Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
By the time Wave woke, the sun sat high in the sky.
After their mother passed, it had taken more than an hour to leave the hospital.
No restaurants were open, and he wasn’t going to let his sister go to bed hungry.
He’d made her a peanut butter sandwich, which she consumed half of, saying she was too sad to eat more.
He grabbed his phone, seeing a text from Gina, expressing her condolences.
He checked the time, seeing it was almost noon.
He replied, telling her thank you. Before stepping into the kitchen, he checked his email, seeing a message from Gina.
She’d sent him information on the guy who was causing her trouble.
He needed to investigate, but today he needed to take care of stuff associated with his mother’s death. She was being cremated in the morning, and he just needed to call the funeral home and make sure there wasn’t more for him to do.
He stepped into the kitchen as Cassandra came down the stairs. “Hey, did you sleep any at all?”
She nodded and moved to the coffee maker, grabbing the glass pot. “I did.”
He glanced around. “I know you and Mom went through things before she went into the hospital this last time, but there is still a lot to do.”
Cassandra ground the beans and put them in the filter before starting the coffee maker. She turned to face him. “There is. But I don’t think it will take too long. We should eat something.”
He opened the refrigerator, not seeing much. He pulled out a package of pre-made cheese ravioli that was out of date. “Let’s go to a restaurant and get something. Then we can stop by the grocery store and pick up some fresh food.”
Cassandra grabbed the bread and opened the twist tie, then made a face. “Gross.” She tossed the bread into the trash, then grabbed a mug. “Let me drink my first cup of coffee, then we can leave.”
As they sat at the kitchen table sipping their coffee, he started looking for information on the name that Gina had sent him. The guy owned a business in town, but it seemed like he had a lot of complaints against him. People seemed to think he was a criminal.
He drew in a slow breath, thinking he didn’t really have time for a full investigation. He decided to forward the information to Tex, including a note about his mother’s death, asking if he had time to look into it.
“Everything okay?”
He looked up, seeing concern splashed across his sister’s face. How much could he tell Cassandra? He decided not to tell her anything.
“Yeah. Just taking care of something. You ready to go get some food?”
“Sure.”
“I don’t know the area. Which place do you want to go to?”
“Let’s try Millie’s. They have an all-day breakfast.”
He checked the time again, remembering it was past noon. “Sounds great.”
The restaurant wasn’t far, and when he stepped in, he realized he was famished. They ordered and were served fairly quickly. He was halfway finished with his food when Gina stepped in.
Cassandra saw her and waved her over. Gina smiled and moved to their table, asking the waitress who came over if it was okay if she sat with them.
It was, so Gina placed her order for a burger and fries, then slid into the chair next to Cassandra, giving her a quick hug. Concern was evident on her face.
“How are you doing?”
Cassandra shrugged. “I knew this would happen soon.”
Gina nodded. “You were always very aware of the situation.”
“Are you off work today?”
“I was supposed to work, but there was a disruption.” Her gaze flashed to Wave, and he wondered if something had happened.
“I’d like to talk to you later,” Wave said. “Maybe you could stop by this afternoon. We need to go grocery shopping after this.”
The waitress dropped off her food, and Gina thanked her. They all took a few bites before Gina put down her burger and met Wave’s gaze.
“Sure. I can stop by later. I just need the address.”
Cassandra narrowed her gaze as she looked from Wave to Gina. “What’s going on?”
Wave wasn’t going to tell secrets, so he stayed silent to allow Gina to provide the answer. Gina popped a fry into her mouth before her lips screwed up to the side.
“Your brother offered to help me with a situation I’m having.”
Cassandra took another bite of her food, but narrowed her eyes as she stared at them. “It’s something more. I may be young, but I’m not that young. What is going on?”
Wave glanced around, seeing that there were people sitting close to them. “Later, at home, if Gina feels okay talking to you, we can speak about it there. Not here. Too many people.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “No one cares.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but I always assume someone is listening when I’m out in public.”
“Mom was right about one thing. You are paranoid.”
He chuckled. Her words should sting, but they were true. “It has kept me alive so far.”
Gina shook her head. “So odd.”
“What?” Cassandra asked.
“That he has to think that way. If I didn’t know he was in the military, I would be worried about his mental health. But with the job you have, I’m sure you do have to worry about people wanting to hear what you’re talking about to your work colleagues.”
He nodded. “It’s something you get used to.”
Cassandra shook her head. “That’s not something I’d ever want to get used to.”
Wave nodded. “I hope you never have to.”
They all concentrated on their food after that.
Maybe he needed to be softer toward his sister.
But she was smart and had time to plan her future.
He’d opted for the Navy because he needed fast money to take care of himself and then later to send home to his sister.
He didn’t regret joining the Navy. The training made him who he was, and he wouldn’t change that for anything.
He finished his food, then pulled out his phone and sent Gina a text with their address. “I just sent you our address.”
She flashed him a smile. “Thank you. I’ll be by in a couple of hours.”
“Good. We can go over more information then.”
Cassandra’s lips screwed up to one side. “Still want to know.”
“Later, Cass,” Gina said.
“Thank you for not treating me like a child.”
Wave wanted to say something but kept quiet. If anyone was listening, they wouldn’t hear him expressing his thoughts on Cassandra or what she’d said. This wasn’t the time or place to air their dirty laundry.