Chapter 68

When I finally turned into my own driveway, it was dark and drizzling. Pulling up to the house, I was surprised to see Aunt Gina's car parked out front. It should've been a welcome surprise, but in my current state-of-mind, I wasn't so sure.

As for Joel's car, I didn't see it, and maybe that was a good thing. Until I had something resembling good news, I'd be smart to keep my mouth shut. After all, there was no reason for both of us to suffer while I waited to hear back from Claude.

Distracted beyond belief, I got out of the car and made my way to the front door. When I opened it, I was greeted by the smell of something baking. I paused. It smelled surprisingly delicious.

From somewhere in the kitchen, Aunt Gina called out, "Melody, is that you?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, making my way toward the sound of her voice.

She called back, "Guess what I'm making!"

I stopped and gave the air another sniff. It smelled like pie. Really good pie. This made no sense. This was, after all, Aunt Gina, who wasn't exactly known for her culinary skills.

When I reached the kitchen, she looked up and gave me a big, happy smile. "Well? Aren't you gonna guess?"

I glanced around. I saw flour on the counter and apple peelings off to the side. "Is it apple pie?"

She clapped her hands together. "You got it!"

I didn't know what to say. I gave the oven a nervous glance. "So you made it from scratch?"

She laughed. "Don't look so worried." Her eyes brightened. "I'm taking a class."

"A baking class?"

"Not just baking. Cooking, too." She leaned forward. "I'm thinking of opening a restaurant." She brushed some flour off her dark shirt. "Or maybe a bakery. I mean, we're still on desserts, so I might be rushing it a bit."

In spite of everything, I almost smiled. This was vintage Aunt Gina. She went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. If this were any other time, I'd be thrilled to see her.

Now, I was just worried. Trying not to show it, I moved forward to give her a welcoming hug. "Boy, you really surprised me. I thought you weren't coming 'til tomorrow."

"Well yeah, that was the original plan." She pulled back to give me another smile. "But then I thought, 'I've gotta meet this guy of hers.'" She looked around. "So, where is he?"

I tried to smile back. "I don't know. I just got back."

"From work?"

"Sort of."

I'd been working alright, but not at the cookie shop. Mostly, I'd been trying to hammer things out with Claude.

Aunt Gina studied my face. "Is something wrong? You guys aren't fighting or anything, are you?"

"Nope." Not yet, anyway.

"Oh. Well that's good." She hesitated. "Maybe you should shower or something. You look kind of splotchy."

Funny, I felt kind of splotchy, too. And, I wanted some time to think. I agreed instantly, and turned away, with the promise to return after my shower.

Just before I reached the stairway, my aunt called out, "That guy of yours, he does like apple, right?"

I had no idea, so all I said was, "Well, it's everyone's favorite, so I'm sure he'll love it."

After showering, I returned downstairs and found Aunt Gina standing in the front doorway, waving goodbye to an unfamiliar white van.

Coming up behind her, I asked, "Who was that?"

She turned around to reveal an oversized white envelope. She gave it a little wave. "Special courier."

"Really?" It was long past business hours, and it couldn’t be from Claude, because I'd just seen him. Maybe it was something to do with the estate? I was just reaching for the envelope when new movement in the driveway caught my eye.

It was Joel's car, pulling up to the house. At the sound of his car, my aunt whirled around to look. "Is that him?"

I bit my lip. "Well, it is his car."

She turned back to give me a puzzled look. "You don't sound too happy."

"Sorry." I summoned up a smile. "It's been a long day."

"How about this?" she said. "I'll pop out for a quick hello, let you introduce us, and then I'll take a nice long bath." She lowered her voice. "And give you two some time alone, if you know what I mean."

Heat flooded my face. "Really, that's okay."

My aunt laughed. "Oh come on. Don't be shy about it. If he's as hot as you say–"

"I never said he was hot."

"Sure you did." She paused. "Didn't you?"

I looked to the driveway, where Joel was getting out of his car. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt that clung to his muscles as he walked toward us in the drizzling rain.

My aunt turned to look. "Oh. My. God." She turned back to me and said, "Does he have an older brother?"

"Uh, yeah. But…" I winced. "He says they're awful."

"If they look anything like him, I'll take my chances." At something in my expression, she laughed. "Don't worry. I'm just teasing. I met someone. Didn't I mention that?"

I shook my head. "No. Who is he?"

She waved away the question. "Never mind that. Let's meet your guy."

Before I knew it, she was bounding out the front door to meet him. At the sight of my aunt dashing through the drizzle, Joel paused on the front walkway. His gaze drifted to me, and I gave him a tentative wave before reluctantly following after her.

Five soggy minutes later, the introductions were done, and we were all standing just inside the front entryway. My aunt glanced down at her clothes, which were still dusted with flour – except now the flour had congealed into a goopy mess, dripping down her shirt. "Oh, jeez," she said, looking back to Joel. "Normally, I make a much better impression."

He flashed her a smile. "Hey, I didn't notice a thing."

She almost giggled. "Liar." She turned back to me and said, "And I totally approve." She glanced toward the stairway. "Anyway, I'm gonna get cleaned up. Wanna meet back here in a couple of hours?" She smiled at Joel. "I made dessert. But it's a surprise."

She waggled a finger in my direction. "And don't you tell him either." In a stage whisper, she added, "Unless you can't resist."

In a flash, it struck me how wonderful all of this would be under different circumstances. Near me, I had the two people I loved best, and they seemed to be hitting it off.

The house was warm and scented with the aroma of fresh apple pie. Outside, it was still drizzling, which made everything seem extra cozy in here.

If it weren't for Derek's godawful threat, this would be the beginning of a lovely night. Now, all I felt was lingering dread.

I still hadn't heard from Claude, and the longer I waited, the more worried I became. He promised to call me as soon as he knew – or at least send me a text or something. Where was it?

My aunt turned and started heading toward the stairway before suddenly pausing. She whirled around and said, "Oh shoot, I almost forgot to give you this."

The envelope. She was still holding it.

As she moved forward, I held out my hand. "Sorry, I meant to grab that."

"Oh, it's not for you," she said. "It's for him." She gave Joel a warm smile. "Special delivery. Aren't you important."

She turned and handed him the envelope. As she did, I caught sight of not only his name on the front, but the return address in the upper left-hand corner. I felt my face pale. It was from my dad's foundation, and for once, I knew nothing about it.

A renewed sense of dread settled over me. Whatever that envelope contained, it couldn’t be good.