“Okay, okay. Lisa’s back in town!” she exclaims.
“I’m sorry, who?” I ask in shock.
“You know, Lisa? Your brother’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa.”
“I remember her,” I mutter. “What’s she doing in Arcola? I thought she went to LA to become some big-shot lawyer.”
Funny she’s coming back right around the time my brother has decided to start a new chapter with another woman. I’m not a big believer in coincidence. And I really don’t trust Lisa. I swear to God, if she’s trying to manipulate Marty… She was always really good at sinking her claws into him.
And me too.
I clench my teeth to force out the memory. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
“I’m not sure about the details. I ran into her mom at the store the other day and she told me she was back. Apparently, she’s moving back to town. I haven’t seen her, though. Isn’t this amazing? All my babies are coming back.”
“I’m not coming back,” I dispute.
“Of course you are. You’re spending your two-month vacation back home after the wedding.”
“One month. And it will be a short one-week trip for the wedding instead of a vacation, if this deal doesn’t go through.”
“Of course it will. You’re the best, sugar. Also, you’re spending two months at home, and I will hear no arguments.”
I decide to keep quiet and roll with it.
“Alright, alright. Can I hang up now?”
“After you’ve picked up the phone and asked your secretary to order you some food,” she states.
I groan before hurriedly doing as she asked.
“There, happy?”
“Very. Bye, my love.”
“Bye, Mom,” I say before hanging up.
* * *
|A glass shattering is the first thing I hear when I open my eyes.
“What the fuck?” I whisper as I get out of bed.
I pull on some clothes and head downstairs to find the source of the noise.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Carius,” one of the maids says upon sighting me at the doorway to the kitchen.
“Trina, you know my mornings are sacred. I barely get any sleep as it is,” I say, trying to rein in my frustration .
“I realize that, Mr. Carius, but she was recently hired and she hasn’t gotten the hang of how things are done here yet.”
I’m silent for a few seconds before turning to the short young woman at the back. She makes sure to avoid my eyes and she looks like she’s a little scared.
“Hey, step forward,” I say to her. “I’m not going to fire you over broken glass, if that’s what you’re scared of. But I do have a few rules. First and most important rule, please, do not disturb my sleep,” I say.
With that said, I turn around, grab the cup of coffee from Trina’s already outstretched hand and exit the kitchen. I went to bed around 4 a.m. and it’s currently seven, which means I had about three hours of sleep. I had planned to get four, but I suppose I had better get on with my day.
“We talked about this, Sam. No more tormenting the staff,” someone says from behind me as I start to climb the stairs.
I turn around to face my little brother.
“What are you doing here?” I question while taking a sip of my coffee.
He’s dressed casually in gray joggers and a white T-shirt. His long dark hair is styled in a messy, disheveled way that he swears is his fiancée’s favorite look on him. His green eyes are so unlike mine yet so similar at the same time. It’s the expression in them. Someone once told me my eyes look haunted, while Marty’s look alive.
Marty is like a golden retriever. I’m a vampire. The same person who described our eyes was also more than happy to provide me with that depiction.
“I can’t come to see my big bro?”
“You should be busy with wedding preparations,” I state, turning around and heading up the stairs. He follows, of course.
“I am busy, but Mom told me to check up on you. With good reason, I can see. What did that poor girl do to you?”
“She broke a glass and woke me up.”
“Don’t you think you’re to blame for buying a house that echoes so terribly?”
I turn and glare at him. He rolls his eyes.
“Alright, fine. I get that she broke something and woke you up but it was an accident. Couldn’t you have scolded her in a nicer way?”
“What’s the point of scolding if it’s done nicely?” I retort.
Marty chuckles. “You don’t even want to try to be a nice guy.”
I shrug. “It’s not really my thing.”
We enter my room and Marty immediately lies on the bed. The dark circles under his eyes suggest he’s not sleeping well. It might just be due to stress, though.
“Lisa’s back in Arcola,” I find myself saying.
I’m not sure why I’m telling him. I guess it’s a warning or something.
“I know,” Marty says simply.
“And you don’t care?” I question.
“Of course I care. I haven’t seen her in so long. I kind of miss her. I still don’t know why she decided to cut off all contact,” he says a little sadly.
“You’re not still in love with her, are you?” I ask.
“Come on, dude. I’m getting married. That’s not even a question you should be asking.”
“And that’s not an answer, Marty. You’re not still in love with her, are you?” I repeat.
He sighs.
“I haven’t been in love with Lisa in a long time. She was my first love and my best friend, but I’m over that. I’m over her, obviously.”
“Good,” is all I say.
I know one thing for sure. Lisa Lawson’s reappearance in our lives is going to change things. It’s inevitable. She’s like a force. It doesn’t matter what she does, she always makes sure to leave her mark. I can only hope our next meeting doesn’t have devastating consequences.
