CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Phoebe was scrubbing Reggie's bathtub when the older woman came bolting into the bathroom with a panicked look on her face. Phoebe sat down on the edge of the tub, pulled the gloves from her hands, and tossed them into the tub. She assumed Reggie needed to use the toilet, but as she stood to walk from the room, Reggie grabbed onto her arm.
"Whatever you do, don't go to the front door." Reggie reached past Phoebe and shut the door. "In fact, don't leave this room."
The perspiration on Reggie's lip worried Phoebe. Ash had only been gone a few days and during that time, Reggie had gone wild with renewed energy, as if she'd been restraining herself for Ash's benefit. Now she looked on the verge of collapsing. Phoebe quickly washed her hands in the sink, then held onto Reggie's upper arms and guided her onto the toilet.
"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked, taking hold of Reggie's wrist and gauging her pulse. Reggie's heart rate sped out of control, spurring Phoebe into action. She opened the door and walked from the bathroom.
She heard Reggie call for her to come back, but she was on her way to the kitchen where she'd left her phone. "I'm calling for an ambulance."
"No!" Reggie called out.
To Phoebe's surprise, Reggie appeared before her in record time. She wasn't relying on her walker or cane. She grabbed Phoebe's phone and twisted it from her hold. "I don't need no damn ambulance."
"Reggie, I don't want to argue about this."
Phoebe made to grab her phone but Reggie hid it behind her back. Reggie then placed a hand over Phoebe's mouth and directed her eyes towards the front room. "Girl, don't you hear the girl knocking?"
Reggie motioned for Phoebe to be quiet. They waited a few heartbeats, then more pounding sounded at the door. Phoebe furrowed her brows and pulled Reggie's hand from her mouth.
"Is there a reason you don't want me to answer the door?"
Reggie hissed. "Lower your voice." Reggie walked to the window above the sink and looked out into their backyard. She then crept to the doorway that opened to the hallway leading to the dining room. "Damn it. She probably saw us walk into the kitchen."
Suddenly a thought formed in Phoebe's mind. She wondered if the physical therapist had returned, and Reggie was trying to avoid her.
"I can just tell her to go away," Phoebe said, smothering her amusement. She picked up her phone and pointed at the display. "I'll just call her office if she stresses you out that badly."
Reggie squinted an eye. "You think I'm worried about little miss prissy?" she scoffed, then shook her head. "No, Phoebe. You ain't never met this girl, and I don't think you want to."
"You know her?" Phoebe asked.
Reggie closed her mouth and straightened her back. Phoebe waited for an answer to her question, but judging from the quiet determination on Reggie's face, she wasn't going to get one. Rolling her eyes, Phoebe mimicked Reggie's creep to the doorway. She looked down the hallway.
Through the dining room window, she could tell somebody was leaning against the front door. She imagined their visitor was trying to peek through the window.
"No use hiding," called the voice at the door. "I can see you in the kitchen."
Phoebe lifted her eyebrows and pointed back at the door. "Are we going to stay here all day, or are we going to do the polite thing?"
"Fuck politeness."
"For crying out loud." Phoebe left her hiding place and walked down the narrow hallway.
"Don't do it," Reggie pleaded. "You'll regret this."
Phoebe glanced back and saw that Reggie lurked in the hallway. Her skin was pale, and her mouth curled into a ferocious frown. For a moment, Phoebe hesitated, wondering if she should heed Reggie's warning.
But their guest decided to stop the knocking and switch to ringing the doorbell. Over and over. Shooting a perturbed look in Reggie's direction, Phoebe grabbed the doorknob and opened the door wide.
She stared at the younger woman standing on the other side of the screen door. Phoebe had intended to greet her with a smile, but the woman was glaring back at her with rage filling her eyes.
Phoebe's confidence faltered. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together the puzzle of this woman. Was she one of Reggie's former caregivers? Was she one of Ash's exes?
"May I help you?" Phoebe asked, searching the woman's face. She was looking for any hint of jealousy or sadness, but all she saw was anger.
The woman leaned her arm against the screen door and damn near pressed her face against the screen. Her hazel eyes blazed. "I'm going to let Ash know how terrible you are at your job. I've been standing out here for the last fifteen minutes, waiting for you to answer the door." She grabbed the door handle. "Unlock it."
"I'm sorry. Who are you?"
The woman straightened and ignored Phoebe's question. She looked past Phoebe and motioned towards Reggie. "Reg, please open the door."
"Does Ash know you're here?" Reggie asked. She didn't move from her spot in the hallway.
The woman shifted from one foot to the other and then crossed her arms over her chest. "Ash isn't answering my phone calls." She twisted her lips. "As usual."
Phoebe turned when she heard Reggie approach. They stood side by side, and she could see the apprehension had faded from Reggie. If Phoebe was honest with herself, it had unnerved her to see Reggie so frazzled by this woman's presence.
Phoebe stepped forward to place her hand on the door. "Ash is away and won't be back for a few days. He didn't mention that he was expecting visitors, so I think it's probably best if you came back when he’s home."
That definitely didn't please the other woman. She curled her hand into a fist and pounded the door. "Dammit, Reggie. Would you tell your little nurse to back off?" She sent Phoebe a scathing glance. "You can let her know that I'm family."
"Family?" Phoebe asked, looking back and forth between the woman and Reggie. When neither one answered, Phoebe raised her brows and gave Reggie a pointed look. "She's family?"
"I'm Jack."
Phoebe had heard the name before, and she could recall Ash's enraged mood upon receiving a call from Jack. But she'd assumed that Jack was a man, perhaps a colleague from work. She knew the confusion was clear on her face. "I'm sorry, but Ash never mentioned anything about you."
"I'm his baby sister."
Phoebe closed her mouth with an audible click. Ash had mentioned his two younger sisters a few times, mostly when he discussed his childhood growing up in Reggie's house. But he'd referred to them as Francine and Jacinda, and he never called them by a nickname.
Stepping closer, Phoebe could see the subtle similarities between Jack and Ash. The same long, curly lashes. The same mouth, except she had a piercing in her bottom lip.
Finally, after a moment, Phoebe unlocked the screen door and stepped aside.
Jack entered the living room and dropped a bag beside her booted feet. She barely acknowledged Phoebe's presence even though they stood only a few inches apart. "How are you, Aunt Reggie?"
Jack was a few inches taller than Phoebe. Her hair was dyed a rainbow ombre, and it was twisted into a braid hanging over her shoulder. Her eyes were hazel while Ash's were a bright amber, but they shared the same eye shape.
It finally dawned on Phoebe that she was meeting her sister-in-law, and that sister-in-law had no clue who she was. "I'm Phoebe."
Jack shot Phoebe a look from the corner of her eye, but she walked to where Reggie stood and took her aunt in an awkward hug. From over Jack's shoulder, Reggie screwed up her features but patted her niece's back.
"Frank told me Ash was gone on a training mission and had left you with the help." Jack was looking at Reggie, but Phoebe knew the words were meant for her. "I thought it best if I come check in on you and make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine," Reggie said, pulling away from Jack. "I wish you'd bothered to call before you flew all the way up here."
Jack laughed. "If I did, you would have told me not to come."
"Damn right I would've." Reggie waved her hand dismissively. "Ash ain't gonna like you here."
"Well, Frank would have come, but her doctor advised her against traveling." Jack looked at her watch, then spun on her heel and walked back to her travel bag. She picked it up and held it against her chest as she dug into it. She pulled out a light blue box, shook it so the contents rattled, then she handed it to Reggie. "I brought you something."
Reggie's noticeable chill swiftly thawed. Interest shone in her eyes as she plucked the box from Jack's hand. Phoebe approached them, curious to see what was in the box.
"I know they're your favorite candies." Pride shone on Jack's face as Reggie opened the box to reveal peanut butter fudge.
Phoebe sighed, knowing this was a pathway to disaster. She'd been carefully monitoring Reggie's sugar since her last checkup. Her sugar levels were elevated. Not to the point where she was diagnosed with diabetes, but Phoebe had been advised by the doctor to limit the sugar in Reggie's diet.
"One piece," Phoebe said, taking the box from Reggie's hands and opening it wide. She held it out, waited until Reggie took a piece, then she promptly closed the box and held onto it.
Jack pointed in Phoebe's direction. "Who are you to think you can talk to my aunt like that?"
Merriment glittered in Reggie's eyes as she shot Phoebe an ornery look. The corners of her mouth curled as she looked to her niece and nodded in Phoebe's direction.
"You gonna tell her?" Reggie asked Phoebe.
Phoebe's stomach churned. "She doesn't know?"
Reggie shook her head.
"And you didn't tell her?"
Reggie grinned, baring her teeth. "I ain't no snitch."
Jack must have picked up that something was out of the ordinary. Her brow furrowed and her lips were pinched. "Who are you?"
"I..." Phoebe blew a gust of air through her lips, then shifted from one foot to the other as she thought of the right words. When none came to mind, she simply lifted her left hand and pointed at her wedding ring.
Jack blanched and collapsed against the back of the couch. "And I thought I was the fuck-up!"