2. Sebastian
CHAPTER 2
sebastian
I still couldn’t believe what I overheard from my dad’s office. One day later, and I was still reeling, and I didn’t know what to do with the information. Should I confront my dad and let him know I heard everything or just keep it to myself and see how this played out?
Either way, I wouldn’t let them hurt Maxine. She was like family to us, and I couldn’t believe her bitch of a mother would do this to her. We all grew up together, and even when they moved away, she would come and spend part of her summers with us. Her and Brooklyn were more like sisters than best friends. She and I didn’t always get along, but I would never let anyone hurt her, not even our parents. My heart had belonged to Maxine since we were thirteen, not that I’d ever had the guts to tell her. Our almost-kiss when I left for my last year in college still played on repeat in my brain; I should have just taken the leap, but something made me pull back.
I was in the living room watching TV when Brooklyn came in and sat down on the other sofa. She kept looking over at me like she was trying to read my mood. “What is going on with you?" she asked. “You have been as surly as a bear since last night.”
I looked over at her. “I have a lot on my plate with the ranch and learning the business with dad. It is just a lot, and I am barely treading water.” She left it alone after that, so we continued watching Yellowstone since I was behind a few episodes. We were on the latest episode when my dad walked in the door. He looked stressed, like he’d had a rough day. His tie was undone, and he wasn’t even wearing his suit jacket, which was not like him.
He came over to where we were sitting and took a seat. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Something happened to Maxine’s dad.” We both looked at him, waiting for him to continue. He cleared his throat before saying, “Ciara called me today to let me know that Carlos was in a car accident. He didn’t make it.” Brooklyn instantly started to cry, so I went to her and wrapped my arms around her, holding her while she cried.
“What happened? Carlos is—was such a safe driver,” I asked.
“He was on his way home from work when his car went over a cliff. They don’t know how it happened, but Ciara and Maxine are sick with grief.” God, he is such a liar. It made me sick; I never thought my dad would lie to us.
He told us to pack our bags. We were going to California to support them and help Ciara and Maxine as they made funeral arrangements. We were the only family they had, and we needed to make this as easy as possible for them. How sanctimonious of him since he helped cause Carlos’s death, even if indirectly. He was probably the one who helped Ciara with setting up the accident for Carlos. She was such a greedy bitch, and more than likely just wanted money so she could continue living the lifestyle she’d become accustomed to. “How much should we bring? How long will we be gone?” I asked.
“Pack enough for at least a month. We’ll stay through the reading of his will and long enough to help them settle their affairs,” Dad answered. I needed to call Jace and see if he wanted to go with us to the funeral. He and Maxie interned for Carlos last summer, and they became close. She was there to learn the business because she would take over one day. How ironic that one day had become a reality.
I called Jace, and he picked up on the third ring. “Hey man, what’s up? It’s kind of late for you to be calling since you get up with the chickens.” I just laughed because that had always been a joke between us.
“I need to tell you something, and it’s serious. Maxine’s dad was in a car accident this morning, and he passed away. We are flying out there. Do you want to go with us for the funeral? We will there about a month or so.”
Jace didn’t say anything for a few moments but then started asking questions. “How is Maxine? Have you talked to her? I know Carlos was her whole world. She has to be devastated.”
“No, we haven’t talked to her yet, and she’s not answering the phone. Brooklyn and I have both tried calling her. So… do you want to go or not?”
Jace cleared his throat. “Of course, I want to go. I want to be there for Max; she needs someone in her corner. We both know her Mom isn’t going to comfort her. That woman is cold as ice.” We talked for a few more minutes, then I told him to meet us at nine o’clock tomorrow morning at the San Antonio private airstrip before hanging up.
T he next morning, when I woke up, I got my suitcases together. I’d packed all my stuff last night, so I would be ready to go this morning. Brooklyn came in the living room dragging at least five bags. “Hey brat, why do you need so many bags for a month? You do know it’s California and still as hot as it is here?”
She looked at me like I had lost my mind. “Big brother, you never know what is going to happen, so I wanted to make sure I brought an outfit for every occasion.” Women: I would never understand why they needed so many clothes. Whatever happened to just jeans and a t-shirt?
“Jace is meeting us at the airstrip. That way he won’t have to buy a plane ticket.”
Once we had everything loaded in the hall, we informed Maria we would out of town for at least a month, maybe longer. She lived in one of the cottages on the ranch, so she would look after the house. My dad was the last to show up with his stuff as he had been in his office making calls and setting things up so he could be gone for an extended period. He, of course, would still work just not face-to-face with his clients.