A sharp knock on the back door startled her, but only because she was so focused. Chuckling at herself, she went to push the door open, expecting Scottie for her very common before-work visit. She was surprised to see it wasn’t Scottie, but Brody.
“Hey,” her sister said, giving her a hug in the doorway, enveloping her with the woodsy scent of her perfume. “I hope I’m not bothering you. I had a little free time before a client meeting so thought I’d stop by and say hi.”
“Not bothering me at all. Come in.”
Brody walked past her in her work clothes. Black pantsuit, pumps, her dark hair up in a twist. She looked every bit the professional woman she was. She headed into the giant kitchen, complete with large stove, industrial dishwasher, ice cream churners, and a walk-in freezer. A big stainless steel table took up the center, and Brody’s eyes roamed overall the ingredients and equipment spread over it. Then she lifted her head slightly and sniffed. “Oh, wow, that smells fantastic. Figs?”
Adley nodded. “Thinking about some fall flavors. Assuming I’m still open in three months.”
“Still struggling?” Brody knew things had been rough financially, knew much more about it than their parents did.
Adley sighed. “Yeah. And there’s a new Sweet Heaven shop going in over on Fox. They started prepping the building this week.”
“But your ice cream is so much better.” Brody set her purse down on the table and took a seat on a stool she pulled close. “Theirs is…artificial tasting. Boring. Factory-made.”
Adley sat, too. “Yeah, but it’s also cheap and convenient.”
“I guess.” Brody knew the score. She was the only one besides Scottie who understood how much Get the Scoop meant to her. Not even their parents seemed to get it. “Still.” She grabbed a spoon and aimed it at the bowl of ice cream nearest Adley. “Can I?”
Adley nodded. “Go for it.” It was just an experiment. “Vanilla with fig jam.”
“Oh my God,” Brody said, her fingers in front of her mouth. “That’s fantastic.”
“Yeah?”
“Like…Thanksgiving if Thanksgiving was just dessert.”
“You don’t think it’s too bland? I was thinking I might add a little bit of cinnamon.”
“Ooh, that might work.”
Adley jotted notes on her phone, then looked up at her big sister, who was helping herself to another spoonful. She was happy, Brody was. She could tell. There was smiling, even when nothing was being said. And she seemed kind of light on her feet. It occurred to Adley then that she hadn’t seen her like this in a long time. In fact, when was the last time she’d just popped into the Scoop unannounced, just to say hi?
Brody looked up and caught Adley watching her. “What?” She wiped at her mouth. “Do I have ice cream on my face?”
Adley shook her head. “How are you, B?”
Brody blinked at her, slight confusion clear on her face. “I’m fine. How areyou?” She laughed softly, like she was pretending to understand a joke that eluded her.
“No, I mean really. Howareyou?” Adley set down everything and focused on her sister. “Really.”
“I’mfine. I’mgreat. Really. Why?”
“Because I saw you.”
Brody squinted at her and gave her head a small shake. “Saw me…what?”
“I saw you. With the redheaded guy. Monday. In Jefferson Square. He kissed you.”
For the first time in her life, Adley understood what it meant when all the color drained from somebody’s face. She watched it happen to her big sister, as if all her skin pigment was being sucked out of her body, leaving her pale and stunned. “I…um…” She stood up, swallowed audibly, turned away, then back, and it looked very much like the three or four spoons of ice cream she’d just eaten were threatening to make a reappearance.
Adley did her best to keep any judgment from her voice. “Talk to me. Are you unhappy? With Nathan?” She watched Brody’s face flinch at the mention of her husband, and in only a few seconds, she went from animal-caught-in-headlights to complete defeat. Her shoulders slumped. The rest of her body sort of…fell. She dropped her chin to her chest and sighed.
“I haven’t been happy with Nathan in a really long time, Ad. Not in a really, really long time. And Paul…he…” She raised her gaze to the ceiling, and Adley could see how her face seemed to light up, that happiness returning just in the few seconds her mind was on this Paul. “Heseesme. You know what I mean?”
Adley shook her head slowly.
A deep breath. Brody sat back down, her forearms on the table. “Your partner’s supposed to notice you,” she began. “Pump you up when you need it. Make you feel special. Tell you whatever you need to hear at any given time. Right? That you’re sexy. That you’re a good person. That they love you, etcetera, etcetera. They’re supposed to want to spend time with you. Do things with you. Ask you to do things with them. I’ve been married to Nathan for almost six years, and for about four of them, I’ve felt like I have a roommate.”