Page 14 of See It Through

I didn’t know for a fact that Remi wasn’t a fan of poetry, but the idea of these two bumbling through a reading tickled me so much I had to bite my cheek not to laugh. “He’s so humble, he might try to turn you down—”

Teller took over. “Oh, I know exactly the type of man he is. I won’t let him turn us down.” She layered her hands over her heart. “I think he really needs us right now.”

Tina nodded enthusiastically. “He does. We’ll head out to the house first thing in the morning.”

They left quickly after that, forgetting about me in favor of plotting their impending visit. My perverse satisfaction was only tempered by the bubble of discomfort still lodged in my belly from my confrontation with Remi.

Unfortunately, Phoebe caught me smirking before I could wipe it away. She was too busy to ask me what I was up to, but once the shop cleared out, she approached my table, cloth in hand and question in her eyes.

“What did you do to Double T?”

I yanked the rag from her hand and hopped up to wipe tables. “What makes you think I did something?”

She put her hands on her hips. “Because I know you. I know yourI’m-up-to-no-goodface, and that was it.”

“They were asking about Remi, and I may have implied he would love their company…as well as a poetry reading.”

Her inhale was sharp. “You sicced those two on him?”

I looked up from the table I was wiping. “They were going to visit him whether I encouraged them or not. I just nudged them along.”

She swiped her forehead with the back of her hand and blew out a heavy breath. “That wasn’t nice of you, and you know it. The man is probably trying to get his bearings after losing Graham and being back here. The last thing he needs is a visit from the Terror Twins.”

I rolled my eyes. “He didn’t lose Graham. He left him and only came back to claim the house. Remi is doing just fine. Trust me.”

Phe’s gaze stayed on me as I wove around the tables, cleaning coffee rings and crumb piles. Her judgment was silent but rang out as if she’d spoken it. My sister had always been too nice and forgiving for her own good. On the flip side, once I made up my mind about something or someone, it was nearly impossible to change it.

A therapist I used to see had called it rigid thinking. Maybe that was true, but I didn’t think of it as a bad thing. I knew my own mind, and I wasn’t easily swayed by empty words.

Despite that, Phe’s unspoken disappointment weighed on me. I followed her into the back of the bakery, hopping up on one of her pristine stainless steel counters while she cleaned up. I knew better than to try to help her with this. She was laid back about a lot, but not her kitchen and there was no way I’d ever measure up to her standards.

I swung my legs, letting the rhythm of Phoebe’s fluid and sure movements calm me. The thing about being calm, though? My thoughts quieted, allowing room for the image of how Remi’s face contorted as I poured my low opinion over him like tar to come back full force.

He’d been stricken. Slapped into silence.

“I told him off.”

Phe looked up from the gleaming mixing bowls she was stacking, a puzzled frown tugging at her lips. “Who?”

“Remi. I told him off.”

Her brow crinkled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I let him know what I thought of him for not showing up for his dad. I told him he was heartless.” I rubbed my thighs, not meeting Phe’s eyes.

“Okay.” She took her time, precisely choosing her words. “Do you regret saying that?”

My sister and I were opposite in many regards. Where I let my mouth get away from me more than I should have, she weighed and measured every word she said, careful not to step on toes or be misconstrued. That meant people often spoke over her, or she’d miss her chance to voice her opinion. We both could have stood to take lessons from the other, but we were who we were.

“I was…harsh.” I sighed, scrubbing my palms harder on my thighs. “It felt good to get it off my chest, but the relief was only temporary. Getting mad at Remi didn’t make anything better. It didn’t bring Graham back or take away the hell he went through those last few weeks. But once I’d started, I couldn’t stop.”

“Are you going to apologize?”

“Nope.” I hopped off the counter and shoved my hands in my back pockets. “Even if I was harsh, even if what I said fell on deaf ears, none of it was untrue. I have nothing to be sorry for.”

Her brow winged, and the dubious look she gave me lingered long enough for me to squirm and throw out my hands.

“All right. Maybe I shouldn’t have called him heartless. I probably should have kept my mouth shut entirely, but once I started—”