The Tea Series Read online

  Period.

  I put my one suitcase on the little table thingy for unpacking, and Teagan and I went to the seating area so that I could text A.J. and let him know what to look for.

  He texted right back. Said he knew the place. Had done a shoot for a wedding in their gardens and in one of the suites.

  I texted him that Teagan was there and she would be hanging out with me until he got there.

  He asked for a drive-through order and said he had some good news.

  I guess him staying at work was worth it.

  I know that isn’t fair. I know he had the big meetings, and he offered to blow it all off and come straight to the apartment, and I’m the one who talked him out of it, but it didn’t seem all that hard to talk him out of it. Teagan acted like she was talked out of it, and she jumped in the car and came to make sure I was okay. Maybe it’s an O’Flynn thing.

  “You want to unpack your suitcase? I’m gonna run over to the store and grab some junk food. I need salt and chocolate. Not necessarily in that order but definitely in large quantities. You want anything special?”

  “No, but A.J. is bringing food.”

  “Cara, have you ever known me to turn down real food just because I’m stuffed with junk food?”

  “True. What was I thinking? Chocolate, chips, and Pepsi. Please.”

  “Done. Lock the door.”

  “Okay, Mom.”

  “Oh man, this is just one more thing to tell Mom and Dad about when they get home. The list is getting pretty long.”

  “I have another. We’ll talk about it when you get back.”

  “Please tell me you aren’t pregnant, married, or hiding a body in Bernie’s trunk.”

  “Bernie’s trunk. That’s a depressing thought. They broke the glass I had over it. I didn’t see anything, but I’m sure they went through everything. I tortured myself, and you, by not opening much, and now some stupid burglar probably helped himself to stuff, and I’ll never know what he took ‘cause I was too stupid to open the packages.”

  “It is what it is, Cara. Maybe that’s the way that it was supposed to work out.”

  “Yeah, right. It’s not that I’m stubborn and stupid; it’s that the universe had it planned that way.”

  “I’m gonna go get food.”

  “Can you take the key? I’m gonna jump in the shower. Hopefully they packed something I can just sit around in. I hate the idea of all those guys going through my stuff, but I really appreciate all that they are doing for me.”

  “It’s okay to let other people do things for you, Cara. They must think that there is a connection between Adeline’s warehouse problems and the break in at your apartment.”

  “Yeah, Roland said that. He asked if I had the passcodes written down somewhere in the apartment. They seem to think this is my fault.”

  “Chicken and egg.”

  “What?”

  “Did someone break into your apartment to look for the passcode? If that is the case, then it is Adeline’s fault that your apartment got trashed. The idiots wouldn’t have broken in if it weren’t for Adeline. Or…did they break in to your apartment, go through all your stuff, find the passcode, and then go to the warehouse to break in?”

  “I didn’t write down the passcode. When Roland’s people gave me the number, I put it in my phone. My phone was in my purse. They didn’t get the passcode from me.”

  “I’m sure that is what Roland is thinking and that is why they are being so nice to you.”

  “Actually, this is pretty much SOP for anyone working for or with Adeline.”

  “SOP?”

  “Standard Operating Procedure.”

  “Oh. I’ve heard that before. Just didn’t come to mind.”

  “The security guys have all kinds of little stupid things they say.”

  “You’re right. You need a shower. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word stupid come out of your mouth that many times in a row. Actually, I don’t think I’ve heard the word stupid that many times in my life. Mom would smack you.”

  “Fine. Consider me smacked. Thanks for doing this for me, Teagan.”

  “I’ll be back.”

  When Teagan let herself back into the hotel room I was sitting on the couch in a t-shirt and sweatpants. I also had on my favorite green fluffy socks that didn’t match anything, so I don’t know how the guys figured out I would want them.

  I hadn’t bothered doing my hair, just brushed it back.

  “I need chocolate first. I brushed my teeth.”

  “Yeah, toothpaste and Doritos isn’t good. Are you okay? You look kind of pale.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking. You know, I’ve gone my whole life with nothing more dramatic than you and Troya messing with my stuff. In the last… God, I don’t even know how long it has been since things have just started to go crazy.”

  “I was thinking about that on the way to the store.”

  “I don’t know what I did to open myself up to all this.”

  “Really? You are going to take responsibility for all this?”

  “Mom always says that you draw to yourself what you are or what you fear. I’ve never really given any of this kind of stuff any thought, but I don’t think I was fearful that it was going to happen, mostly because I never dreamed it could happen to me. Who would think a normal person, boring really, would have a crazy cop and his sister stalk her or that Barry would turn on me and beat the crap out of me or any of the other stuff? I don’t understand what the lesson is. Mom always says the lesson keeps getting worse and worse until you learn the lesson, and I swear, Teagan, if this lesson gets much more difficult, it is gonna kill me.”

  “Not funny.”

  “I’m not kidding.”

  “Don’t say that. Don’t even think it. You’ve had a few bad things happen in a row. Maybe it isn’t a lesson ramping up. Maybe you just got stuck in a loop of threes. We should figure out what number you are at. Maybe this was the third of three threes, and you are done with drama for years.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Vicky swears I am.”

  “Who is Vicky?”

  “My counselor.”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember. Of course you’re okay. Going to see a counselor isn’t that big of a deal. I’m not sure what she could do for you in a single visit, but I hope that she helped.”

  “I went more than once.”

  “Really? You didn’t tell me that. Well, isn’t that interesting.”

  “Teagan, please don’t go there. I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. I didn’t tell you about it at first because, well, because I was embarrassed. I only went the first time to appease Morgan. I figured it would be a one-time thing, and there was no reason to discuss it. Teagan, things have been crazy lately.”

  “So, you’re seeing a counselor now?”

  “No, we’re done. Well, we’re done unless or until I decide to go back, but hopefully nothing will happen in my life that screws with me so bad I feel like I need to talk to her again.”

  “So, what did the two of you figure out?”

  “Teagan, I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you.”

  “It’s okay. What did Vicky say?”

  “She said I should talk to you.”

  “I like her already.”

  “At first she thought maybe I had a mild case of post-traumatic stress disorder. I don’t. I got shook to my core by Barry, but I think it is really insulting to anyone who really has that disorder to say that I have it. I really don’t.”

  “Okay, I believe you.”

  “Sorry.” I burrowed down in the soft couch cushions and grabbed a beautiful pillow and hugged it. “You know when we were growing up Mom would always say, ‘Once bitten, twice shy’? That’s how I feel. I’m not having problems with my day-to-day life. I just shy away when there is an event that I find threatening. As I have more successful outcomes when encountering stressors and threats, I’ll have fewer and
fewer events.”

  “Yeah, sounds like you’ve been to a counselor.”

  “Basically Vicky said that you have been my counselor since about third grade and that you are good at it. She said that I have all the normal stuff that would be associated with a trauma, but that the family has stepped up to help me hold myself up while I get myself back together. Actually, she said it much better than that, but that is the basic meaning.”

  “But you haven’t spent a bunch of time with us for a while now. To be honest, I was beginning to worry.”

  “Really? ‘Cause you know that a phone goes both ways. You could have called and made arrangements for us to spend time together.”

  “Don’t go all Cara on me. You know as well as I do that if you aren’t the initiator, you aren’t happy.”

  “What?”

  “Cara Siobhan! You know that you like to be in charge of everything like that. Remember? Mom used to say that you always have to be the leader of the band.”

  “Why does everybody keep saying that?”

  “Because it is true?”

  “No, really, it seems like every time I turn around someone is saying that I have to be the boss. Suzi told me that. I don’t get it. That isn’t what happens at all.”

  “Cara, if everyone sees something one way, and you see it another way, maybe you should take another look at it.”

  “See, you are my counselor.”

  “Very funny.”

  “I’m not trying to be funny. You have been my counselor all my life. You smack me back onto the path that I need to be on. That’s what Vicky said.”

  “What else did Vicky say?”

  “She said that I hide behind the O’Flynn name. That if something is important to me, then I say it is an O’Flynn thing instead of saying it is a Cara thing.”

  “She’s good.”

  “You agree?”

  “I’d be willing to have that tattooed on your forehead.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. What else did she say?”

  “She said that all the stressors are forcing me into looking at things a little differently. She said I’ve tried to escape looking at things by dealing with everybody else’s everything else, but that I can’t escape it forever.”

  “Again, she’s good.”

  “She said that it’s okay for me to have a different opinion of all things O’Flynn because I have a vantage point that is unique to me, and the fact that I see things differently than you or Sinead or whoever simply means that I am seeing it through a different filter or that I’ve framed it a different way.”

  “You have to admit that makes perfect sense.”

  “I know, but I’m not sure I buy into it as much as she does.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s kind of like going to a fake psychic. They can talk to you and read your body language and give you leading questions, and they can convince you that they are real. That doesn’t mean they are real, and it doesn’t mean that other psychics are fake.”

  “Okay, you’ve lost me.”

  “All I’m saying is that I’m not convinced that all things O’Flynn are a figment of my imagination.”

  “That’s not what she said.”

  “How do you know? You weren’t even there.”

  “Shut up and listen. I’m your counselor, remember?”

  “Wish I hadn’t told you about that part.”

  “Cara, you’ve been living in your head more than usual lately.”

  “Okay.”

  “You aren’t a cerebral person.”

  “I’m stupid?”

  “There’s that word again. Not sure what to make of that. Anyway, what I’m saying is that you are more action oriented than living in your head. When you see a problem, you go about fixing it. Not a lot of thought involved.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Stop trying to make this an attack. You know what I mean.”

  “Sorry.”

  “That word has also been coming out of your mouth all too often.”

  “Sorry.”

  “See?”

  “Okay, I’m not sorry. Continue.”

  “What else did Vicky say?”

  “She said that I hide. I don’t feel like that is true.”

  “I think what she means is that you hide behind being an O’Flynn.”

  “Yeah, that’s what she said. I’m not sure I know what that means.”

  “Yes, you do. If something is wonderful, you give the credit to all things O’Flynn. If you want to do something, you claim it’s an O’Flynn tradition. If it’s positive, O’Flynns get the credit. If it’s negative, it’s because you didn’t meet the O’Flynn standard.”

  “I don’t do that.”

  “Sure you do. I’m not saying that’s all bad or even that it is bad at all, and it isn’t a terrible thing, but it is what you do.”

  “Well, it sounds stupid.”

  “See, there is that word again. What’s up with that?”

  “Maybe it is because you are so focused on it. Maybe I’ve always said it, and you are just noticing and driving me nuts about it.”

  “Nope. Mom would never let that slide. She doesn’t see any reason to use the word. It is very un-O’Flynn of you.”

  “I’m gonna smack you.”

  “You can try!”

  We were laughing when there was knocking on the door.

  “Great, get us kicked out for sounding like lunatics.”

  “Yeah, fancy hotels hate laughter.”

  “Shut up.”

  It was A.J. at the door. I know it’s a cliché and everything, but I melted into his arms. Which wasn’t easy because he had his backpack full of cameras and the bags of food from the drive thru.

  I felt at peace for the first time since everything went pear-shaped.

  Teagan used to be the person who made me feel peaceful again when something went wrong. I’d been with her for hours, and although I felt better with her around, it was A.J. who brought me peace.

  I’m going to have to think about that.

  Teagan stood up. “I’m out of here.”

  A.J. walked toward the table. “I brought you food.”

  “I appreciate it, but I should let you guys have some privacy.”

  A.J. smiled. “Teagan, please have a seat and eat your dinner. I brought you a Bricking Brewster.”

  “You really do love me.”

  “Undoubtedly. Cara, I got you beef and mashed potatoes, no gravy, all sides potatoes so there are no veggies leaking veggie juice.”

  “You love me too!”

  “I love you best.”

  Dinner was good. Filling. Comforting. Mostly it was just one more example of how well A.J. knows me. He could have driven through some fast food place — that was the plan — but an O’Flynn likes comfort food, and nothing is more comforting than a hot O’Flynn-type meal with family.

  A.J. might very well be the best thing that has ever happened to me.

  When is the last time I told him that?

  What’s wrong with me?

  After we were done eating, A.J. stood, rubbed his stomach, and said he was going to take a shower.

  Teagan started to gather Styrofoam containers and shove them in the bag. “I’m out of here.”

  A.J. turned. “Don’t leave because of me. I’m sorry, but I have a couple of things I have to do on the computer. You can keep Cara company while I do that. I’ll get out of your way. There’s a business center in the main building. I can work there.”

  “Don’t be silly. We’ll be quiet.”

  “I was trying to get out of your way. Give you some privacy.”

  “What is it with privacy concerns all of the sudden? There is nothing in my life that I wouldn’t share with you, A.J.”

  Teagan got very busy with clearing the table.

  A.J. walked over and kissed me on the forehead. “I love you.”

  “I thank God for that more often than you know.”


  A.J. smiled, winked, and walked off toward the bathroom.

  Teagan’s voice got my attention. “Cara, I forgot to tell you something.”

  “What?”

  “The whole Rosenbloom thing is over.”

  “The guy who killed his wife.”

  “The guy they said killed his wife. He didn’t kill her.”

  “Who did?”

  “Mr. Rosenbloom’s son.”

  “He killed his own mother and set up his own father to go to prison for it. Actually, in Florida they use the death penalty a lot, so they could actually have killed his father, which would mean that directly and indirectly he killed both his parents. That’s just plain evil.”

  “The guy wasn’t actually the biological child of either of them, which is why the DNA was such a problem.”

  “Okay, now you’re just making stuff up.”

  “No, listen. When Mr. Rosenbloom was a young person — ”

  “A bud?”

  “What?”

  “I was making a flower joke, since he went on to marry a person named Lily Ivy-Rosenbloom. Get it?”

  “Not worth getting. Do you want to hear this or not?”

  “Go.”

  “Mr. Rosenbloom was married young. He cheated on his then-wife with a woman named Christine. Christine got pregnant, and Mr. Rosenbloom just assumed that when she told him that the child was his, she told him the truth.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Yep, this was long before paternity tests. All these years he has been supporting them both, mostly to keep Christine quiet.”

  “So if he is paying the bills, why kill the woman who is essentially his stepmother and set his father up to die a terrible death?”

  “Greed.”

  “One of the seven deadlies.”

  “Yep. It’s a really long and screwed up story. I saved it on my laptop if you want me to send you the link, but basically Mr. Rosenbloom decided that the kid, who hasn’t been a kid in a long time, needed to grow a pair and deal with life. The kid, thinking that he was the son of Mr. Rosenbloom, decided that if both his father and his father’s wife were out of the way, then he would have lots of money. He didn’t know that his mother had lied and that he wasn’t really entitled to anything.”