Chapter 12 #2
“I know plenty. You open the pantry and reach for the packages that are clearly labeled chocolate cake mix, pancake batter, cream of tartar.” Rose wrinkled her nose. “Although for the life of me I couldn’t tell you what on earth to put that last one in.”
They partnered up to name the nearly identical powders. In the end, Edison and his teammate scored the only ten out of ten.
He batted his lashes. “I am multitalented,” Edison offered perkily.
“And oh so modest,” Lexie intoned.
“That too,” Edison agreed.
Into the amused laughter, Tansy motioned for Petra to bring something forward. “Just to prove I’m not totally a pain in the butt, I warned Mom this had to be a two-step game. Ta-da.”
She gestured toward a second tray. This one held more than a dozen small canning jars, each one filled with something green and leafy.
Rose leaned forward with suspicion before she let out a little gasp of delight. “These are herbs.”
“Plant-based challenge! If you don’t beat our butts, I’ll want to know why,” Tansy said firmly.
Edison snatched up a jar in either hand and waggled his brows. “We have ways to make you talk,” he intoned with villainous glee.
It took almost no time for Rose to have a completed list in her hand and a gloating smile on her face.
From her comfy corner chair, Sydney had quietly observed as the merriment unfolded.
Outside, a storm had rolled in from over the mountains, turning the sky charcoal and making the nearby trees sway.
The house sat next door to the local cemetery, and in it, the small twinkle lights that hung from trees and between fence posts bobbed and danced like lanterns held in ghostly hands.
Sydney breathed in deeply, soaking in the moment of calm.
Lexie settled beside her, a plate filled with snacks resting in her lap. “They’re good people.”
“The best,” Sydney agreed. “Are you having fun?”
“I am. Although it is kind of odd that they’re holding two parties tonight. I thought it was becoming the norm to have a joint event. The last shower I attended, Michael and I brought—”
Lexie cut off. She snatched up a chip and loaded it with salsa before shoving it in her mouth. She stared up at the corner of the room as if pretending she hadn’t spoken at all.
Confusion was the highest thing on Sydney’s mind. “Who is Michael?”
Rapidly chewing and swallowing Lexie shrugged. “No one. Just someone I was seeing at one time. It didn’t work out.”
No. There was more to the story, and Sydney had a horrible premonition she knew what trouble had been haunting Lexie all along. “Michael Jeremiah?”
Lexie’s expression crumpled.
On her other side, Petra stiffened. She’d been watching the center of the room but now turned her attention to Sydney and Lexie. “Relative of yours, Syd?”
“Oldest brother,” Sydney confirmed. “Lexie? What’s going on?”
The rest of the room was filled with the noise and amusement of the games as people wandered into the kitchen for refreshments. With unerring talent, Tansy made her way over and settled on the arm of Petra’s chair. “You guys look way too serious for a party.”
“Is there somewhere we can go for a little privacy?” Sydney asked Tansy.
“Sure. This way.”
Lexie didn’t meet any of their eyes, but she also didn’t try and run away, following them into a neat and tidy home office.
“What’s up, Lexie?” Sydney spoke softly but firmly. “If you were dating my brother and things didn’t work out, why would my grandfather recommend you so highly? Or is something else happening here?”
Lexie looked absolutely miserable. “Mr. Jones suggested it would be in all of our best interests if I got more experience elsewhere.”
“Best interests?” Sydney didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but a whole lot of bouncing in her brain headed toward oh shit territory.
“Tell me if I got this right. You’re fully certified and working at Toronto General where my brother also works.
The two of you get involved. Suddenly, my grandfather decides you needed to work in a different province. ”
“Mostly right.” Lexie lifted her gaze off the floor, frowning as she met Sydney’s eyes. “Your brother is in line to receive an invitation to become a part of a very prestigious research event. But it involves travel, and—”
“And if you and Michael were getting serious, he might turn down the research in order to stay with you.” Sydney didn’t make it a question. She was damn sure that’s what her grandfather had thought.
Lexie nodded.
This was more than messy—it was manipulative, and it stank of Grandpa Nate’s brand of control. “Does my brother know why you left?” Sydney asked.
“If I told him, he might’ve told me to stay—and that would’ve defeated the whole plan,” Lexie said softly.
Tansy’s gaze jumped between them all. “So your grandfather broke you up because he’s organizing life plans for his grandson? Why would you go along with that?”
“How could I stay knowing that being involved with Michael would damage his long-term career?” Lexie demanded with a hint of heat.
“We were getting serious, but we hadn’t made any commitments yet.
I thought a clean break would be the best. There’s still a chance we can be together at some point in the future. ”
Petra shook her head. “It doesn’t seem like something you should be deciding by yourself. But I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong.”
At her core, Sydney was rattled—shaken in a way that made old memories claw to the surface.
“You two don’t understand.” She caught hold of Lexie’s hands, squeezing tight.
“Grandpa Nate has this way about him. He kind of runs over you with his well-meaning, virtuous-sounding ideas, and you go along for the ride because there doesn’t seem to be any other solution. ”
A frown creased between Lexie’s brows. “Did he meddle with you? Is that why you’re living in Heart Falls?”
No. It was far more subtle than that. “I moved to Heart Falls of my own free will,” Sydney assured her, suddenly needing this conversation to be over.
“It’s okay, Lexie. We need to talk about this more in the future, but it doesn’t change anything about what I know to be true.
You’re a fantastic doctor, and I’m grateful to have your help at the clinic. ”
Relief relaxed Lexie’s face. “I’m very happy to be there.”
“But you’d be happier if you could be with Michael,” Sydney suggested.
“That’s impossible, but yes.” Lexie straightened her shoulders. “For now, this is my choice. I want to stay in Heart Falls and work for you. But I’ll think about talking to Michael, when it’s appropriate, in spite of Mr. Jone’s insistence that I not get in touch.”
He’d done it to Lexie. He’d done it to Michael. And now, looking at Lexie’s downturned eyes, Sydney realized how many people had been nudged, rerouted, or redirected by Grandpa Nate’s well-meaning hand.
Sydney offered Lexie a hug then sent her back out into the party.
When Petra and Tansy would’ve left the room as well, Sydney waved them down.
Inside her, a storm churned—nearly as chaotic as the one now battering the walls outside the little house.
“That was one of the wildest things I’ve ever heard,” Petra said.
“Hold onto your socks.” Sydney met Petra and Tansy’s eyes in turn. “She isn’t the only one Grandpa Nate is messing with. But he’s damn good at it, and to be honest, he’s meddled in ways I don’t know how to stop.”