Chapter 4 Indie's fingers were tight around the wheel as she drove to The Tea House. She should be thinking about Noah. Her brother was home, and she was about to see him for the first time in months. Instead, that damn IVF appointment still played on her mind. It had been days, and she was still thinking about it. A month ago, she'd been so sure she wanted to give it one last try. Okay, sure was an overstatement, but she'd been interested in the information. Then Colt strolled back into her life and the idea of having a baby who wasn't genetically Colt's just felt wrong. The second she'd gotten home, she'd plonked the folder of sperm donors onto her kitchen table, which was exactly where it had sat ever since. She hadn't touched it once. Why did having a baby have to be so hard? For her at least. Why couldn't she have been one of those women who just decided they wanted a baby and a month later, she was pregnant? Because everyone has their hard, and this is yours, a voice whispered in her head. She needed to shove all the IVF and Colt stuff to the back of her mind for now and focus on Noah. While she'd never been close to her sister, she and Noah were best friends. Maybe because they were the closest in age, with him only a year older. Or maybe because Bonnie was three years her junior, yet had always found a way to act even younger. Of course, Bonnie wasn't in Amber Ridge any longer. Not after what happened to her boyfriend, then their parents a few weeks later. Indie's heart clattered against her ribs. Thirteen years since the car accident that had killed her parents. And thirteen years since Bonnie had up and left town, not caring about everyone she left behind. She'd tried to keep in contact for a while, but Bonnie never responded, so she'd stopped. And even though they hadn't been close, it hurt. It all hurt. She pulled into The Tea House parking lot, took a deep breath, then climbed from her car. That's when she saw him. Noah. He was across the lot, getting out of his truck. He looked exactly the same as always. Tall, with sandy-blond hair and bright blue eyes. A smile she couldn't stop stretched her mouth, and she ran toward him, sprinting across the lot before leaping at him. He caught her easily, his strong arms wrapping around her, and she breathed her brother in. "Hey." His deep, familiar voice hit her in the chest. She buried her face into his shoulder. "I've missed you!" "Can't be as much as I've missed you, sis." His arms tightened around her. When they finally separated, she wiped tears from her eyes. "You're home." "I'm home." "For good?" "I hope so. I've got nowhere else to be." She linked her arm through his as they walked toward The Tea House. "So why are we at a tea house instead of Rob's Diner?" Noah asked. "Because the diner coffee sucks, whereas Mrs. Gerald's will make you want to order ten on the spot." "Good coffee? In Amber Ridge?" "You've missed a bit, big brother." They stepped inside and found a booth, and she couldn't take her eyes off her brother. "I can't believe you got out." "I gave a lot of my life to the Marines. It was time." Mrs. Gerald stopped at the table. "Hi, Indie. Your usual chai spiced latte?" "Yes, please, with a side of rhubarb pie." She looked across at Noah. "Mrs. Gerald, this is my brother, Noah. He's just got out of the Marines." Noah smiled up at her. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am." "Oh gosh, no ma'am. It makes me feel old. It's nice to meet you too, son. And thank you for your service." Noah dipped his head. "What can I get you?" she asked. "Just a strong black, please." "You got it." "If you think you're sharing my pie, you have another thing coming," Indie said the second Mrs. Gerald left their table. "I know better than to try to take dessert from you." "Good." She grinned at him, but that grin waned when a familiar expression crossed his face. The one that said he was about to ask a personal question. "What?" "How are you doing?" She wanted to lie. To tell her brother she was fine. It was easy over the phone. He couldn't see her face, and she could hang up before he asked too many questions. Right now, he'd see right through her. "I'm better than I was a year ago. The break from IVF has done me good." Noah frowned. "What about the break from Colt?" Again, she could lie, but with Noah there was no point. "It's been hard. But being with him was hard too. Before we separated, I was just in such a bad place and that bled into our marriage." "I'm glad you're doing better." "Me too." She'd kept her brother updated on everything over the last year. Apart from Clara and Aunt Pam, he was her closest person. He cocked his head. "You saw him the other day." It wasn't a question. But it kind of was. "I did. It hit me pretty hard. But I'm glad I had a month to get used to the idea of him being in town first." "What are you going to do?" "Is burying my head in the sand an option?" He didn't even crack a smile. "You've never shied away from tough situations, Indie." "I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm scared." The last two words dropped into the air like a small explosion. She hadn't really allowed herself to feel that fear until Colt stood in her kitchen. It was why she hadn't searched him out. "Scared of what?" "To return to where I was a year ago." Her heart beat faster, the memory of that darkness making nausea coil in her belly. Noah leaned forward. "Indie, things are different now. Colt's not returning to his special operations team. He's here. And so am I. Plus, you're taking a break from IVF. I don't think you'll find yourself in that dark place again, but if you did, you have people to help you." "I had people last time. I had Aunt Pam and Clara. And I still didn't realize how bad things had gotten until that night." She didn't need to say which one-they both knew. The one when she'd been told her last embryo didn't take. The one when she'd ended things with Colt and her entire world felt like it was imploding. She shook her head. "Let's talk about something else. Tell me about the adventure park." "Indie-" "I'm okay. Really. Now please, I want to know about your new work venture." He sighed. "I'm actually meeting Colt there this afternoon." Her belly gave a little kick. "You are?" "Yes. Randy, our contractor, is meeting us. We're going to do some of the work ourselves, but we want to get it done quickly and outsourcing is faster." "That sounds good." Crap. Her voice was too high-pitched, and if the slight frown on Noah's face was anything to go by, he heard it. "If you're not okay with this-" "I am." Maybe if she repeated that enough times, she'd convince herself it was true. But what right did she have to tell her brother not to open a business with her husband? None. If they wanted to do it, it was their choice. "This was Colt's idea," he said quietly. "I didn't have any other plans in terms of work, so I said yes. But say the word and I-" "You're doing it. It's done. Plus, ziplining, bouldering, and mountain bike riding are all your favorite things. It's perfect for you. Just because Colt and I are separated doesn't mean the two of you need to separate. Besides, it's a small town. I need to get used to Colt being around." Even if it did feel ridiculously hard. Mrs. Gerald stopped at their booth and set down their coffees and a slice of pie. Holy Hannah, the pie looked good. But first, coffee. She sipped the hot liquid, not even caring that it burned her tongue, because it was that good. Noah sipped his drink. "Shit. That's really good." "Told you." He eyed her pie. "Fine. One taste." She pushed her plate across the table. He spooned some into his mouth before groaning. "Shit, when did this place open and where was it while we were kids?" "Apparently, it's been open for years, but Mrs. Gerald made really bad coffee and sold mostly loose-leaf tea. Aspen helped her make it great." "Aspen, as in Jesse's woman?" "Yeah. Have you seen Jesse, Becket, or Clara yet?" "No, but Aunt Pam has insisted I attend Sunday night dinner." She chuckled. "Yeah, that's still mandatory." "We're lucky to have her. After Mom and Dad died and Bonnie left, at least you still had them." "We both had them." "Yeah, but I was away in the military. You were here." "They're our family." "They are." His brows flickered. "You haven't spoken to Bonnie?" That familiar ache coursed through her belly. The same one she got whenever she thought about Bonnie. "I message her every so often. I don't get a response." He shook his head. "I wish she'd just come home and stop blaming herself for everything." Indie swallowed. She agreed. But she also felt angry. Angry that Bonnie had run when they'd needed each other most. It only made everything hurt worse. But she shouldn't have expected anything else from her younger sister. Bonnie had always thought about Bonnie first. "I don't know if she'll ever come back while the White family is here," Indie said quietly, referring to Bonnie's deceased boyfriend's family. "I'm going to the bathroom." She slid out of the booth and crossed the café to step into the restroom. On her way back, she spotted Ivory Hanks, who was one of her regular photography clients. "Ivory." The middle-aged woman straightened and turned, eyes widening slightly. "Indie. Hi." "Hey. I haven't seen you in a while. How's Penelope?" Ivory had the most adorable Shih Tzu named Penelope, who was in all her annual photos. "Penelope's good." The woman nodded, maybe too vigorously. "She's at doggy daycare right now." "I've heard great things about Sky's place. We're getting close to your annual photos if you want to book them in soon." Another widening of Ivory's eyes. "Um...I'm not sure we'll get any photos this year." "Oh...is everything all right?" Ivory had been her longest-running client. In fact, a lot of her business in the early days had been through Ivory's recommendations. Another vigorous nod. "Yes. It's fine. Everything's fine. I just don't know if we'll have time. We're going away." "We can always plan the shoot around your trip." "Maybe. I'll call you. I've got to go. It was nice seeing you." "You too." Indie was still frowning as she slid back into the booth. "What's wrong?" Noah asked. "Ivory's a client and she was acting...strange. She said she won't be booking her annual shoot. She's not the first regular to say that." "Why?" "I don't know." "Is everything okay with the business?" "It's been...slow. But I'm sure it'll bounce back." At least, she prayed it would. Her photography business was her entire income. "It will bounce back. Now tell me about your last few months as a Marine." Over the next hour, she listened to her brother's military stories and filled her belly with pie and chai spiced latte. She smiled and laughed more in that hour than she had in a long time. When it was time to go, she stood, only to step straight into a wide chest. She gasped and stumbled back. "I'm sorry, I..." She stopped at the sight of the older man's face. He had to be in his sixties. Maybe older. But it was his eyes that she couldn't look away from. Dark eyes, almost black. They were so familiar. Had she met him before? The man had a scar on the right side of his jaw, and he was tall. Really tall. Annoyance flared through those dark eyes. "You make a habit of walking into people?" Her brows rose. "No." "Is there a problem here?" Noah asked, voice hard as he came to stand beside her. "No problem," the man said, not taking his eyes off her. "Next time, watch where you're going." Then he left The Tea House. If someone could give off a bad vibe in one conversation, then that man did exactly that. "Do you know him?" Noah asked, still watching the man through the window. "No. But he looked kind of familiar." "I thought that too." Noah slipped an arm around her back and led her outside. "Is this your car?" he asked, a look of what could only be described as concern on his face as he stared at it. "It is." "What happened to the Subaru?" "I sold it." "And bought this? Why?" Shit. You'd think she'd have rehearsed an answer by now. "I just did." His eyes narrowed. "Do you need money, Indie?" Double shit. "No." Well, yes, but no way in hell was she taking any from her big brother. She was an adult. She'd figure this out herself. Before he could respond, she wrapped her arms around him in a big bear hug. "It's so good to have you back." "Indie-" "Just say it back, Noah." There was an exaggerated sigh before he wrapped his arms around her. "It's good to be back." She pulled away. "Good luck meeting with your contractor." "Thanks. We've had a few phone calls, so I'm not concerned. You can come check it out if you want." With Colt there? That was a big fat no. Not right now, at least. She needed to warm up to the idea of seeing him first. "I've got some photos to edit." "Okay. I'll call you." She smiled, and Noah squeezed her arm before she slid into the car. And even though her life kind of felt like a mess with Colt being back, the IVF stuff, and her money issues, it was still nice to have her big brother home in Amber Ridge. At least one thing was good.