Trey

As the sunlight begins to filter into the room, I glance at the clock and cringe at how tired I am going to be today. After sleeping hard until three am, I have been lying here awake ever since with a million thoughts coursing through my mind. There is nothing like having complete uncertainty in every aspect of your life to fuel one’s anxiety. My chest is so tight that it feels like I have to struggle to breathe. I glance over at Mandy and she is out cold. She has such a beautifully serene look on her face. I’m going to let her sleep for a couple more hours. I slowly roll out of bed, trying not to wake her.

I grab my phone on the way out and turn it on to check for messages. There are several texts from Vanessa and a voice mail from Mom. I can feel my heart pounding as I click the first message, fearing the worst.

Vanessa: Tyler was at the Hotel W again. WTF is up with that place?

About 40 minutes later she had sent a second message:

Vanessa: Call me whenever you get this! He was unconscious when they found him. It looks like an OD. Paramedics stabilized him and brought him to Bellevue. I’m going there now.

Two hours later she had sent the third message:

Vanessa: They have him on a ventilator and he remains unresponsive. Your mom is beside herself.

Me: I’m sorry Vanessa. I’ll be home asap. Give mom a hug from me.

Listening to Mom’s message was even more painful. Why is she implying that this is my fault? I talked to her about Tyler before leaving town, but now it’s my fault that he did something stupid? I think they both need some serious counseling.

“Is everything okay?” Mandy asks sleepily as she shuffles into the room.

“No. Tyler apparently tried to OD and now he’s on a ventilator at Bellevue. Best of all, now it’s my fault for not taking care of him.” I tell her finally prying my eyes from my phone.

“Really?” she raises her eyebrows in disbelief. “They both know that he practically accused you of murdering your dad last week. If my sister did something like that, I would never speak to her again… ever!”

“Oh, everyone has already moved past that, even Vanessa.” I rub my eyes and run my hands down the length of my face. “I’m starting to hate everyone.”

“You could use a nice breakfast. Let’s get ready and go to Nice,” she suggests.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to call and see if we can get out this morning.” I reach out and take her hand. “I wouldn’t feel right wasting any time.”

“You won’t be, besides, we have to fly out of Nice anyway. We’ll stop by Café Marché on the way to the airport. I really want to try their dulce de leche crepes. I hear they’re amazing!”

“You heard? From who?”

“I Googled the best breakfast in Nice and they came up at the top. They even have a five star rating on Yelp, which I’ve never seen before, so it has to be amazing,” she adds persuasively. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Okay. I need a quick shower. You get ready and I’ll call the concierge to set up our ride.” It will be easier to go by car instead of helicopter since Café Marché is downtown.

Mandy

The route our driver chose is a bit slower, but the scenery is gorgeous. The hills, ancient homes and stunning ocean views combine to create a very enjoyable forty-minute drive. As the freeway transitions into a narrow cobblestone street and the buildings become completely interlocked with one another, it becomes obvious that we are nearing our destination.

“Do you want to walk the last two blocks or should I go around to the back?” the driver asks as traffic comes to a stop.

“We’ll walk,” Trey says immediately. “Then you can loop around back and park. Just drop a pin to my phone and we’ll find you when we are done eating.” The driver pulls over to the side of the road and we both bail from the car.

“What a gorgeous day,” I express, reaching out to take Trey’s hand. The morning sun feels wonderful as we begin walking down a narrow alley.

“Isn’t it amazing how narrow these old streets are?” he asks as we make our way down the cobblestone path. We are greeted by two delivery vans that force us right up against one of the buildings in order to keep out of their way. “And you thought San Fran was a tough place to drive.” He laughs.

“No kidding. This makes those streets look like freeways.” We turn and see the yellow awning that I recognize from Google. “There it is.”

“Seriously? This place is tiny. Also, it doesn’t open for another forty minutes,” Trey huffs, giving me a disconcerting look.

“Do you like coffee?” an older gentleman asks upon hearing Trey’s dismay.

“Yes, please,” I answer before Trey has a chance to respond.

“Sit,” the old man, insists, gesturing to a small table in the outdoor courtyard.

Within minutes he returns with a fresh pot of coffee, two cups as well as cream and sugar. “My daughter usually opens early, so it should only be a short wait,” he tells us with a strong Italian accent. “Her almond croissants are worth the wait.” He smiles, leaving us to enjoy the coffee and sunshine.

“Good coffee,” Trey says after taking a sip. “I just want to get in the air as soon as possible.”

“Well, you have been bragging up Nice, so I at least wanted to see a little bit of it,” I reply as two drop dead gorgeous guys come through the alley way and go in through a side door.

“Does this place have male dancers or what?” Trey raises an eyebrow and locks eyes with me.

“Someone did mention the waiters were pretty hot.” I giggle and pat him on the knee. “You can’t blame a girl for wanting a little eye candy.”

“You don’t need eye candy when you’ve got beefcake like this. Do you?” Trey replies, flexing his bicep for me.

“I agree, you are definitely hotter than both of those guys. But there still is a chance that we’re related,” I cross my eyes and cringe.

“That’s a nice look on you.” He smirks before looking down at his watch. “I’m going to check in with Jürgen to make sure he got our DNA samples.”

Trey

I can feel the pulse in my neck as I click on Jürgen’s number. I’m a little shocked by how much anxiety I’ve been feeling lately. I close my eyes and take a deep breathe while waiting for him to answer my call.

“Nervously awaiting the results?” Jürgen chuckles. “Almost as nerve racking as a pregnancy test I’d imagine.”

“Yeah, we’ve both been pretty stressed since her dad broke the news to us,” I admit. “I just wanted to make sure you’ve got everything you need.”

“They were already here when I got in at eight o’clock. If you hang on for a minute I can go see if the test results are back.” He pauses, waiting for my response.

“Yes! Please do,” I reply, hoping to get at least one issue resolved this morning.

“What’s going on?” Mandy inquires, her eyes widening with anticipation.

“They’re already running the tests. He’s going to check on them.” She shakes her head back and forth just slightly while reaching for my hand. I know exactly what she is thinking by the look on her face. I am having the same exact thoughts. We have connected on a level that is so rare to find, that losing it would be devastating.

“We’re not related.” I try to convince myself as well as her. “There is no way.” I pray that I wouldn’t be this sexually attracted to a woman who was my half sister. My basic instincts have to be better than that. At least, I hope they are.

I click the speakerphone button after waiting a couple of minutes and lay the phone on the table between us. “I’m so frickin’ nervous right now,” she squeals. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my whole life.”

“Yeah, no shit. I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack when I woke up this morning. I can’t take too much more of this. It’s getting to the point where I dread phone calls and text messages.” We both stare at the phone waiting for a break in the hold music, but it continues to play for what seems like forever.

“Hey, Trey. I’ve got them.” Jürgen’s voice finally interrupts the Swedish folk tune that we had been forced to endure. “Let’s see if there’s a summary page.” We both lean into the phone, listening with the utmost intensity. “Oh… wow… you two haven’t had sex have you?”

Both of our hearts drop and we look at one another in horror. Please don’t tell me that Mandy is my fucking sister. Please…

“Let’s see, if the way I’m reading this is correct… there is a 99.98% probability that you two…” He pauses and clears his throat adding to the drama. “Are not related.”

“Oh… you fucker! The way you kept pausing, I thought you had bad news!” I blurt out in a sigh of relief. “You had us both on the verge of a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry, but this is the first time I’ve read one of these reports. I’m pretty sure that minus ninety nine point nine eight means that you are not related,” he adds once again lowering our confidence in his assessment.

“Are we related or not, Jürgen?” I shout into the phone as other customers begin to filter into the outdoor patio area.

“Just a second, I’m reading the summary and… no. You two are definitely not related to one another.” He clears his throat, sounding a bit flustered. “I’m sorry, like I said I’ve never read one of these before. We don’t normally do this type of testing.”

“That’s okay,” Mandy interjects, obviously feeling sorry for him.

“I am, however, selling the stock that I own in your company,” I tease. “If you can’t read a simple report, I think I better cash out before things go south.”

“Hey! Now you’re just being cruel,” he retaliates. “I was just making sure that I didn’t give you the wrong answer. That could have lead to a really bad outcome.”

“Yeah, as if dating your half-sister isn’t bad enough.” I laugh.

“I’m glad you said it… because I was trying my best to avoid the topic,” he says, clearing his throat once again. “I was just praying that I didn’t have to break any bad news this morning.”

“On that note, we are hanging up,” I reply. “Thanks for running the test for us.”

“Anytime, Trey. You two have a good day.”

I let out another sigh of relief after hearing the click on the other end of the line. “I knew we weren’t related. If things would have turned out the other way, it would have been so messed up.” I squeeze Mandy’s hands and give her a big grin of relief.

“Yeah, no shit,” Mandy replies, letting out a long held breath. “Now I really need a dulce de leche crepe and an almond croissant.”

“And for you, Sir?” a handsome, young waiter asks me from behind.

“Whoa, I totally did not see you there.” I haven’t even looked at the menu. “I’ll have an almond croissant as well. Also, I need a couple eggs over easy. Is that possible?”

“Yes, Sir. Two eggs, over easy and an almond croissant coming up.”

“Good looking and speaks perfect English… I think you are in luck,” I whisper to Mandy after he disappears with our order.

“Hey, I’ve just been informed that I’ve got my boyfriend back, so I’m definitely off the market. That is unless you have had a change of heart since last night.”

“No. Nothing has changed. Tyler will wake up from his coma, come to his senses and marry Vanessa. They will get everything worked out and this latest episode will finally force him to deal with his addiction issues.” I pour myself another cup of coffee and begin thinking about how much truth there is behind my words. I hope it’s not just wishful thinking.

Mandy

Thank God the test came back negative or I think I would have had to kill my father. The way things are now, I honestly don’t know what I’m going to say to him the next time I see him. Probably nothing. Trey’s expression lightened up following the good news from Jürgen, but after receiving a text message the stress lines are reappearing across his forehead. I wish I could do more to help him.

I reach for his hand. “We’ll get this all figured out.”

He looks up and gives me a reserved smile. “I know. I’m just a little overwhelmed at the moment. My lawyer needs to send the detective a copy of the documents that I purchased from Jake. If we don’t deliver them by Monday, they are proceeding with the case against me.”

“God, that sucks.” I take a sip of my coffee and look to the sky hoping for a source of inspiration. “What if Dad has letters from Silvia?” I ask as the sought after inspiration strikes.

“What would that do?” His expression changes from concern to confusion.

“It would be evidence of an ongoing affair between them,” I explain, my mind is going into overdrive trying to figure out how to use this puzzle piece.

“And that would solve my problem how?” Trey replies sarcastically.

“Don’t be a prick. I’m trying to help you here.” I bite down on my lip and concentrate on how my father could redeem himself for what he has done. I don’t want Trey to think he is a complete schmuck, even though right now he definitely looks like one.

“I’m sorry. I’m just tired and I don’t understand where you are going with this,” he replies, refilling his coffee one last time.

“Okay, just for the hell of it let’s pretend that Jake got ahold of some old letters that proved that Dad and Silvia were having an affair at the time of your birth. Now let’s pretend he was threatening to use them against you,” I explain, trying to paint a picture for him.

“Those would be some pretty important documents, especially if they ended up proving that Tyler and I weren’t actually Dad’s kids.” His eyes light up as he instantly jumps onboard with my line of thinking.

“Your dad was engaged… and maybe Jake was threatening to sell those letters to his new fiancée? She could’ve used them against you in an estate settlement down the road. What would those documents be worth to you?” A tingle races down my spine as I begin to realize that I may have just solved another major issue for Trey.

“Oh my God, Mandy! My inheritance is over six billion dollars, so paying Jake a hundred thousand for those letters would be a no-brainer,” he reasons, becoming completely enthralled with the idea. “You are a fucking genius!”

“Let’s just hope that Dad has some old letters or something like that,” I add, not wanting to get ahead of ourselves.

“And that he will turn them over to us.” The furrows re-emerge in his brow.

“After what he just put us through?” I gasp. “He is going to give me anything that can help you!”

Trey smiles and I can tell his wheels are turning as the waiter returns with our breakfast. He breaks the yoke of his eggs and begins dipping his almond croissant into them. I refrain from saying anything despite the fact that he is completely ruining one of the most deliciously decadent examples of French pastry. He is so lost in his thoughts, that I don’t even think he realizes what he is doing.

“The only thing I can’t figure out is, why would I send them to Jürgen?” he asks, briefly looking up from his croissant adulteration.

“That’s a good question, but it has to fit somehow.” I drag my croissant through the melted ice cream from my crepe. “He’s your mentor right? Maybe you were seeking his advice or trusting him to hold them for you.”

“No, that’s lame,” he replies, as if he is trying to write a titillating novel. “Maybe I wanted him to check their authenticity?”

“That might work, assuming he has a way of doing that.” I take part of the crepe and pair it with a piece of croissant before dipping it in the ice cream and sticking it in my mouth. Oh my God, I’ve died and gone to heaven!

“Could I get you some high fructose corn syrup to drizzle over that? Or maybe I could get a bag of glucose and you could just inject it directly into your bloodstream,” Trey mocks after witnessing the extent of my indulgence.

“Hey, sugar makes my brain work at the highest possible level of efficiency.” I smile broadly. “At least I’m not ruining mine with egg yoke.”

“Maybe he couldn’t authenticate it, but once I realized who you really were it didn’t matter,” he suddenly blurts out, tossing his breakfast aside. “At that point it could all be settled by the DNA test, so that’s what we did next. Fuck it all fits!” he says springing right out of his chair.

“Is everything okay, Sir?” a startled waiter turns and asks.

“Everything is great, but we need a bottle of champagne.” He turns back to check for my approval.

“Hey, I definitely think we should toast to our combined genius.” It might even dampen my headache just a bit.

Trey looks like a cat that just swallowed a goldfish as we sit in the gorgeous sunshine, sipping delicious champagne and finish our breakfast. It’s good to see him in a better mood after the darkness of the past several days. I feel my temperature begin to rise when he slips his hand under the table, begins to caress my leg and gives me that seductive smile of his. I’m hoping he can turn off the security cameras in whatever airplane we are taking back to New York. It could be a hot and steamy trip.