Chapter 23
Annie sat at one of the round wooden tables in the clubhouse with Leigh. Usually, they ate in the bedroom, but they were both antsy and needed a break from constantly feeling sorry for themselves.
Baker shuffled over and set steaming bowls of stew down in front of them with a grunt, his weathered hands steady despite the years. Annie thanked him.
"Eat up," he said. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "The fire takes what it takes, but the ashes give you a fresh shot to start over."
Annie blinked. The message settled over her like a strange kind of prophecy. Leigh glanced at her, and for the first time in weeks, a small smile of amusement tugged at her lips.
Once they were alone, Leigh leaned in closer and whispered. "He sounded just like Mom when she used to read our fortune cookies while imitating some guy named Kung Fu."
"Oh, my God. I haven't thought of that in a long time." Annie sighed. "She always made that the best part of eating Chinese food. She always said..."
"Be wise, grasshopper," they said in unison.
The pang of missing her mom hit hard. She looked into her sister's eyes. They never had time to mourn their mother together. Leigh had spent three hours with her, dealing with the cremation, and Jason had driven her back to Vancouver.
"I wish..." Leigh shook her head.
"I know." Annie swallowed hard. She missed Mom, too. Especially on days like this, when she had no idea how to fix their situation.
Alanis padded across the floor, tail wagging lazily, before curling up beneath their table. Leigh reached down, fingers brushing the dog's fur, and her gaze softened. Annie's chest tightened at the sight. It had been so long since she'd seen her sister look close to peaceful.
She picked up her spoon, stirring the stew absently. "I wonder what Hunter's doing in the garage," she said aloud, unable to hide the note of curiosity.
Leigh shrugged, still petting Alanis. "Probably working. Since we returned, he's always been busy out there." She paused, then tilted her head. "How did he lose his hearing? Or was he born like that?"
Annie sighed, setting her spoon down. She stared at the steam rising from her bowl before answering. "From the little he's said... his father fired a gun near him. Or maybe at him."
"Oh, shit," whispered Leigh.
"It permanently took his hearing. He was young, but that's why he can talk."
Leigh's hand stilled on Alanis's fur. Sadness flickered across her face. "That's... devastating. It must be lonely, never hearing anyone talk."
Annie inhaled deeply, her thoughts drifting to Hunter in the garage, to the silence that surrounded him, and to the way he had let her into his world like it was something sacred.
He hadn't said anything about going after Jason anymore. Hopefully, Kodiak or Baddy convinced him otherwise. It was a bad idea. An awful idea.
She picked up her spoon again, but her appetite was gone.