Page 95 of Collateral Damage
“It’s food. Smells good. I’ll take it to the kitchen.”
I follow him as he adds it to the many vases of flowers already clogging up the kitchen counter. The flowers are all condolences from friends and family who have read the news. The media broke the story before Mom had a chance to tell anyone besides us kids.
It sucks, but we weren’t surprised, considering the frenzy his death created in the first place. Billionaire CEO dies in a freak accident? People ate that shit up. And they ate it up even more when the police tried to pin the accident on Ethan.
It was never Ethan’s fault.
As much as I wish Ethan wouldn’t have dated Arden in secret, but I understand why he did. He loved her then, and he loves her now. It wasn’t Ethan who drove his boat like a maniac. But the police wanted to arrest someone, and Ethan was the perfect scapegoat, at least until the truth came out.
Hayes opens the box, and the milky-sweet scent of cheesecake floods the kitchen, shaking me from my tumultuous thoughts. I practically sprint around the kitchen island to get a better look at the box. Sure enough, it’s from my favorite bakery in the entire world.
A smile tugs at my mouth. “It’s from Ethan. He sent another cheesecake.”
“Had it shipped all the way from Boston, looks like,” Hayes says, pointing to the logo. “Should we put it in the fridge for later or have it for brunch now?”
“Definitely now.” I give my not-so-little-anymore brother a wink and retrieve dishes and forks.
Before long, the rest of the family joins us, and we chow down on what I consider the best cheesecake out there.
I first found it when I was a freshman in college. I told Ethan I wanted a cheesecake for my birthday, so we spent our Valentine’s Day and my birthday traipsing around downtown Boston to all the spots claiming to have “world famous” cheesecake. Once we found Little Blue Bakery, it was game over.
We shared a slice, fell in love with it, and took an entire cake home to my little dorm refrigerator and spent the rest of the week munching on it while simultaneously complaining about inflammation and bloating.
Totally worth it.
Every year since, Ethan has bought me cheesecake for my birthday.
Even after we broke up, the cakes were sent to me in New York.
They’ve been arriving anonymously, but I know it’s Ethan’s way of letting me know that, despite everything, he doesn’t hate me. We’ve always wanted what’s best for each other. That will never change.
I’d kinda thought he’d quit sending them after meeting Arden, but that blue box still showed up on my birthday.
And here it is again.
“This is very thoughtful of him,” Mom remarks. “Especially after everything we’ve put him through.”
She’ll forever regret the choices we made.
Mom has taken what is, in my expert-cheesecake opinion, way too small of a slice. I sneak more to her plate when she’s not looking, hoping she won’t be able to resist. She’s lost too much weight recently, and I hate to see how grief has changed her body as well as her mind.
“Hey Syb, can I meet Gloria Ricci?” Chandler asks between bites, giving me the most hopeful look I think he’s ever given me.
I’m instantly amused. “You want to meet the supermodel?”
He nods, a cheesy grin on his face.
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“I think she’ll love me.” He’s probably right; Chandler is the most lovable person I’ve ever met.
Hayes snorts. “Gloria is hot, but I want to meet the pop star. What’s her name again? Audry?”
“Audra Mason. You don’t even know her name, and you want to meet her?” Mom questions.
She hasn’t touched her food. I frown but try not to let it get me down. Everyone grieves in their own way.
Hayes shrugs. “All the girls at school are obsessed with her. If I can get a selfie with her, I’m sure the girls will try to get to her through me.”
