Chapter Forty-Seven
Holden
Hayden sits in his favorite chair with three glasses of our favorite whiskey and one can of ginger ale on the table in front of him.
“Wow, you’re first to get here,” I comment.
“Well, it’s about time,” Hayden jests. “I’ve been waiting for hours.”
I’ve noticed lately that the gloominess he’s carried for so long seems like it’s receding a little.
“You thirsty?” I ask. I gesture to the multiple glasses of whiskey on the table.
Hayden grins—it’s his classic Hayden amused smile I haven’t seen in a long time.
“It’s for you guys. I figured I’d be a nice brother and pour you all a glass.”
He leans forward and picks up the ginger ale, then settles back in the chair. He looks relaxed.
I choose the chair next to him—as I always do—while we wait for Harrison and Henry to arrive.
There’s an elephant in the room—a good one. And seeing as he’s my twin, I can’t stop myself from bringing it up.
“You’re not drinking tonight?”
“No. I’ve given it up. At least for a while.”
To say that news delights me is an understatement.
“Okay, that’s... healthy.”
I’m walking a fine line here, not wanting to prevent him from continuing to participate in this conversation, but also really curious. The entire last year, Hayden has relied heavily on alcohol to numb his grief over Charlie’s leaving.
He chuckles at my response. “Yeah, it’s healthy. I think both physically and psychologically. I’m sure my liver is pleased.” He glances over at me. “I’ve spent a year medicating myself with alcohol. I think it’s the only way I got through some of the days since it happened.”
He doesn’t have to tell me what he’s referring to. I know what he’s talking about without him saying Charlie’s name.
“Well, I’m absolutely thrilled that you’re making this change. Did something happen to spark it?”
“Not really. At least not one thing.”
We sit in silence for a few seconds, then Hayden glances over at me.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
“And I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me if you think it’s a bad idea. Don’t be afraid to upset me. Just tell it like it is.”
“Um, now you’re making me a little nervous.”
“No, don’t be.” He shakes his head. “I… I, uh, I put in an application to participate in the mentoring program you do. I want to see about spending time with Ethan.”
My mouth opens, but no words come out. I’m stunned. The mentoring program has never been something he’s been interested in when I’ve asked my brothers before.
“I think that’s fabulous.” I watch the tension leave his face. “Those boys would be lucky to have you.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to mess any kids up.”
I tilt my head and look at him. Hayden is truly a great guy. The kind of man you want around: steady, smart, and upstanding. Sure, he’s been crabby and down for a long time now, but that’s not who he is at his core.
“Hayden, you’re my twin. You’ve been my best friend since we were born, and I know you better than anyone. Well, except maybe—”
“You can say it. Except maybe Charlie,” he says. His voice cracks when he says her name.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I’d venture to say there are parts of me you know better than she did, and other parts she probably knew better than you.”
“Regardless, you’re an excellent man. You’d make a great role model.”
He glances down at his lap, staring at the can in his hand, then peers up at me. “You’re not just bullshitting me because I’m your twin?” he asks.
“No. I wouldn’t do that, especially with something as important as this. I think this is awesome.”
He opens his mouth to say something else when a ruckus at the door grabs our attention.
Henry and Harrison walk in carrying Chinese takeout.
“We can catch up on this later,” Hayden tells me.
Harrison slips off his jacket and glances over at us, then back at Henry.
“Hey, baby brothers,” Henry teases.
He knows it annoys me when he calls me his ‘baby’ brother.
“Hey, old man,” I shoot back. Henry hates to be called old.
Hayden grins at me, and we both stand and head over to the table where we’ll eat.
“Wow, Hayd, you even set the table.”
“Yeah. I was here pretty early,” he says.
Henry and Harrison place the food on the table, and I grab the glasses of whiskey and set them in the appropriate places.
Once we’ve served ourselves, I notice Harrison glance over at Hayden, but he says nothing about the fact that he’s only drinking ginger ale.
“So, Holden,” Henry says, “Layla was telling Tillie and me after school today that she’s pretty sure her ‘work’ with you is almost done.”
I don’t even know what to say to that. How do you respond when a six-year-old actually helps your relationship?
“Yeah? Well, that’s good news. I guess she did achieve her goal. Things are going great between Lizette and me.”
“You’re happier than I’ve seen you in a very long time,” Harrison comments. “I think I forgot what it was like to see you this happy.”
“I agree,” Henry mumbles with a mouth full of noodles.
“I’m genuinely happy. I could dwell on the past and the years we lost, but I’m not going to do that. I’m going to focus on building our future.”
“You’re great with Simon,” Hayden comments.
“He’s great, an amazing kid. So damn smart and kindhearted.” I know I’m smiling. I can feel it.
“And so damn polite. I’ve never met a kid who is so polite. Lizzie has done a phenomenal job with him,” Henry says.
“He’s really opened up since he moved here, too.” It’s been spectacular watching him come out of his shell around my friends and family.
Harrison lifts his mouth to his glass and takes a sip. “I think about the shy little boy studying bugs with Layla in the town square and compare him to the outgoing kid playing with Layla and Frankie at Henry's the other day. The transformation is wild.”
“I never knew chickens could keep kids so entertained,” Hayden chimes in.
“That was hilarious,” Henry says.
“I’m glad I got that video,” Hayden adds.
“Don’t show the video to anyone.” My cheeks heat. “It’s not my fault I’m afraid of chickens. It’s Henry's.”
“How is it my fault?” Henry balks.
“You used to make me watch all those videos of chickens chasing people.”
A boisterous laugh roars out of Harrison, uncharacteristic for him. “Remember when we went to Fulton’s farm, and you actually got chased by one? That is probably the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Uh, yeah, hysterical. I live with terror inside me that it’ll happen again. I’ll always wonder what they’ll do if they actually catch me.”
“Yeah, well, we’re gonna have to work on that, because you can’t keep freaking out and running away when one of the kids approaches you carrying a chicken. Though it did make for great video footage.” Henry says with a grin.
“Jerk,” I say halfheartedly.
“I think Simon and Frankie were naturals.” Hayden takes a sip of his ginger ale. “They’re both talking about wishing they had chickens.”
“Oh, God. I’m gonna need immersion therapy or something to do that.” They smile like they think I’m kidding. I’m grateful when Hayden changes the subject.
“It’s good of you to take on mentoring Frankie,” he says.
I smile. “He’s a great kid. And Ethan’s a good kid, too. I can tell.”
“He is,” Hayden chimes in.
“It pisses me off to no end to think about their father and how he treated them.” My jaw clenches at the thought.
“Yeah, but they’re in a much better situation now,” Harrison comments.
“They are,” I agree. “But when I took Frankie home the other day, I had a cup of coffee with Mrs. Smith. She’s getting up there in years, her words, not mine, and she’s having some health problems.”
My brothers all frown. Mrs. Smith has been an important part of the Aron Falls community for a long time.
“She’s concerned she may not be able to continue fostering much longer,” I add.
Hayden’s eyes dart up to meet mine. “What happens to the boys then?”
My shoulders drop. “I don't know.”
After that, we eat in silence for a couple of minutes. I glance around at each of my brothers and can tell they’re all thinking the same thing.
I’m worried about those kids, too. But first things first. I’ve got to deal with the Landon situation.
When we’re done eating and have cleaned up, we all find our usual chairs and sit. I think I should probably get right to it.
“I don't know that I need any of your help,” I say. “But I might. So, I want you to be aware.”
“Okay,” they say in unison. We brothers always have each other’s backs.
I start from the beginning and tell them our story—mine and Lizette’s. The full story, including the parts they already know. Meeting Lizette in the library. Falling for her. What Landon did.
“That fucker,” Hayden mutters. “You guys broke up because of him?”
“Yeah. And I was too immature to handle it correctly then. But I’m not now.”
Henry leans forward. “You’re making me nervous bringing this up now. You said she moved here from Elladine, and he didn’t know where she was.”
“Yeah, he didn’t. But he showed up at her father’s funeral, and he put his hands on her.”
“What?” Harrison growls, leaning forward.
“He grabbed her arm. Tight enough that it left a bruise.” My jaw tightens. “Which I wish I’d seen because I could’ve figured out what to do about him faster.”
I shake my head, frustrated that I didn’t notice the bruise when we were intimate when she first got home.
“Anyway, she bit him and, then got in the car with her sister, and they sped away.”
Harrison chuckles.
“Go, Lizzie,” Henry says. “It’s good to know she can defend herself.”
“Him forcing himself into her life for these last ten-plus years has been exhausting for her, but it gets worse.” They all watch me, silently waiting for my next words. “Do you remember how she wasn’t acting like herself at your house the other day?” I ask Henry.
“Yeah. We all noticed. I thought maybe you’d had a fight or something.”
“No, it wasn’t that. And I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. But later that night, she told me that after Simon and I left, Landon showed up at the bakery. He got inside and really did a number on her emotionally.”
“Jesus,” Hayden says. “Is she okay?”
“She was able to stay away from him so he couldn’t get his hands on her, but still...”
I want to kill him for what he did to her. I tell them about how he tried to shake her confidence in our relationship and how he dug at the wound left by her father.
“I was able to calm her down, but he went even further this time. He told her he’s made an offer on the vacant properties across the town square. He plans on basically replicating her business.”
Hayden scrunches his forehead, confusion written all over his face. “That makes no sense.”
Henry nods. “There’s not enough need for that. Lizzie’s is the perfect business to cater to people looking for that experience.”
Harrison curses under his breath. “It makes total sense.”
We all look at him.
“He doesn’t care about his business. He cares about ruining hers.”
“Even if he only took a quarter of the business in this area, it would make it much harder for her to have a successful business model,” Hayden comments.
“What an asshole,” Henry says.
“What are we gonna do about it?” Hayden asks.
I smile. “Well, I’ve already got a plan in motion.”
“Within minutes of Lizette telling me about the threat to her business, I had old man Peterson’s and Randall’s phone numbers, thanks to Ruthie. I knew she’d have them. I made a call to them and gave them a second offer. Double asking price. They accepted.”
Henry blinks slowly—a few times. “So, what are you going to do with the property?”
I shrug. “Maybe give it to her for her peace of mind. Or maybe figure out something the community needs and put it in. I don’t know.”
Harrison smiles at me. “Doesn’t really matter, does it? It takes away his ability to hurt her business.”
“Exactly,” I answer. “Harrison, would you mind following up with the real estate company managing the offers?”
“I’m on it. I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”
“Thanks.”
Silence settles over the room for a moment.
“There’s only one thing left to do,” I say.
They all look at me.
“I’m gonna pay Landon Carter a visit.”