Payback and a Bottle of Merlot: Like Sisters Series Book One by Bria Marche Page B

really happy to see you. Let’s go in.”
    They found Ann sitting on the side of Tom’s hospital bed. She was reading him an article from a GQ magazine she found in the rack down the hall.
    “Mom, Dad, it’s great to see both of you. Dad, you’ll be out of here in no time, you look pretty good.”
    Tom tried to respond, but the words were jumbled. He reached out to Matt with his right hand and squeezed his arm. His smile wasn’t quite uniform, but the twinkle in his eyes showed how pleased he was to see his son.
    At nine o’clock, Mia, her mom and brother decided to call it a night. Matt was exhausted and needed a good night’s sleep. They drove back to the house in Mia’s rental car.
    “Matt, do you mind sleeping on the sofa?” Ann asked. “It makes into a queen sized bed.”
    “No problem. I’ll see you both in the morning. I’m really exhausted tonight… sorry.”
    “It’s okay, honey, we all are.”
    Mia said her good nights and retreated to the guest bedroom. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with what she saw at the airport today. Do I call him? What will I say if he actually answers? She decided to call Vic instead. Mia knew Vic’s opinion was going to be brutally honest, but likely the right one.
    “Hey, girl. How’s it going?”
    “I’m great, hon, but you sound exhausted. What’s going on?”
    “I don’t even know how to begin. First off, I’m pretty sure my dad will be fine after some therapy. Thank God for that. Vic, you aren’t going to believe what I’m about to tell you. I’m still in shock, and it’s been almost twelve hours.”
    “What happened? Of course, it has to be about Jack the jerk, right? Oh, and before you get into it, Aaron told me to say ‘hi’ when I talked to you, and Reggie is fine. Okay, spill.”
    “I’ll get right to the point. Guess who was at the Tampa airport today when I picked up Matt?”
    “No friggin way! There’s no way in hell Mr. Asshole was there. Tell me it wasn’t Jack. Or was it Jack and Sasha?”
    “Both of them, in the flesh. I’d like to know where the hell they were going. How could he be that vile, that cold? He knows my dad is in the hospital and he took the opportunity to run off with his skank? How can anybody be that horrible of a person?”
    “I have no idea. So what are you going to do? Did they see you?”
    “No, they didn’t see me, thank God. I’m not sure what to do. First off, I’m here to support my mom and dad, and second off, I have no clue where they went, or how long they’ll be gone. I’m staying here for another week, but when I get home, our plan needs to go forward at a rapid pace. That much I’m sure of. It’s time for Sasha to find out who Jack really is. We’ll have everything in place and ready to go as soon as they’re back from wherever that jerk took her on vacation. I have to stop talking about him before I lose my mind. Damn it, I’m so worked up right now, I wish you and Tina were here so we could get drunk while I vent to both of you.”
    “Honey, you deserve it. Get out of bed and go pour yourself a large glass of wine. Better yet, take the bottle back to your bedroom and drink the whole damn thing.”
    “Vic, that’s the smartest advice you ever gave me. I’m going to do that right this second. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days. Bye, girlfriend.”
    “Bye, Chica, and try to get some sleep. Drink that bottle of wine. It might help.”

Chapter Fourteen
    Mia took Vic’s advice and headed straight for the kitchen. With the lights dimmed as low as possible, she tiptoed down the hallway hoping not to wake Matt in the living room. As she made the turn toward what she thought was the kitchen, Mia slammed into the edge of the sleeper sofa, fell on top of it, and landed squarely on the back of her peacefully sleeping brother.
    “Son of a bitch, Mia! What the hell are you doing? It’s after midnight and I was sound asleep… thanks. I think you knocked the wind out of me.”
    “Come on