“Want some? I can make another.”
“Mmm… Half would be about right.”
He nodded and cut it diagonally. He put it with a pickle spear and pushed the plate her way. “Anything to drink?”
“OJ if we have any.”
“We do.” He served it out of the fridge. She glimpsed tons of food inside and tilted her head.
“Did you go shopping?”
“Yup.”
“I didn’t know you could find your way around a supermarket.”
He gave her a strange look. “Where do you think I get my food? Mars?”
“I thought, I don’t know, that you had people who did that kind of work for you.”
“Yes and no. I may not be a gourmet cook, but I can fend for myself.” He pulled out the ingredients for another sandwich. “And yes, I know how to buy groceries.”
She nodded and started nibbling on the sandwich. It was surprisingly good. “I wonder how I’m going to tell my brothers about Peggy…and what Dad said.”
Justin’s hands went still for a moment. “Do you want to tell them?”
“I don’t know. There’s a part of me that says they have the right to know, but I’m also afraid that it’s going to change our relationship.” She bit her lower lip. “Even if Mom had an affair, we’re still siblings through shared experience. I mean, they’re the only brothers I know.” Even Dane—infuriating and insensitive as he was—meant something to her.
“Yeah, I understand.”
She eyed him warily. “Do you want to tell your family?”
He waved her concern away. “It’s none of their business who your real dad is. All that should matter to them is that I chose you.”
But had he? He always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her feel that honeyed warmth, but he was fudging the details of their marriage. There never had been any choice. It had been about her getting pregnant unexpectedly and him doing the right thing.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile. The timing didn’t seem right to discuss the mess that had thrown them together. Maybe one day, when she didn’t feel as though something was coming to take back what had been given to her, she would be able to talk to him more openly. “I think… I think I should tell my brothers what Dad said.”
“Want me to be there with you?”
“Yes, that’d be great. And afterward we can decide what we can do about Peggy. I don’t want to ignore her.”
“Don’t worry about that. I already took care of it.”
“You did?”
“I’m going to check out her story first, make sure she’s not trying to take advantage of you. Then if she’s being honest, I’ll give her some money to help with her mother’s care.”
“Thank you. I know you don’t have to.”
“If she’s really your half-sister, she’s family. And it’s just money. It’s not like we don’t have enough of it.”
She nodded, but she knew the truth. The money was Sterling money, not hers. She knew better than to rely on anyone. It’d been drilled into her since she’d been old enough to understand what her mother was saying—if she didn’t earn it herself, it wasn’t hers.
Before she lost her nerve, she texted her brothers about getting together to talk. She emphasized how important it was, to ensure Dane would come. Her oldest brother had the annoying habit of avoiding family gatherings. She’d also let them know it was just them, no parents. That might encourage her oldest brother to show up.
“Do you mind entertaining yourself for a bit while I go over to Mom’s?” Vanessa said. She needed to talk to Ceinlys.
Justin gave her his rental keys. “Take this.”
“Thanks.” She kissed him. “I’ll try not to ask you to come pick me up this time.”
“No, you should call me if there’s any problem. That’s what being married means—taking care of each other.”
She nodded with a small smile. It was sweet that her husband believed it, but experience had taught her that marriage had nothing to do with taking care of each other.
* * *
Vanessa slowed down outside her mother’s condo, looking for a parking spot. She found one not too far from her mother’s Mercedes and sighed with relief. Don’t know why I didn’t call first. Ceinlys was busy, with a calendar full of social obligations.
Her mother buzzed her in, and soon Vanessa was standing in the living room.
“If I’d known you were coming, I might have bought some orange juice. Nothing else calmed my stomach,” Ceinlys said. She was dressed casually in a slim black and white cotton dress that went down to mid-shin. “I only have water, milk…a little wine.”