I took it upon myself to step forward and return her half smile, trying to soften the message. “We’d like a few moments of your time, before you go.”
“Uh,” Claire’s attention affixed to a spot over my shoulder, and then returned to Duane. “Sure. That’s fine.” She looked and sounded like she was forcing cheerfulness.
I glanced behind me, searching for the source of her distraction, and saw Billy several feet away talking to Daisy Payton’s oldest daughter, Daniella.
Huh. I forgot they knew each other.
“Can we talk privately?” Duane’s voice was still gruffer than it needed to be. “I think we can use the house, as no one should be inside. Or we could use the carriage house?”
“Carriage house sounds fine.” She seemed to shake herself, rebooting her smile so it was more genuine. “Is this about Jessica?”
“No.” Duane reached for her hand and I think that startled her a little, but she let him bring it to his arm just the same. “This is about us. All of us.”
“Oh?” Now we had her full attention.
Following Duane’s lead, I took her other hand and brought it to my arm, the three of us strolling out of the tent. “Claire, we have some good news and some bad news.”
“Good Lord, tell me the bad news first.”
“I like the bad news first, too.” Duane gave her a smile, or his version of one. “We have that in common.”
Claire wrinkled her nose at Duane. “Why’re you acting so funny? You fellas want to borrow money? I didn’t bring my purse, but I have a few dollars in my pocket.”
We made it a few feet from the tent, far enough away to be free of the crowd, but not so far that the music had completely faded. “The Way You Look Tonight,” had just started up and I made a note of it. I also made a note of the color of the sky, and the dot on Claire’s cheek that was too dark to be a freckle.
This is my sister.
I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “We don’t want to borrow any money.”
She glanced at me, giving me the side-eye. “You can’t have my car.”
I opened my mouth to tell her we didn’t want her car, but then wondered aloud, “I thought you had a truck?”
“I did, but I sold it. I needed better gas mileage.”
Duane and I shared a look.
“What do you drive now?”
I needed to talk to Duane about his questioning technique. The man seriously could not ask a question without making it sound like an interrogation.
“A Hyundai.”
“What’s the year?” Another demand.
“Calm your shit, Duane.” I sent my brother a look.
She glanced between us like she was equal parts amused and confused. “It’s a 1999.”
“Oh no,” we both said in unison.
But I cut off my brother before he could launch into a tirade about early model Hyundais. “We’ll take care of that. What you need is a Toyota.”
“A Toyota?” Duane sneered. “No. She’ll take the Mustang.”
He meant Jessica’s car, the one he’d rebuilt from scratch and loved almost as much as his Road Runner.
“What are y’all talking about?” She pulled us to a stop, splitting her glare between us. “I do not need a new car, and I certainly do not need a Winston telling me what to do. So why don’t y’all come out with whatever it is you need to say? I have a long drive back home and my feet hurt in these shoes.”
Duane and I shared a third look over her head and our silent conversation went something like this: Duane: You want to tell her, or should I?
Me: I should do it.
Duane: You’re probably right, you’re much better with this kind of stuff.
Me: Thanks, Duane.
Duane: No problem, Beau.
Turning my attention back to Claire, I gave her a warm smile.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re scaring me, Beau.”
“Don’t be scared.” My grin widened, and I chuckled at her expression.
“It’s not scary,” Duane confirmed. “It’s good.”
“Okay.” Her lips twisted to the side. “What is it?”
“Claire, here is the bad news first. We’ve lost out on years. Ain’t nothing we can do about that.”
“Uh . . . okay?”
“Now here is the good news.” I gathered a deep breath, allowing my gaze to move over her face so I could remember this moment. “Your momma—Christine—had an affair with Darrell.”
“That’s the good news?” She was sorta looking at me sideways now, like she didn’t know what to make of me.
I gentled my tone, keeping hold of her eyes. “It’s good news because it means you’re our sister.”
She flinched, and all the color drained from her face. “What?”
“You are our sister.”
Instead of happy, she looked incredibly distressed. “Is this a joke?”
Duane and I shared a glance of alarm over her head, then Duane placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Darrell is my father?” The question sounded strangled, high-pitched with intense grief and a shade of terror.
“No. No, no, no,” I rushed to explain. “Darrell is our father. Christine is our biological mother. Your daddy is—uh—Razor.”
Her wide stare moved between us, her mouth gaping, until finally she closed her eyes and said on an exhale, “Oh thank God.”
She looked close to fainting, so I put my arm around her waist and brought her forward for a hug. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay. This is good news, right?”
Claire nodded, her fingers gripping my sleeves at my biceps. “Just—just give me a minute. I’m sorry, I thought you were saying Darrell was my—that I’m related to all y’all and I—” She shook her head, like she wasn’t able to finish the thought.
“Nope. Just us two.” Duane shoved his hands in his pants pockets, sending me a grim glare. “And we hope that you’ll see this as good news in time.”
She leaned away from me, again her gaze bouncing between us. But instead of worry and grief, this time her eyes were filled with dawning comprehension and wonder.
“Oh, oh yes!” Her grin was huge and she laughed, releasing me and pulling Duane into a hug. “I can’t believe this. I just—it’s a lot to absorb.”
The strain in Duane’s features melted away as they hugged, and when she pulled back he gave her a rare smile. “We wanted to tell you, before Jess and I left.”
She nodded, her expression still hazy, like she was trying to keep up. “Thank you, yes. Thank you. I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“We were, too.” I reached for her hand again, bringing it back to my arm, leading her once again to the carriage house. “Can you stay for a bit? Do you have time to talk?”
“Of course. Of course I do.” She was staring forward, allowing herself to be guided, a small frown on her features. “I can’t believe this. Are you sure?”
“We haven’t had the DNA test done yet, but we do have the adoption paperwork listing your momma as our biological parent. I know it’s a lot to think over. I just found out yesterday.” Duane resumed his position, bringing her other hand to his arm, so the three of us were linked again.
“This is nuts. I can’t—I mean—how did you find out? And—gosh—who else knows?”