Chapter 14

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Alex craned his neck looking for Bernie's van, it was not parked on the street and he felt afraid for a moment. He went to the door and knocked, almost sagging in relief when Amy answered until he saw her glare.

She glanced between Alex and Anthony in the porchlight like she was trying to figure out who was who. "Dr. Marvillis, Mr. Marvillis."

The hostility of her tone left no doubt Carla had been here too.

"Please, Amy, I need to talk to Bernie," Alex begged.

Amy sneered at them. "I'm sorry but part of our rental agreement is no men after midnight, this is a women only boarding house."

She started to shut the door, but Alex grabbed it. "Please, Amy, it's not what she thinks, Carla..."

"Carly has been telling us for a month about her perv of an ex and his equally pervy brother, she showed us pictures of the three of you together. Told us how she left because you wanted to share her and then were going to have her arrested on some fake charges if she didn't go back with him." She pointed an accusing finger at Anthony before looking at Alex. "Are you going to pull the same b-s with Bernie?"

"No. Listen, Carla is a criminal..." Anthony started but Amy cut him off.

"Riiiiight... And your brother neglecting to tell his fiancée that you and he were identical twins wasn't a scam to get her in bed with both of you?" Her judgmental expression showed they would get nowhere with her, as she accused, "You're both sick... It isn't every girl's fantasy to be with twins. Now, leave before I call the cops."

"Oh look, they are already here." One of the other housemates announced.

A police car pulled up and a bright spotlight blinded them. The police ran sobriety test on both brothers. Alex passed easily. Anthony barely passed and Alex promised to take him home. The officers talked to the roommates then informed the Marvillis brothers they needed to leave. The police told them Bernadette was no longer living at the residence, but none of the girls would say where she went, except home to bury her grandmother. As for Carla or Carly as she went by, the girls all claimed no knowledge of where she went and wished her the best of luck because they all believed Anthony was stalking her. The police refused to accept a missing person's report from Alex after what happened, and because it appeared Bernadette left on her own.

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Bernie and Carly arrived at the Anderson's home in the early morning after the fire. Carly insisted Bernie go to bed and then told Trixie, Mary, and Jared the sick truth about Alex and his brother Tony. Afterward, Mary settled Carly in her room to get some rest, while Jared practically held Trixie down to keep her from going after the twins.

As Trixie drove back from taking Carly to the airport, she fumed over what she learned from her sister's roommate. Thinking about the way they took advantage of her sister, made Trixie's blood boil. She parked at the Risqué's Coffee downtown kiosk and ordered a double sweet, triple shot, to drink while talking to her manager Leah about taking the week off to deal with her grandmum's funeral and needing to replace her entire work wardrobe. Then she told her boss and good friend about what happened to her sister. Leah was as offended as Trixie and insisting she take as much time as she needed. Driving back to the Andersons, Trixie wondered where she and Bernie were going to live, they needed to go talk to their Grandmum's lawyer, Mr. Thornton, and the insurance agent.

Bernie was in Shirley's kitchen making dinner. She seemed to have shrunk in on herself, and Trixie was reminded of all the bad days Bernie had after their mother Jane died.

Trixie hugged her from behind. "Hey, sis. Whatcha making?"

"Hey, Trix. Spaghetti Bolognaise. Mary went to see her boyfriend, and Jared went to the garage. Do you realize if we sell the cafe, they'll lose the garage?" Bernie frowned. "Mr. Thornton called. The new probate taxes are going to eat half the estate. He wants to know what to do. If we keep the rentals, we will have a place to live because the Granbury Street tenants are moving out at the end of next month, but we would have to sell the whole building on 38th."

"No," Trixie said firmly. "The Sunflower is yours. Grandmum always wanted you to have it. We can live in the loft above it. I vote to sell the rentals, and keep the cafe."

"But I'm not going to graduate," Bernie said sadly, "I...I can't go back there."

Trixie was quiet for a moment then declared flippantly, "So what? A lot of people open restaurants who didn't even go to culinary school. Leah helped open Risqué's without going to some fancy school. We'll figure it out."

Bernie nodded then added, "Mr. Thornton wants to see us in his office in the morning. They..." She inhaled as if she was in pain, choking out, "They found Grandmum. They... they think she might have started the fire by falling asleep in a chair while smoking. We... We can see if there is anything to salvage but the upstairs collapsed on the downstairs." Both wiped their tears.

"Smells great, Bernadette," Jared walked in. "What's up?"

"We need to go through the remains of our house," Bernie answered miserably.

"Come by the garage and get some coveralls, and I'll close up for the day to help go through the rubble," Jared offered. He hated seeing them suffering. He loved Bernie like his sister Mary, but Trixie... Trixie was his beautiful muse.

"You don't have to," Trixie responded.

"But I want to." His giant arms enveloped Trixie as Bernie tucked French bread slathered in garlic butter and Parmesan into the oven.

"Thanks, Jared," Trixie said gratefully. As they hugged, she inhaled his scent of musk and mechanic. She loved the way he smelled, she always had. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"You'd be in jail for double homicide," Jared teased.

"Totes worth it." Trixie smirked.

He tucked an errant strawberry blonde curl behind her ear, "It's never worth it when you're gone."

"I agree." Bernie nodded sadly, then added, "Dinner will be ready in five if you want to get a shower, J. You stink."

"He smells like hard work and home," Trixie defended him.

"If home is a paint room stuffed inside a gym bag of sweaty socks stuffed inside a dirty grease barrel with a splash of diesel," Bernie declared.

"I like it!" Trixie huffed.

Jared grinned and hurried out of the kitchen while Bernie and Trixie bickered.

Bernie leveled her sister with a look. "Would you please just tell him you love him and ask him to marry you?"

Trixie looked very sad for a moment, shaking her head. "It won't work."

"Why not?"

"Because we both know I'm no good for him, Bernie. I'm Jane 2.0. He needs someone more like you; a girlfriend who will love him and make him a nice home without screwing everyone with a dick or strap-on every time she gets drunk. He deserves better than an alcoholic nympho like me." Trixie pulled her cigarettes out of her pocket and stalked outside to the deck without looking back.

As she stood out there and smoked, her shoulders seemed to slump. Watching her sister wipe away a tear angrily, Bernie could almost hear Trixie berating and hating herself.

Bernie wished for her sister to find happiness then she looked at the ring on her finger. Tears burned and she cursed herself for being so stupid and for not being able to take it off. She viciously chopped vegetables for salad while ignoring her need to cry. Sautéing zucchini and green beans in olive oil, garlic, and a splash of port gave her hands something to do but as the last of the alcohol flared, a sob escaped.

A large gentle hand squeezed her shoulder and Bernie gave Jared a watery smile before she clicked off the burner. "I really thought he loved me."

"B, he was a fool. And he doesn't deserve a single tear from you because he's the kind of scum every decent guy hates. Men like him ruin good women. I know you loved him but screw him!" Jared declared hatefully.

He helped her set the table as he growled, "You're like a sister to me, B, and I hate that jerk. If even half of what Carly said about them was true, they don't deserve the air they breathe."

"Thanks, J," She bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Names, not letters," Mary scolded, as she and her grandmother came in.

"It smells wonderful, Bernadette," Shirley smiled. She tapped on the glass door and Trixie came inside. Sitting together, like they had so many times over the years, they felt comfortable. It felt like family.

"So, what did the doctor say?" Jared asked after Shirley said grace over their meal.

"Dr. Mason said I eat too much salt, but I am in good condition, except for two places where my arteries are narrowed. They can widen those, and I'll be fine for another twenty years... Unless I start living on Bernadette's excellent French cooking." Shirley teased and Bernie blushed.

"I didn't know you and Grandmum had the same heart doctor," Trixie muttered around a bite of sautéed vegetables. "Omigawd, sis, if we are living together, I'm going to have to go to the gym more than once a week."

"I'll eat your share," Jared volunteered and leaned away as Trixie threw part of a breadstick at him.

Shirley gave them both a look and they slumped down like they were teenagers again. "Yes, Dr. Mason sees me and most of the Red Hatters. Emma may have given him fits, but she made sure he had enough patients to open his own practice if he wanted. She really was fond of that young man."

Bernie nodded then announced, "Trixie and I decided to sell everything except the building on 38th street. I'm going to work on opening the café back up. And Jared, the lease on the shop is yours for as long as you want. Ten dollars a month plus your share of the city taxes and utilities, just like my Grandmum and your Grandpop agreed."

"Bernie, I can pay more rent," Jared insisted.

"Why?" Trixie asked. "The building is paid for."

"And you're family. Family sticks together." Bernie held up her glass of wine, "To Grandmum Emma and her savvy real estate sense."

"To Grandmum Emma."

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There was nothing salvageable from Emma's home, so they hired a company to clean up the lot and put it for sale. Standing in the loft above the café, Trixie sneezed again as she and Bernie removed the dust covers from the furniture.

"Bless you," Bernie giggled.

"Wow, I can't believe you kept all this stuff." Trixie sniffed as she said it.

Bernie nodded, "I was thinking about putting in a bar around the kitchenette, that way we don't have to have a table."

"That's clever. How many square feet is this?"

"Nearly fourteen hundred, not counting the restaurant storage room and lavatory. All we need is a pair of beds." Bernie revealed.

"Dibs on the spot under the skylight," Trixie pointed, grinning mischievously.

Bernie snorted, taunting, "God doesn't want to see your booty calls. Besides, the sky light is in my room. I was thinking of putting up walls so we could each have our own bedroom."

Trixie's mouth twisted into a pout, but Bernie shook her head, "My loft, my skylight, but we can put in one of those fancy showers with all the jets you like so much."

"Ohhh... okay... But it is the only lover that I will ever share with you." Trixie giggled at Bernie's glare. "T.M.I.?"

"Way T.M.I.," Bernie responded, then turned to look around the loft. She always expected to live here alone someday, but she was secretly glad to have Trixie living with her. "So, I was thinking of leaving the brick natural after getting rid of the nasty wallpaper stuck over it."

Trixie tipped her head. "How much do you think the renovation will cost us?"

Bernie shrugged. "It's already listed as a residence above a business, but we will still have to get permits. Unless you'd rather your own place. We can convert a storage loft over one of the other businesses into a living space. The garage is the only open business on the block until I get the café going."

Trixie's eyes clouded for a moment. "You don't want me to live with you?"

"No, no... I want you to live with me. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to." Bernie chewed her lip. "You know... 'cause you have friends and a life."

Trixie crossed the space to hug her sister. "I'll never leave you. My friends are your friends, and my life is with you."

"I love you, Trix."

"I love you, Bernie."