Page 45 of No Business Like Snow Business

Sterling let out a long breath.

“Youcracked the case?” Martha raised her brows.

“Well, you did, mostly,” I amended. “Good job, Martha.”

“I…” was all Sterling said.

“Let’s go,” I told him. “We have to go talk to him. Martha, can you, I don’t know, call Win, and tell him?—”

“Tell him what?” Sterling asked softly, his tone putting a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm. He took back the photo Martha held out to him. “That I intend to pay him to stay out of my life? Out of all the Van Ruyvens’ lives?”

Martha and I stared at him.

“I wouldn’t lead with that, no,” I admitted.

He looked at me, and it seemed like he was sort of pleading with his eyes. But I didn’t know what he was asking. “No,” he agreed. “But that’s…that’s what I’m here for. Not to be part of some tear-filled family reunion. My family, they’re—we’re—not his people. His people are here.”

“He’s your people,” I said firmly. “Yourpeople are here.”

I meant me, of course, as well as Freddy. Even though I shouldn’t be thinking that way.

He shook his head and made as if he were going to hand me the photo. Like he wanted to hand over the whole situation, the whole burden, to me. “He’s here. He’s happy. He probably hasn’t thought of any of us in years. How can I go there and kick him in the gut out of nowhere by reminding him his family didn’t want him then, and we don’t want him now.”

I frowned. Well, when he put it like that…

Still, I placed a hand on his arm, and he didn’t pull away. “One step at a time.”

“Now hold on,” Martha said. “What’s all this about kicking Win in the gut and paying him off?”

Sterling sighed again.

“It’s kind of a long story,” I said, pretty sure I still didn’t know the half of it.

“I look out for those boys.” Martha gave me a sharp glance. “I’m glad Win’s long-lost nephew has shown up like a damn Christmas miracle, but if Sterling’s got bad news for him, I’d like to know what we’re dealing with.”

I racked my brain for a Cliff’s Notes explanation, but Sterling surprised me by speaking up. “It’ll probably be easiest if I only tell the whole story once. To all of you. It’s not that I have bad news, exactly. Just a business matter I need to discuss with my uncle.”

“Excuse me, sir?” a voice interrupted. “Are you on this flight?” It was the TSA agent. “You need to make your way to the gate if so.”

“Uh, no,” Sterling told him. “I’m actually leaving.”

I gave the TSA guy a small nod and a wave, and we all headed for the exit.

It was already dark out at five p.m., and we could see our breath in the cold. My phone buzzed in my pocket as we crossed the parking lot, but I ignored it. At the car, there was an awkward moment where Martha said, “You boys ride up front,” while Sterling and I insisted she wasn’t going to sit in the backseat of her own car, and then Martha said it would be like a chauffeur service, and Sterling finally got in the passenger seat after opening the back door for Martha. I started the car and got the heat going while Martha called Freddy. Win.

I could hear him answer but couldn’t make out anything he said. Martha laughed and made small talk for a couple of minutes, then asked if he was at home. “I was going to stop byand bring you some sugar cookies,” she said. The answer she received sounded very enthusiastic.

Sterling sat rigid beside me.

“I’ve got a couple of friends with me,” Martha said. A pause. “Never you mind. You’ll see.” They said goodbye as I pulled out of the parking space.

The drive was tense and silent. I cleared my throat and glanced at Martha in the rearview mirror. “So I’ve been looking at cats.”

“Cats?” she repeated.

Sterling shot a look my way too.

“For the museum,” I clarified. “I don’t think we can have just one cat. It might get lonely. But do you think we’ll get in trouble if we have two cats living at the museum?”

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