It was time to bring in their siblings. The Winslow kids needed to work together if they ever hoped to get to the truth.
After all these years, it was time for justice and honesty.
Chapter
Twelve
Patience had never beenCat’s strong suit. She wasn’t the type to sit patiently waiting for answers or anything else, for that matter. She was better than she used to be, but at this point, she’d realized that impatience was part of who she was. It had its good points and bad.
It was good in her career, pushing her constantly to achieve, but bad when it came to relationships.
That’s why she was pushing open the door to Tate’s bar for a late lunch. He hadn’t called yet, and she was tired of waiting around for him to do so. She may not have been sure of what she wanted, but she knew she didn’t want this. Sitting in limbo wasn’t her idea of fun. She needed to know what he was thinking, even if he was only thinking that he wasn’t sure what he thought.
At least they could be confused together.
She didn’t see him right away when she arrived, taking a booth off to the side where it was quiet. The place wasn’t packed, but it wasn’t empty either. Customers were scattered around, some watching the televisions placed strategically around the large room.
A smiling young man brought her a menu and asked for her drink order in the meantime.
“Just a root beer. Um, is Tate here today?”
Was he hiding out, hoping to avoid her?
“He’s in his office. I can tell him you’re here to see him, if you like?”
Did she like? Yes, she did want to talk to him. Honestly, he should have expected this. He knew better than anyone that she wasn’t a patient person. He’d teased her about it many times.
“If you could, that would be wonderful, thank you. You can tell him it’s Cat.”
The server chuckled softly while scribbling down her drink order.
“Everyone knows who you are. I’ll get him now.”
So much for slipping in under the radar. How long would it take for the news to get around town that she’d come looking for Tate at the bar?
Tate didn’t appear surprised to see her. He sat across from her, wearing an inscrutable expression she didn’t recognize. He must have learned it in the last ten years, because he hadn’t been great at hiding his emotions when they were younger.
“I couldn’t wait any longer.”
There. She’d just said it. There was no point in playing cool. He wouldn’t have bought it for a minute anyway.
“I’m not sure I have any answers for you,” he said, rubbing his chin. “It’s been kind of a day, and it’s not even three o’clock yet.”
“What happened?”
The expressionless mask had slipped, and she could see the pain etched on his face and in his eyes. Whatever he’d gone through today had done a number on him. Their relationship, or whatever it was, seemed petty at this moment. She simply wanted to take away the hurt he was clearly feeling.
He quickly filled her in on what the private investigator had found, describing some of the contents they’d found in the storage unit. To say that he’d had an emotional gutpunch this morning would be an understatement.
“You’re going to try to find your Uncle Mark?”
Cat had vague memories of the man. They’d been quite young, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, and Uncle Mark had come in to visit. He’d been a large man, tall with wide shoulders and an even bigger smile. Devilishly handsome, he laughed easily and loudly, his gray-blue eyes lit with mischief.
She’d only met him the one time, but he’d stuck in her memory because he was so different than the stoic and stiff Joel Winslow. They’d been on complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to personality, and she couldn’t claim to know for sure, but she thought that Joel didn’t seem to like Mark all that much. But he hadn’t liked most people, so it wasn’t all that shocking or strange.
She’d never had the chance to confirm that theory, however, as she’d never met him again. As far as she knew, he hadn’t visited Winslow Heights in over twenty years.
“Yes, if I can. I spoke with the private investigator on the case, and he has offered to help. I’m going to take him up on it, but I told him not to reach out to Mark. I’ll do that.”
