The Sister’s Secrets: Reen. Katlyn Duncan

messages. There was another one from Jeremy, and she wished he’d leave her alone. How had he survived before she started working there?

      Even though Rose had already told her the address, there was a text, reminding her of it. Reen closed the app, before placing her phone facedown on the bar.

      Reen didn’t want to remind herself about Mom. When she was out of this place, she always thought of Mom as the younger version that she’d left behind, frozen in time as the woman who shut down and abandoned her daughters when they needed her most. The familiar swirling ache in her gut returned. The men cheered about someone making a goal, and the sound snapped her back to the present.

      A blond guy strode behind the bar, and it took Reen a second to recognize him. When she did, the sounds in the room sharpened. Her breathing was loud in her ears.

      Brody’s hair was much shorter than she remembered. He’d buzzed it close to his head, making his blue eyes pop even more. In the years since she’d seen him last, he’d lost the childlike roundness of his face, and the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones were more pronounced. When his eyes met hers, she froze. Her heart raced, and she didn’t realize until the sharp pain bit at her palm that her fists were clenched so tight her nails dug into the skin. She tried as hard as she could to keep a passive expression. Freaking out at seeing her high school boyfriend, the guy she’d abandoned, wasn’t going to make it any easier.

      ‘What can I get—?’ Brody’s words cut off. His head cocked to the side, and his eyes danced over her face. ‘Reen?’

      She forced a shaky smile. ‘Hey, Brody.’ A surge of warmth coursed through her. ‘It’s good to see you.’

      ‘Wow, um. You look different,’ Brody said. ‘Good, different.’

      ‘Thanks. I think?’

      He shook his head and laughed, a sound from her past. She smiled.

      ‘I didn’t expect…’ He shook his head. ‘What can I get you?’ He opened his hands in front of him.

      She glanced at the beer taps. The draft options were unfamiliar to her. ‘What do you suggest?’

      He gave her several choices, and she picked the lager from one of the newer breweries in the area. It was just like The Burrow to support other local businesses. Her hometown was so tightly knit and stuck in its ways. She wasn’t sure it would ever change. It stifled her, even years later.

      Brody slid a glass in front of her and pressed his hands against the bar. For a moment, she thought he was going to reach over and hug her, but he kept his distance. He was much closer than before, close enough that Reen noted the several-day-old stubble on his cheeks. When she’d known him, his skin had been smooth.

      ‘You in town to visit Rose?’

      ‘Mom,’ she said. ‘Rose said she wasn’t doing so good.’

      He sighed. ‘Sorry to hear that.’ He rubbed the back of his neck.

      She bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smile. His nervous tic gave him away.

      ‘She seemed okay when I visited today,’ Reen said, sipping from her glass. She predicted an awkward silence between them and filled it quickly. ‘You meet Rose’s new boyfriend?’

      ‘Shane? Of course. Patrick is retiring soon. You remember him?’

      Reen snorted. Patrick McCreary, chief of police, was one person in town she’d never forget. He’d been a staple of her childhood, but not in a good way. If there was one person she didn’t want to run into, it was him.

      ‘Oh yeah,’ she said. ‘Chief McCreary doesn’t come here, does he?’

      ‘Not usually. But some of the others might come by after leaving their posts.’

      As long as he stays away. She took another sip.

      ‘Speaking of leaving,’ Brody said, and Reen choked on her beer.

      He stood up straight, crossing his arms. ‘I mean, it was going to come up sometime. Did you expect me to forget?’

      Reen held up a finger, wiping her hand across her lips. ‘First of all, I had no idea you worked here. I avoided The Siren for that reason.’

      ‘Good to know,’ he said. His tone held a hint of an edge. ‘And secondly?’

      She hadn’t planned to go that far, but since he asked. ‘I’m not here for a reunion. I came to see Mom, and then I’m out of here.’

      Brody shook his head. ‘You were going to come back and not say anything to me?’ He scoffed. ‘I’m not sure why I expected you to change at all, Reen.’

      She tried to take a minute to collect her thoughts by taking another sip of her beer, but her throat closed. She should have left the second she saw Brody. But, over the years, she’d thought about him more than she would ever admit.

      ‘Listen—’ The door opened, and a shriek of giggles came from the entrance to the bar.

      Every single person in the room turned to the four girls, dressed for the club, not a local dive. Their dresses were too short, and their makeup overdone for an afternoon in The Burrow.

      ‘This is fer locals,’ one of the older men at the end of the bar slurred. His nose was red, and sweat poured out of his face, enough that it started to soak into the collar of his shirt.

      Two of the others locked on the girls and Reen couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

      ‘Want me to cut you off, Jimmy?’ Brody asked with a smirk. He tossed a peanut from the bowl in front of Reen toward the guy.

      Jimmy shook his head quick enough that a few droplets of sweat dripped onto the counter. The others around him didn’t seem to notice.

      Reen wanted to turn away. She knew she should have. But one brunette wavy-haired girl broke off from her friends and strode over to Brody. Her friends grabbed a seat in the corner of the room, their eyes glued to their phones.

      Brody met the girl at the other side of the bar. She tucked herself against him and leaned her head back, smiling up at him.

      Gritting her teeth, Reen turned away from Brody and the girl, but her ears remained perked up; for some reason she wanted to hear their conversation. Somewhere, deep inside of her, she had to know for sure if Brody was serious about this girl.

      ‘We’ll have rosé,’ the girl said to him.

      ‘It’s on me,’ said one of the guys. Reen could almost hear his wink.

      She giggled, and Reen had the urge to gag. The beer rumbled around her stomach. More than anything, she wanted to flee. But she wasn’t about to show Brody how much he affected her. Sure, he was still upset she’d left. She didn’t blame him. But leaving again would only prove to him what he already thought. She fought against her instincts and settled into her chair. Letting go of a breath, she turned in her seat, lifted her empty glass and wiggled it in front of her. If anything, to separate the lovebirds at the end of the bar.

      Brody glanced at her and gave her a curt nod before kissing the girl on the cheek. He turned his eyes to Reen, locking into them. She didn’t budge. He wouldn’t know how much he affected her. Seeing him brought back memories, but they both had their own lives now.

      She wasn’t sure how long he’d last with some tourist girl, but it wasn’t her problem anymore.

CHAPTER FOUR

      A rough fabric raked against Reen’s cheeks as she pried her eyelids apart. They stuck together again. Shit. She hadn’t taken her mascara off the night before. She hoped they would pull apart on their own. The room was entirely too bright, and she squeezed her eyes closed, just as the night before crashed over her.

      Her futile attempt to roll over was a mistake. Her stomach tightened, and