Aftershocks

“My God, Patrick, what happened?” she asked in an entirely different tone. “You look like you did the day Janie died.”

Patrick rose from his desk and stalked to the window. “Nothing so tragic.” He stared out at the street below, wondering how much to tell his sister. Then he decided, the hell with it. The world would know soon enough. She might as well be among the first.

He turned back to her. “Briana isn’t the woman I thought she was.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“It means I fired her.” He told Sha

“Archie’s a smart guy, and you’re not firing on all cylinders today. Listen to him, bro.” She stood there, so serious in her navy uniform, a frown gathering on her face. “I can’t believe this,” she said finally. “I absolutely ca

“I’ve had all night to get used to the fact that she’s a good actress. I think I’ll take a rain check on lunch, if you don’t mind.”

She nodded. “I’ve lost my appetite, too.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“SO, YOU BREAK my brother’s heart, now you’re ru

“Have you come to beat me up?” Briana asked. She was so deep in misery she didn’t care. A little physical pain might help relieve the i

Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, her cheeks chapped. She’d never been a pretty crier. Even her hair seemed depressed. It hung lank around her face since she hadn’t bothered to do anything with it once she’d got out of the shower. What was the point?

“Don’t tempt me. I’d like to smack you from here to tomorrow. I just left my brother looking almost as bad as he did the day they buried his wife.” Sha

Briana had believed she was all cried out, but discovered there was a fresh supply of tears just waiting to flood her cheeks.

“I couldn’t,” she sobbed. “I believed he’d leaked that story about my uncle Cecil and the prostitute that ran in the paper, the one that cost Uncle Cecil the election and allowed Patrick to win.” She stopped to blow her nose on a tissue she’d stuffed in her pocket. It was already tear-damp. “But he didn’t. He-he wasn’t even the one who l-leaked the story to the paper.”

“Of course he wasn’t. What were you thinking?” Sha

“Okay, so I know that now. I didn’t at the time.”

“I heard Patrick’s version of the story. Now I’d like to hear yours.”

“Patrick wouldn’t listen.” She wiped her wet face with the back of her hand. “I was going to tell him last night. I pla

Briana grabbed a fresh tissue. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Yeah.”

So the two of them sat in the kitchen and drank coffee. Because she was such an emotional wreck, Briana wasn’t the most efficient packer today. There were plates piled on the counter, but she hadn’t boxed them yet. Cutlery was in a silver heap by the sink. Some things she couldn’t decide whether to keep or chuck were sitting on the counter beside the fridge. And blazing down at her from its prized spot on the refrigerator door was the picture Dylan had drawn for her. She cried anew every time she glimpsed it, but she wouldn’t take it down. She deserved the punishment.

“Sorry about the mess. I need to get more boxes.” Except she couldn’t make herself go out to get them. She thought people might hiss at her and throw rotten eggs and tomatoes.

Taking a sip of coffee, she told Sha

“What did you do with the tape?” Sha

“It’s in a million pieces in the garbage can.”

“A million pieces?”

Briana nodded. “First I mashed it with a hammer, then I cut the tape up with scissors.” She sniffed. “Then I burned it.”

“I see.”

“I thought it might make me feel better. But it didn’t. At least no one will ever be able to play that tape.”

“Patrick’s sitting in his office expecting a media scrum any minute. He thinks you’re still out to destroy him.”

“No!” She leaped to her feet, knocking the table so the coffee sloshed in their cups and slopped over the sides. “How can he believe that? I told him I would never use that tape. Why didn’t he believe me?”

“I leave that to you to decide,” Sha

“But, we have to stop him. He’ll hurt his career if he does that.”

“He thinks you’re trying to kill his career, you and your uncle.”

She shook her head. “Please, will you tell him no one will ever know about us?” She sniffed dismally at the thought. “And tell him I destroyed that stupid tape. I would never have used it against him anyway. I couldn’t.”

“I don’t think Patrick would believe anything you told him. Not sure I do, either.”

Briana dug into the pocket of her old jeans and pulled out a piece of metal. She handed it to Sha

“What is this? It looks like shrapnel.”

“It’s part of the tape recorder. I found it in the driveway this morning.”

Sha

“I made a terrible mistake. I’m sorry.”

“Well, sister,” Sha

Sha

“I’m leaving the city. I’ll start over somewhere new.” She almost choked on the words, realizing, now that it was too late, how much she’d come to love Courage Bay and feel at home.

“Like I figured. You’re ru

“Do you think you could leave me a little pride?” Briana was crying openly again, the tears ru

“Nope.” Sha

“Did you come to gloat?”

“No. I came to make sure you do the right thing.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” Briana sniffed. “I’m leaving. Patrick can forget about me and move on with his life.”

“And what about his kids? What about Dylan and Fiona?” Sha

Even hearing their names had Briana’s misery increasing. Oh, she was going to miss them. How could she not have noticed that she’d fallen in love with them, too?