“Not at all,” Brooke said, watching her younger sister remove her coat, revealing the black, fitted turtleneck sweater she wore beneath. “You look nice.”
“Really?” Natalie glanced down at her outfit. “Thanks. Pretty much everything I own is black, so I don’t have to worry whether or not things match.” She smiled again, then reached into the large bag she’d carried in, setting a small lavender box on the table between them. “I brought you a little something.”
Brooke instantly recognized that the shade of purple matched the blanket Natalie had returned to her, loving that her sister had chosen it. She carefully opened up the box. Inside were nine pastel-hued, perfectly round macarons. She looked at Natalie. “Wow. You made them?”
Natalie nodded.
Brooke reached in and took one out, holding the delicate cookie between her thumb and index finger as she took a bite. “Oh my god,” she said. The sweet meringue melted inside her mouth, filling it with the intense flavor combination of raspberry and lime. “It’s amazing.”
“Thanks,” Natalie said again, looking pleased. She glanced toward the counter. “I should probably go buy something. I’m sure the owners wouldn’t appreciate me bringing in my own dessert.” She stood up and grabbed her purse. “Be right back.”
Brooke waited for Natalie to return, sipping at the peppermint tea she had ordered, making sure she didn’t make eye contact with the older gentleman with glasses, whose gaze she could still feel upon her. You’re the last thing I need, buddy, she thought. Now that she was pregnant, she wouldn’t be dating anyone for quite some time. So far, Ryan had respected her request to leave her alone, but it had been less than a week, and there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t try to contact her again. She told herself that no matter how scared or needy she might feel as her pregnancy progressed, she would not be the one contacting him.
Natalie came back to their table, holding a large white mug and a plate with a croissant on it, just like the still-untouched one Brooke had in front of her. “So,” Natalie said. “How’re you doing?” She lowered herself into her seat and took a sip of what Brooke assumed was a latte from the white foam that stuck to Natalie’s upper lip before she licked it clean.
“With us, you mean?” Brooke said.
“Yeah. It’s a lot to take in, right? I’m trying to get used to hearing the word ‘sister’ rolling around inside my head. It’s a little strange.” She paused. “Wonderful, but strange.”
“That’s a good way to put it,” Brooke said, allowing herself to relax a little bit. It was comforting to hear that she wasn’t the only one having a hard time adjusting to the idea of having a sister in her life. “I’m happy you found me, but I guess I’d gotten used to the thought of never seeing you again. I’m still processing that it’s really you.”
“Do you have many memories of us when we were together?”
“A few,” Brooke said. “I remember holding you a lot, helping to change your diapers and give you a bottle. I remember you always giggled when I stuck out my tongue.” Natalie smiled and broke off an end piece of her croissant, then popped the pastry into her mouth. While her sister chewed, Brooke spoke again. “Did you always know you were adopted?”
“Not until I was ten,” Natalie said, after she had swallowed. “And I always felt different from the other kids after I knew.” She tilted her head, then spoke again. “Before then, too, if I’m being honest. I was a shy kid. I didn’t really have any friends.”
“I have a hard time believing that,” Brooke said. Her sister seemed so warm and friendly. Over the weekend, Brooke had imagined Natalie with a large social circle, she and her husband going out with their couple friends for a date night each week, hosting holiday parties and summer barbecues in their backyard. The thought of trying to fit into a circle like that was intimidating.
“It’s taken me a long time to get over it,” Natalie said. “Law school taught me to fake confidence pretty well. But I’m still not especially close with anyone outside my immediate family.”
Brooke smiled. Maybe she and Natalie were more alike than either of them knew.
“What about you?” Natalie asked.
Brooke was unsure how to convey the truth to her sister without it making Natalie feel sorry for her; the last thing she wanted was to feel pitied. “Well,” she said, carefully choosing her words. “I didn’t have a lot of friends, either. It was too hard, with all of us going into foster homes, and then back to Hillcrest when things didn’t work out. There were always new kids, different kids, and it was rare to have the same people around me for very long.”
“I can only imagine,” Natalie said. She sipped her coffee, then set the mug back on the table. “What were your foster homes like?”
“Which ones?” Brooke asked, trying to keep the snap from her tone. But from the look on her sister’s face, she’d failed.