I dress and head back downstairs to my office, still trying to figure out what I’m going to say to everyone. Before I can get there, Nora stops me.
“Oh good, you’re back!” Nora rushes up and hands me a folder full of brochures. “I know you want to move quickly on this, so I’ve gotten things started for you. I assume you don’t really care about flowers, and you’re not allowed to see the dress, so I set up appointments to get those picked out, and I’ll take Cherry with me, of course. I was thinking we’d go for the first week of May. Does that sound good to you? I’m not sure we’ll have time to make all the arrangements otherwise. May gives us time, and the spring flowers should be coming up. If you’re thinking of an outside ceremony, we’ll have to make preparations for rain.”
“Nora, stop.”
“Oh, don’t get all excited!” Nora places her hand on my chest. “You’ll get to make some decisions, of course. I figured you’d like to do the music and help pick out the cake.”
“Nora, please—”
“Oh! Photographers! I think that place near the lodge would work out. They did a nice job with my pictures though I did end up burning them all. We’ll need—”
“Shut up, Nora!” I scream. “The wedding is off! Just fucking stop already!”
“Off?” Nora takes a step back, and I watch her face fall. “What happened, Nate? What did you do?”
“What did I do? Geez, thanks a lot. Great support there, sis.”
“Well, what happened then? Where is Cherry?”
“I dropped her off at her apartment. She’s only staying long enough to make sure the Ramsays won’t bother her anymore.”
“Did they come back again?”
“Someone shot at us,” I say in monotone. “I can’t imagine who else it would be.”
“Is she all right?” Nora looks me up and down. “Are you all right?”
“Am I all right?” I turn on her, yelling. “No, I’m not fucking all right! I might never be all right again, assuming I ever was in the first place!”
“Nataniele! What’s gotten into you?”
“The wedding is off!”
“What?” Nora glares at me. “What did you do?”
“Again with the accusations?” I grit my teeth and clench my fists.
“Well, you do have a track record, dear brother.”
Brother.
I don’t look back at Nora. I can’t. If I do, the pressure in the back of my eyes is going to erupt in tears, and I can’t do that now.
“I can’t go over it twice,” I finally say as I start to walk away from her. “Just…come in the office. I’ll explain when everyone gets here.
My family assembles on the couch and chairs around my desk. The customary chatter prior to a family meeting is absent as they all settle into their seats and look at me.
“There isn’t going to be a wedding,” I say. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before I tell them about the PO box, the clues hidden in furniture, the shooting at the cheese shop, and ultimately, our discovery of Cherry’s true birth parents.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Threes mutters.
Anthony shakes his head, apparently unable to come up with a single remark. Andrea is silent, unable to make eye contact with me at all, and Kate wrings her hands and glances at the other family members nervously. Twos looks at Nora, and they nod at each other right before they both stand and start toward the office door.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To see Cherry, of course,” Nora says. “She’s sitting in that apartment all alone trying to deal with this. I’m not going to abandon her.”
“I didn’t say you should, but she said she needed some time.”
“Time away from you, I’m sure.” Nora shakes her head. “I can’t even imagine what the two of you are feeling right now, but you have Antony and Threes. I’m taking Twos and going to see Cherry.”
Without another word, they leave the room. I can hear them talking to each other up until the time the front door closes. Andrea mumbles something about preparing dinner, and Kate quietly follows her out of the room, looking shaken. Antony and Threes look at each other and then back to me. As soon as Antony makes eye contact with me, he drops his gaze to the floor.
“Shit, man.” He shakes his head.
“Yeah.” Threes lets out a long, audible breath. “Whiskey all around?”
“Make them doubles,” Antony says with a hollow laugh.
I don’t even want a drink and barely touch mine after Threes pours them.
“Dude,” Threes says, “I don’t even know where to start.”
“So, Cherry is really your sister?” Antony says, as if I actually need to clarify that bit.
“Do I have to say it again?” I glare at him.
“So, she’s my cousin, too.” Antony leans back and takes a big gulp from his glass. “I guess that’s about as fucked up as it could be. Is she going to move in?”
“I don’t think she wants anything to do with us.” The thought tears at my heart.
I understand why she plans on staying in Accident and forgetting I ever lived. Maybe it’s in everyone’s best interest, but I’ve gone from thinking we were finally okay—finally going to spend our lives together—to the biggest “Holy shit!” moment of my life. Should I be happy to know I have another sibling? Under any other circumstances, maybe, but not now. At some point, she could demand a portion of the business, and I wouldn’t even think of denying it
