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  “Since you dropped out of college and decided not to get your law degree?” Olivia threw a white cast-iron frying pan into the dishwasher. The loud noise clamored against the kitchen walls.

  “Why is it always so difficult for us to have a decent conversation?” His fist pounded the table as he rested his head against its cool surface.

  Neither Olivia nor Zach noticed Anastasia rising from the bench. She stood in her pink and white Paw Patrol pajamas next to her father and tugged on his arm. “Daddy, don't yell at Grandma. She made me pancakes.”

  Zach and Olivia looked at one another and back at Anastasia. Zach stood, picked up his daughter, and swung her in his arms. “I'm sorry, baby. Grandma and I are only talking. Everything's okay. We're not yelling. Why don't you take Dora into the den and sit on the couch? I'll be inside in a minute.”

  Anastasia hugged him and walked over to Olivia. “Grandma, don't be mad at Daddy. He misses Grandpa, too.” She pushed open the swinging door and left the kitchen.

  Fighting with his mother, Anastasia's precocious insights, and the news Sarah had conceived as a result of their impromptu connection, finally defeated Zach. He couldn't hold back the frustration, his eyes widely spread ready to leap from their sockets, and the pressure cranking up his throat, ready to spew venom at anyone challenging him. Go ahead Mom, just start in on me again…

  Olivia unfolded her arms and grabbed ahold of her son. “Zachary, she's such a smart little girl. Maybe I'm being too hard on you.”

  Zach embraced his mother, worrying he'd break her ribs from his grip, and instantly recalled the days when they were much closer. Sometimes she knew when he had enough. With his face buried against her shoulders, and his body relaxing, he mumbled, “Mom, I've screwed up really big this time. Sarah's pregnant, and it's my kid.”

  * * *

  Zach took a nap after telling his mother what had happened with Sarah. While asleep, he dreamed of a conversation he had with his father the day Anastasia was born…

  “Congratulations, son. You've joined the ranks of fatherhood. We're a small group in this family so far… just Matt, you, and me. And he only beat you by a few weeks,” Ben said.

  “Thanks, pops. I'm a bit freaked out. I don't know how to raise a baby, especially when Katerina's already talking about getting her first crystal fix,” Zach said.

  “Are you sure she stayed sober the whole time she was pregnant?”

  “Yeah, we had a deal. She promised to stay clean as long as I agreed to pay for everything. I was a hawk watching its prey to ensure she didn't drink a drop. It took every cent I had.”

  “You know I'll give you money if you need it, but we've talked about that before. You want to earn your own money and won't accept a penny from me. I understand. Just know it exists whenever you want it.”

  “Thanks for understanding and respecting my wishes. I guess that's what being a dad means, huh?”

  “Being a father is a difficult thing, Zach. It takes time to figure out what kind of dad you want to be. I wasn't a respectable father to Teddy those first few years. I learned as each day went by, and eventually, it finally dawned on me. I just had to love you boys and be a good role model. The rest will soon fall into place.”

  “But I've got a daughter. I can't teach her how to be man. What do I know about raising girls?”

  “Maybe your mother can help. You need to focus on fixing that relationship, and the one with your daughter will come naturally. I believe in you, son.”

  “Pops… I know you want Mom and me to sort shit out, but she's on my case too much, especially since I need to focus on Anastasia.”

  Zach's body jumped out of his restless slumber when his daughter yelled his name from the other room. He slipped out of bed, sweat pouring off his face and neck and checked on her. Hunger drove her discomfort and she wanted a snack. After getting her settled, he called Caleb.

  “What's up, Zach? I'm getting off a plane to meet with a client. Everything okay?” Caleb inquired.

  “I told Mom I slept with Sarah.”

  “I still don't understand why you did that to Teddy.”

  “Well… it's complicated. I'll tell you when you come back to visit.”

  “That may be a while. Mom was just here.”

  “How did it go?” Zach said.

  “She kind of walked in on me and someone. It didn't go so well.”

  “It's time you stopped hiding this secret. All's fair, I told you mine. What's his name?”

  Caleb choked. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me, Ass-Munch. Ha, I still laugh over that day. You didn't realize I knew you were gay?”

  “Ummm… No, I mean… How did you know?” Caleb rested against the airport counter as he exited the ramp. Now two people in his family knew he was gay.

  “Damn this family and our secrets. Do you want the long answer or the short answer?”

  “Short answer for now. I've got a client waiting for me.”

  “Tuesday evenings are gay night at The Atlantis Lair, the club where I DJ. I often need to politely decline the male guests when they flirt with me. After the first few times, it wasn't clear why they reminded me of you. It was fucking weird. Every single time, something just made me picture you. Eventually, it hit me. Caleb's also gay.”

  Caleb relaxed learning someone finally knew, but it was too much for him to handle all at once. “I need to go. Quickly… what was the long answer?”

  “You used to call out Ryan Phillippe's name in your sleep. As well as talk about his ass. A lot. Like every night when you were a teenager.”

  “No. You're messing with me.”

  “Nope. I didn't have the heart to burst your bubble, Cabbie. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready. That's when I moved into the attic bedroom. So, you could do your own thing without me knowing. I thought it was just a creepy phase. I mean, seriously, you were obsessed.”

  “Did anyone else know?”

  “Not a chance. You're pretty good at keeping quiet. I'm just pretty good at figuring it out. That's why I made up shit about Salma Hayek's boobs, so Teddy and Matt would leave you alone. And Caleb… it's totally cool. We're all on the Kinsey scale somewhere. Personally, I seem to have a thing for…”

  “Stop. That's enough.”

  “You don't want to hear my fetishes?”

  “No. But, Zach, I'm glad you're cool with it. Listen, I wanna come hear you DJ one night.”

  * * *

  Zach stayed with his mother for another three days planning a festive get-together for Anastasia at the local amusement park. Several friends from her pre-K class came with their parents to glide on the swings, play in the arcade, and fly in the rotating car and spider rides. Olivia grew more confident in how her son parented his daughter watching his every move at the park to monitor his learning and growth. She wished Ben were with her to see their son following in his father's footsteps, but her eyes grew unfocused and unable to weep anymore.

  Zach also brought his mother up to speed on his ex-girlfriend's release from the state rehab facility and her threats to sue for custody of Anastasia. He and Katerina had never arranged any legal agreement stating Zach gained full custody. She'd verbally relinquished control a few years ago, forced to let Zach raise their daughter after being remanded to the rehab facility as part of a court decision for selling crystal meth to teenagers. Since Katerina served her time, had been released on good behavior according to her counselors and sponsor, and received a clean bill of health, she wanted to slither back into her daughter's life. Katerina didn't seek full custody but had requested a shared agreement without a requirement for supervision on her visits with Anastasia.

  Later that evening, Olivia poured a cup of green tea for each of them as they sat in the study on the comfortable sofa near the fireplace. She suggested calling his brother, who could provide a recommendation for the right lawyer on Zachary's case.

  “Mom, I can't ask Teddy to fix my problems, knowing the whole time I slept with hi
s wife,” Zach pleaded. “Do you think that highly of me?”

  “Zachary, you may have explained why you and Sarah slept together, and I suppose I can even understand it on some level, but I don't know how we're going to get past it as a family. Couldn't you have donated your… you know… not actually sleep with her? You have to tell Theodore what you and Sarah have done. You can't let him raise a child he doesn't know belongs to you.”

  Olivia rustled her fingers together, determined not to let history repeat itself. She couldn't tell Zachary why it was so important until Mr. Rattenbury found Rowena Hector. Is this going to be a repeat of Ben's actions all those years ago? Maybe you and Theodore aren't even brothers.

  “I know, Mom. I made a bad decision. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I had been eating dinner with them when Teddy was called away to meet with a client. We'd been drinking, and Sarah told me what happened with their failed attempts at getting pregnant. Yadda yadda yadda… clock ticking… blah blah blah… we joked about having so many brothers in this family, was it even a difference if one of Teddy's brothers got her pregnant instead of her husband. I suggested she ask Caleb, since he lived so far away and didn't have any children. We were being funny. It's so messed up.”

  Olivia choked on her tea foraging for a proper response. “No, it wouldn't have happened with Caleb.”

  “It was a joke at first, but we kept drinking, and one thing led to another, and it just happened. We regretted it instantly and agreed never to speak about it again.”

  “And it was only the one time?” said Olivia.

  “Yes, once before the funeral. That's why I was a little awkward for a few days. I didn't know how to react to her. I mean, come on, Mom. Who sleeps with their brother's wife? Do you see why I can't ask Teddy?”

  “I do, but we can't let Katerina push you around. I'll talk to Theodore when I visit him after you return to Brooklyn. I'll ask him to find the right lawyer.” Olivia assured her son she knew how to solve his problem.

  “You can't tell Sarah what I've told you. This has to stay between us, Mom,” Zach begged. “We've had enough pain with Dad's death and my on-going battles with Katerina. Don't drag everyone else into this, too.”

  Olivia closed her eyes and concentrated on conjuring better memories. Three weeks ago, her life was a shade away from normal, at least until the villainous hand of fate intervened. She became a widow. Her sister requested a divorce. She had a gay son. Another slept with his brother's wife.

  If they really are brothers. How did I not recognize any of this happening around me, Ben?

  Chapter 12 – Teddy & Olivia

  Teddy and Sarah lived in Northeastern Connecticut in an historic town with less than five thousand residents, closer to the Rhode Island border. Sarah had wanted a home that evoked Southern charm, echoing the types of places she'd grown up around in the South. A few weeks after they'd become engaged, they soon purchased a large colonial home recently remodeled by the previous owners.

  Despite her son and his wife living less than twenty miles away from the family home, Olivia wanted to stay over at Theodore's during the week she spent time with him. It was useless to go back and forth when they needed to plan the upcoming family Fourth of July barbecue. Teddy tried to convince his mother they should cancel the festivities this year given Ben had just passed away. Olivia conceded to having the party at Theodore's home and inviting only the boys and their families rather than the whole extended family.

  Olivia arrived on Sunday morning and remained parked outside her son's home preparing herself for an awkward visit by practicing her yoga breathing. Although Zachary had continued to plead with her to keep his secret, Olivia needed to compel Sarah to confess to Theodore what she'd done. Given she arrived a few minutes early, Olivia pulled a compact from her handbag and powdered her flushed cheeks. With an untenable ache in her stomach, she expelled warm air from her mouth and told Victor to wait a few more minutes until she was ready for her son. She smoothed the silk scarf against her chest, popped the door handle, and pushed out of the car while dialing Theodore. She wasn't going to surprise another son by arriving early and needed to ensure fate wouldn't revel in a second round of torture.

  Sarah sat at the circular kitchen table, her feet and legs woven and crossed underneath her, listing groceries for the upcoming party. Teddy walked through the mudroom door announcing he'd finished scraping and cleaning the barbecue. “It looks brand new, and it seems to me it will be ready to use for the party on Tuesday.” After dragging the chair back a few feet from the table, Teddy interlocked his fingers, flipped over his hands, and cracked several knuckles.

  Sarah frowned pulling back her blunt-cut hair and enclosing it with a clip on the side above her right ear. “You know that noise annoys me. Please stop carrying on. Your momma should be here any minute. I have sliced ham and salads to snack on, and I'm brewing sun tea on the porch.”

  Teddy cracked one remaining knuckle that hadn't yet released and stood from his chair, jaw locked in place. “Done now.”

  “How will the conversation about the law firm go?” Sarah's nose wrinkled with annoyance over his deepening ticks.

  Sarah and Teddy had spent the week finishing their discussion on what to do about Ben's law practice. After weighing the pros and cons, they decided it was time to execute a change in their lives. With the money they would inherit from Ben, they could afford for Teddy to stop working. He could begin to focus on his interest in painting. Sarah even argued they'd have additional money once they'd sold the practice to the other partners, which brought Teddy closer to agreement.

  The final pro putting their decision in favor of selling the practice came when Sarah told Teddy she was pregnant. A few weeks earlier, Teddy had woken up to a strange note on his bedroom night table. He'd later learned all the details, including how she'd come home early from a hospital shift and tip-toed into their house while Teddy slept. She framed the results and wrapped them in the morning's paper, knowing the first thing Teddy did when he awoke was to read the daily news while sitting in his favorite chair on their back porch. She had poured his coffee, set a few slices of buttered toast on a plate, and arranged the gift so it sat on the table near his regular chair. The note had told him to find a surprise waiting for him on the porch. He hadn't been aware she was hiding behind the door watching him look around. A scowl overtook his face, initially annoyed at her games, until he noticed what she'd left on the table.

  Teddy opened the newspaper and caught the heavy silver picture frame falling toward his lap. When he saw the stick read pregnant, he jumped from the chair, spilled his toast onto the floor, and turned around to find Sarah standing behind him with a glowing smile. His annoyance dissipated replaced by a cautious and optimistic grin.

  As he sat waiting for his mother to arrive, Teddy nodded at his wife. “It seems to me she won't be happy with my plan to sell the practice, but I'm hoping that'll offset when we tell her to expect another grandchild.” A few minutes later, the phone rang. “Speak of the devil…”

  * * *

  A few hours later, Teddy paced the carpeted living room floor, darting back and forth in an unknown circular path, absorbing several shocks from the static electricity beneath his feet. His mother went to unpack in the bedroom, and Sarah left to purchase groceries at Costco. Teddy planned to talk about the law practice that afternoon. He preferred not to have the discussion with his mother, but the sooner he started it, the sooner she would get over it. It wouldn't help to hold back until the end of her trip, plus the excitement growing inside him over the baby ached to burst from his skin.

  Teddy had intentionally planned to leave out the conversation he had with his brother, Matt, the prior week, where he learned the firm barely held financial water the last year. He planned to go through the books with the outside accounting firm after the holiday once the second quarter closed. If they had potential losses, he'd deal with it at that time and not beforehand.

  Teddy recalled Matt
asking him if it were possible to expedite releasing their father's inheritance. It was odd Matt pushed for the process to happen so quickly, but Teddy also knew Matt needed to keep his life tidy and orderly, bordering in obsessive behaviors. He'd promised to call Mr. Rattenbury this week but hadn't been able to do so with everything going on. He located the cordless phone extension and dialed the lawyer, who answered on the second ring.

  As he sat on the ottoman, another shock zapped Teddy while he rubbed his foot across the carpeted floor. He enjoyed the sensation as it jolted him back into power. “Mr. Rattenbury, it's Teddy Glass. I don't intend to trouble you on a Sunday, but I was curious as to the status of my father's estate.”

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Glass. It's no trouble at all. I spoke with your brother a little while ago.”

  “My brother. Which one?” Teddy's eyebrows arched high.

  “Matthew. He called with the same question this morning.”

  Teddy's mind clouded over, annoyed he misunderstood his brother earlier in the week over who would call the lawyer. “I appreciate you taking both of our calls. I'm sure it would be easier for me to call him, but since I have you on the phone, it would seem to me you should tell me now.”

  “There is no need to call him. I can repeat the conversation. I have a few more papers to file and then Matthew can work with the bank to set up the individual accounts. I expect it should be ready in four weeks. I will need your mother's signature on a few forms.”

  “She's here with me, I'll let her know. Is that all, Mr. Rattenbury?” Teddy tried to hang up, but Ira interrupted.

  “Matthew was a bit… how shall I say… eager… to expedite these proceedings. I do hope he understands it takes time to obtain a death certificate, probate the will through the state, and certify the transactions. I'm working as quickly as I possibly can.”

  Teddy's concern grew deeper given Matt's comments about the practice having a sub-par financial year and his urgency in closing on the estate. He thanked Ira and disconnected the phone.