a sigh. "I can't say much of anything right these days. I hope you know I was only teasing, Alexa."

"I know," she replied, her gaze following Braden. "It's complicated between us."

"Of course it is," Kathy said. "You're both afraid to ruin what you're just getting back – your friendship."

"I did miss Braden terribly," Alexa admitted.

"And he missed you," Kathy replied, giving her a warm smile. "Whatever he says, don't ever doubt that."

Braden returned with two large pizzas and for the next ten minutes all they did was eat. Then the conversation turned to neutral topics like Carey's latest online dating adventure. Braden let his mom and sister do most of the talking, although he occasionally teased Carey for her pickiness when it came to men.

Alexa enjoyed watching him with his mom and his sister. It reminded her of when she was a kid and she'd hung out with his family. She'd only met his dad once when he was home for a weekend visit. But the rest of the time it had just been Braden, his mom, his sister, and his brother. It was clear how much love there was in the group. And it made her a little sad that she'd missed having this kind of family connection growing up. If she'd had a sibling to ease the burden of her mother's depression, life would have been a little easier.

"So have you tried online dating, Alexa?" Carey asked.

"No, I'd be too afraid."

"As long as you pick a public place, you're probably fine."

"Maybe in Sand Harbor. But San Francisco has a few more crazy people."

"I've always wanted to go to San Francisco," Carey said. "Do you ride the cable cars?"

"Only when I have friends visit me from out of town," she said with a laugh.

"Sometimes this town is a little too small for me, but if I did leave, I'd go somewhere in between, perhaps Portland, where Matt is," Carey said. "I've thought about moving there, but I'm kind of lazy. I have so many friends here, and my mom and now Braden." She looked at her brother. "It is nice to have you living here again."

"I don't know that I'll be staying," he said.

Alexa saw the dismay flash in Carey and Kathy's eyes.

"You're thinking of leaving?" Kathy asked.

"It's an option."

"Because of Kinley. You don't want to run into her all the time," Carey said with disappointment.

"Well, that's one reason."

"Kinley will probably leave before you do," Carey said. "I ran into her sister the other day, and she said Kinley is thinking of moving to L.A."

Braden shrugged. "I don't know her plans – or mine, for that matter."

"Well, you don't need to decide tonight," Kathy said quietly. "Whatever you want to do, we'll support you."

"Thanks."

"So does anyone want to see a movie tonight?" Carey asked, obviously sensing the need for a change in subject.

"I'll go with you," Kathy said.

"Great. Anyone else?"

"I'll pass," Braden said.

"I have some more work to do at the antique shop," Alexa said.

"I'll walk you back," Braden offered. "Are you done?"

"Yes, thank you so much for dinner." She set down her napkin and stood up. "It was really nice to see both of you."

"Hopefully we'll see you again soon," Kathy said, giving her another hug.

Carrie also gave her a hug goodbye, and then Alexa walked outside with Braden.

The air was cool, and she drew her sweater more closely about her body as they started to walk the three blocks to the antique shop. "Do you think they're talking about us now?" she asked.

"Not a doubt in my mind," he said with a sigh.

"Does it bother you?"

"I'm used to my sister and mother being interested in every area of my life. There aren't a lot of boundaries in my family. Matt went to Portland to get a little independence from the female members of the family. I think he had the right idea.

"I like your family. You're lucky to have each other. I hope you realize that."

"I do."

As she gave a little shiver, he put an arm around her shoulders. "You're cold," he said, as if he needed to give himself a reason to touch her.

She didn't care what his reason was, she just like being closer to him. "This is better. What did you think of your mom's suggestion that Shayla was involved with Jack Wellbourne?"

"We certainly have a growing list of viable candidates for people who might have been fighting with Shayla that night. The odd thing is that most of them are back in town – your father, Daniel Stone, Roberta Wellbourne…"

"But my father wasn't here during the robbery, and he wouldn't have assaulted his own sister."

"Maybe he didn't assault her. Drew seemed to think that your aunt might have fallen and hit her head on the counter."

"Well, he wouldn't have left her on the floor bleeding," she retorted. "He's not that horrible of a person."

"Sorry. You're right. It couldn't have been him."

Now that she didn't have to defend her father to Braden, she felt the need to defend him to herself. "But it is odd that he wasn't reachable by phone the day after the accident and then he showed up here and wanted to help me in the antique shop. None of that made sense to me. He was very interested in those boxes. But he wouldn't hurt his sister. Phoebe practically raised him and my Uncle Stan. They adore her. My father is selfish, but he's not violent. He might have yelled at my mother, but he never physically abused her, not that the mental abuse wasn't bad." She let out a sigh. "I'm rambling. Stop me."

"Let's just walk," he said. "It's a nice night."

"It is," she said.

All the shops on this block were closed, so it was very quiet – probably too quiet for a lot of people, but she was beginning to remember how much she'd liked life in a small town.

"I feel like San Francisco is really far away right now," she said a few minutes later.

"Do you miss your city by the bay?"

"It's a beautiful place: the water, the bridges, the steep hills and magnificent skyscrapers. Oh, and the food is amazing. You can find something from every country in the world, and it's good."

"How did you end up there?"

"A girlfriend from college needed a roommate. I was tired of the snow in Virginia, so I found a job out there. I work on the forty-second floor. Sometimes, the elevator ride makes me dizzy."

"Have you been through an earthquake yet?"

"A small one. The building swayed like a ballet dancer. I guess that was what it was supposed to do."

"Do you live that high up as well?"

"No, I'm on the second floor of a very small apartment building in Russian Hill."

"Russian Hill. That sounds cool."

"You should come and see me," she said.

"It's your life, not mine."

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Braden – I don't mean to be harsh, but you don't really have a life right now. You could start over anywhere you wanted."

His gaze was steady. "And you think I should start over in San Francisco?"

Her pulse jumped. "I don't know. But I think you should stop talking in absolutes – for either of us," she added. "My life is just my life. I can live it anywhere. I can be happy in a lot of places. I feel like you use the fact that I have an address somewhere else against me."

"I don't think I'm doing that."

"You just told your mother and sister that I wasn't staying, and that's why we weren't getting involved."

"Well, you aren't staying, are you?"

She drew in a breath. "I don't know what I'm doing, but I don't want you to make my decisions for me. Just like you don't want me to pick a career for you. So let me pick my address."

"Understood," he said.

"Okay, good. Now, there's something else."

"What's that?"

She gave him a smile. "I was wondering about that song you wrote for me."

He groaned. "My sister has a big mouth, and I had a feeling you weren't going to forget that."

"How did the song go?"

"I don't remember."

"Liar. I bet you remember every word."

"I might be able to pull it out of my subconscious, but only if I had my guitar, and I don't."