On a counter stool across the room, Lianne scrutinized the label of the Dutch cocoa she’d bought. “There should be directions on here somewhere.”
Rafe leaned his strong arms on the counter and shook his head. “You know I love you girls, but you are helpless in the kitchen. Just hand that over,” he said. “Bella, raid your refrigerator for some milk.”
You know I love you, he’d said. Even though he’d only been kidding, I really liked the sound of that.
Rafe plucked a whisk out of Maria’s utensil jar and lit one of the burners on our range. Cracking open Lianne’s cocoa canister, he dumped a heap of cocoa into the pan.
“You didn’t measure that,” I pointed out.
“Measuring is for sissies.” He took the milk out of my hands and poured a dollop onto the chocolate.
“Don’t you need more?” I asked.
“You think?” He laughed. “See, if you start this way, making a paste, it’s easier to get the lumps out.”
“Wow,” Lianne said. “He cooks, too? When I was trying to talk you into dating him, I didn’t even know that.”
Rafe grinned into the chocolate pot. “Thank you for your support, pequeña. Now find some sugar for me? Check those canisters.” He pointed at the ceramic containers on the countertop.
Adding milk and sugar, stirring constantly, Rafe made a lovely pot of sweet-smelling chocolate. I was just about ready to get out the mugs when the house phone rang. I peeked at the caller ID. It was my mother, so I answered it. “Hello?”
“Hi sweetheart. Are you feeling any better?”
“I’m all right. Lianne and Rafe and I are making hot chocolate.”
“That sounds cozy.”
It really was.
“Your father and I are coming home on an early flight tomorrow morning. I have some difficult news.”
Something went wrong in my gut. “What?” I found a barstool and sat down.
“Your sister is leaving Tucker.”
I let out a breath of air. I’d been expecting her to say that someone was sick or dying. “Oh. Okay.” Do not express glee, I ordered myself. Even if glee was justified, my mother wouldn’t want to hear it. “Why?”
She sighed into my ear. “Perhaps it won’t surprise you to hear that he was cheating with the office intern.”
“Well…” I cleared my throat. “You’re right. I’m not surprised.”
My mother hesitated. “Before this is all over, I think we’re going to end up owing you a big apology.”
You could have pushed me off that barstool with a feather. “Uh, okay?”
“At the moment, your sister is too shocked to think. And your father is so angry that he can’t even form sentences.”
“Okay.” I could wait for my apology. I’m big like that.
“But in the meantime, I need to give you a few details. Tucker is out of town at a conference in Chicago. So he doesn’t know that Julie read all his texts. Instead of confronting him, she’s hired an investigator to document everything.”
“Wow. That’s smart.”
“Your father is going to have to audit his business in case Tucker lied about more than just his sex life.”
“Ouch.”
“It will all turn out okay. But in the meantime, do not take any calls from Tucker.”
“He doesn’t call me, Mom. Not since Julie’s engagement.”
“Okay. That’s good. Just know that he’s in a precarious place. If he were to suddenly reach out to you, don’t trust him.”
“You can’t get me within fifty yards of the man, mom. Don’t worry.”
“All right, sweetie. Be well. I’ll see you tomorrow. I guess it’s a good thing that you put Lianne in the guest room. Because it looks like Julie’s going to need her old room again.”
I felt a stab of sympathy for my poor sister — landing in her childhood bedroom again after discovering her husband was cheating. “I’m just so glad they didn’t have kids,” I said suddenly.
“Me too, sweetie. Julie can start over someday. And we’ll have you screen all the candidates.”
Aw. “Don’t forget, Mom — he fooled me too for a long time.”
“That’s big of you to say. Now go drink hot chocolate with your friends, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hung up the phone, still shocked by this turn of events.
“What?” Rafe asked. “Is your sister in trouble?”