Page 336 of The Maxwell Brothers

“Declan?” No answer. I went down to the living room and checked my phone, finding a message from Declan.

Declan: Hey, babe. I left early. Hope I didn’t wake you up. I went back to the office to read some things one last time, and then I'm picking up Reese. Talk to you later.

Liz: Okay. Good luck today.

Should I say something about last night?No, it would be awkward. I would talk to him this evening. He had a big day, and I didn’t want him concerned about anything but his meeting.

I didn't have much time to think about it because I had to get going as well. I went over to my place, changing quickly, getting ready for the day. Although I had quite a few things over at Declan’s, I still had the majority of my clothing and cosmetics at mine. Afterward, I went to the bakery and started my morning routine.

I lost myself in the baking process with Dina, blocking out the world, right up until my phone rang. My sister was calling. I instantly knew something was wrong, because Rose never called during the day. I didn't hesitate before answering.

"Rose, is everything okay?"

“No.” My sister was crying.

I clutched my chest, leaning against the counter. "What happened?"

"Amy's got the flu," she said between sobs, "and she became unresponsive."

"Oh my God!"

"We’re at the hospital. She's severely dehydrated, and they’re checking if her kidneys are okay. Apparently that can happen when you have the flu. I stayed up late last night to help her drink fluids, and so did Mark, but I think at some point, we both fell asleep. I'm so, so scared."

"Rose, listen. I'm going to come home."

"What? No, you can't."

"Yes I can. Listen to me. You're in a state. Amy will be fine. I just know it."

"You really don't have to come. That's not why I called you."

Subconsciously, I thought she might have called me precisely because of that. She and I were like peas in a pod our whole lives. Especially in the difficult times, we were always there for each other.

"Rose, I'm coming home. It’ll take forever, but I will be there. I have to hang up now because I have to organize everything. I promise I’ll be there as soon as possible."

"I love you, sister," she said.

"I love you too." Then I hung up, thinking hard. First things first, I had to instruct Monica how to do the end-of-day receipt tallying and cash deposits.

Checking the time, I realized I only had one hour until the bus to Sunnyvale left. My first impulse was to call Declan, but I fought against it. He had other things going on right now. I sent him a message, knowing he put his phone on airplane mode during meetings. It was time to put my big girl panties on.

CHAPTER 26

DECLAN

I wentfrom the office to pick up Reese. She climbed straight into the passenger seat, but I got a good glimpse of her before she got in.

“Morning.”

"Wow, good morning to you too, cousin. Why do you look so grumpy?"

I blinked, confused. “I’m not. Just surprised. You look great, like we’re going to a cocktail party or something."

"Oh yeah. I put on my best suit, and I woke up extra early to get these beach waves done. I wanted to look my best. Please don't ask me why. I don't know either. I'm sure my therapist and I are going to have a field day dissecting this later on. I woke up this morning thinking, ‘I want to look my best when I see that bastard.’”

"Right," I said, totally taken aback. I hadn’t expected that monologue, nor did I know what to say to make her feel better.

So I did the only thing I knew: I slipped into lawyer mode, explaining to her how today would most likely go, what was okay to say and what not. Truthfully, since this wasn't a court meeting but a private one, we had a wide berth to discuss everything and anything. I didn't care that there was another lawyer present.