"Really?" It was long past business hours, and it couldn’t be from Claude, because I'd just seen him. Maybe it was something to do with the estate? I was just reaching for the envelope when new movement in the driveway caught my eye.
It was Joel's car, pulling up to the house. At the sound of his car, my aunt whirled around to look. "Is that him?"
I bit my lip. "Well, itishis car."
She turned back to give me a puzzled look. "You don't sound too happy."
"Sorry." I summoned up a smile. "It's been a long day."
"How about this?" she said. "I'll pop out for a quick hello, let you introduce us, and then I'll take a nice long bath." She lowered her voice. "And giveyoutwo some time alone, if you know what I mean."
Heat flooded my face. "Really, that's okay."
My aunt laughed. "Oh come on. Don't be shy about it. If he's as hot as you say–"
"I never said he was hot."
"Sure you did." She paused. "Didn't you?"
I looked to the driveway, where Joel was getting out of his car. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt that clung to his muscles as he walked toward us in the drizzling rain.
My aunt turned to look. "Oh. My. God." She turned back to me and said, "Does he have an older brother?"
"Uh, yeah. But…" I winced. "He says they're awful."
"If they look anything like him, I'll take my chances." At something in my expression, she laughed. "Don't worry. I'm just teasing. I met someone. Didn't I mention that?"
I shook my head. "No. Who is he?"
She waved away the question. "Never mind that. Let's meetyourguy."
Before I knew it, she was bounding out the front door to meet him. At the sight of my aunt dashing through the drizzle, Joel paused on the front walkway. His gaze drifted to me, and I gave him a tentative wave before reluctantly following after her.
Five soggy minutes later, the introductions were done, and we were all standing just inside the front entryway. My aunt glanced down at her clothes, which were still dusted with flour – except now the flour had congealed into a goopy mess, dripping down her shirt. "Oh, jeez," she said, looking back to Joel. "Normally, I make a much better impression."
He flashed her a smile. "Hey, I didn't notice a thing."
She almost giggled. "Liar." She turned back to me and said, "And I totally approve." She glanced toward the stairway. "Anyway, I'm gonna get cleaned up. Wanna meet back here in a couple of hours?" She smiled at Joel. "I made dessert. But it's a surprise."
She waggled a finger in my direction. "And don'tyoutell him either." In a stage whisper, she added, "Unless you can't resist."
In a flash, it struck me how wonderful all of this would be under different circumstances. Near me, I had the two people I loved best, and they seemed to be hitting it off.
The house was warm and scented with the aroma of fresh apple pie. Outside, it was still drizzling, which made everything seem extra cozy in here.
If it weren't for Derek's godawful threat, this would be the beginning of a lovely night. Now, all I felt was lingering dread.
I still hadn't heard from Claude, and the longer I waited, the more worried I became. He promised to call me as soon as he knew – or at least send me a text or something.Where was it?
My aunt turned and started heading toward the stairway before suddenly pausing. She whirled around and said, "Oh shoot, I almost forgot to give you this."
The envelope.She was still holding it.
As she moved forward, I held out my hand. "Sorry, I meant to grab that."
"Oh, it's not for you," she said. "It's for him." She gave Joel a warm smile. "Special delivery. Aren'tyouimportant."
She turned and handed him the envelope. As she did, I caught sight of not only his name on the front, but the return address in the upper left-hand corner. I felt my face pale. It was from my dad's foundation, and for once, I knew nothing about it.
