"I believe in some blending of hope and sunshine sweetening the worst lots." –Charlotte Brontë, Villette

Elizabeth laughed as a piece of spaghetti flew by her head and stuck on the wall behind her. "You're making a mess!"

He shrugged and stuck out his tongue at her. "It's my apartment. I'll make a mess if I want to." He returned his attention to the stove, pulling the pot of pasta off the burner and stirring the sauce in the pan. "Hey, can you get the colander? It's in the cabinet under the mixer."

She crossed the kitchen and reached into the cabinet, pulling out a muffin tin, a skillet, and a blender lid before finding the colander. "You really should let me reorganize everything in here."

"No way. I have a system."

"A system that makes zero sense." She carried the pot over to the sink, draining the pasta. "It's honestly shocking that you've managed to survive the past few years on your own."

"Hey, the system works for me." He chuckled, nudging her with his elbow as she poured the pasta into the sauce.

A phone started buzzing, and Elizabeth called out for her sister. "Jules! Your phone!"

She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed her cell phone from the counter. "It's Vi. She probably needs help carrying things. I'll go."

"Hurry back. Food's almost done."

"Yeah yeah."

He continued stirring the pasta and sauce while Elizabeth started rinsing the dishes they were finished with.

They both looked up when a knock sounded at the door.

"Who's that?"

"Maybe Julie and Vi have their hands full. I'll get it." Elizabeth wiped her hands and headed to the door. "Coming," she called when a knock sounded again. "You know you can just come in—" she froze when she saw an unfamiliar man standing on the other side of the door. "Oh, hello."

"You really shouldn't tell someone they can come in if you aren't sure who it is. That can be very dangerous."

"Sorry, I was expecting someone else. Who are you?"

"Jack Thornton. Is there a Thomas Thatcher here?"

"Is he in trouble?" she questioned, noting the police uniform the man was wearing.

"Oh, uh, no. I'm sorry, I didn't have a chance to change and…" he trailed off, his brain going fuzzy at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. Her curly auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her blue eyes shining, and her face slightly flushed from the heat of the kitchen. "Anyway, uh, is he here?"

"Yes. I'll just get him." She stepped away without inviting him in, still wondering why on earth a policeman would be looking for Tom.

He looked up when she returned to the kitchen. "Was it not them?"

She shook her head. "No. It's some man. He asked for you."

"Who is it?"

She shrugged. "He said his name is Jack. I've never seen him before. Oh," she stopped him before he left the room, "he's a cop."

Tom's eyes went wide. "What?"

"He said you aren't in trouble, though. Now go," she shooed him toward the front room. Every fiber of her being wanted to follow him and find out why the mystery man was there, but she stayed behind, letting them have some privacy.

Tom stopped a few feet away from the stranger. "Hello."

"Are you Thomas Thatcher?"

"Yeah. Who are you?"

"Jack Thornton. I'm your brother."

"You must be mistaken. I don't have a brother. I'm sorry you came out here for nothing." Tom started to close the door.

"No, wait." He stuck out his arm to push the door back open. "Please, let me explain."

Tom hesitated a moment before stepping aside and inviting Jack in. "Liz?"

She poked her head out of the kitchen. "Yes?"

"Can you put a lid on the pasta?"

She nodded. "On it."

Julie and Vi approached just as Tom was closing the door.

"Who's this?"

Elizabeth stuck her head out of the kitchen again and cleared her throat. "Julie. Viola. Come here." She nodded toward the kitchen, urging them to leave Tom and Jack alone.

"So really, who is that?" Viola whispered, placing a tupperware container on the counter.

"His name is Jack Thornton. I have no idea who he is or why he wanted to talk to Tom."

"He's cute."

"Julie!"

"What?" She put up her hands defensively. "He is!"

"We don't know anything about him."

"So let's find out." She moved toward the door, trying to hear what was being said in the other room.

"Julie Thatcher!" Viola scolded her. "This isn't our business." She motioned for her to back away.

"So," Tom motioned for Jack to take a seat once they were alone again, his mind reeling. "You say you're my brother?"

Jack nodded and sat on the edge of the sofa. "I know you don't remember me. You were just a baby when our mom died and we were separated. I was seven. I don't know why they didn't keep us together, but I've been looking for you ever since."

"I just…I don't…"

"I know this is a lot to take in."

"A brother? But how…?" He put his hands over his face and took a deep breath. "I don't understand."

"Our parents were Thomas and Charlotte Thornton. Our dad died when mom was pregnant with you—you were named after him—and then mom got sick and died just before your first birthday. We were together in our first foster home, but then you got moved somewhere else. I never found out why. Oh, uh," he pulled something from his pocket, "I have this. It was taken the day mom brought you home from the hospital."

Tom studied the photograph that Jack handed to him. A young boy sat on a chair, holding a tiny baby on his lap. He could see that the face of the boy was the same face that was now in front of him, but the baby was unfamiliar—the baby was him. He had never seen photographs of himself as an infant, and it was jarring. Almost as jarring as discovering he had a brother.

"That's us," he murmured, incredulous, his fingertip tracing the children in the photo. He let out a breath and stood up abruptly. "Can you give me a minute?"

"Of course."

He walked down the hallway in a daze, wandering into the bedroom and collapsing back against the pillows.

"Tom?" Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, Julie and Viola just behind her. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know. He said he's my brother."

"What?!"

"He says we were separated after our parents died."

"Do you believe him?" Julie sat on the edge of the bed.

"I think so. He brought this." He held out the picture.

"Are you sure this is you in the picture?"

"I mean, why would he show it to me if it wasn't?"

"Tom." Viola waited until he looked at her before she continued. "He could have other motives. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to get close to us because of who we are."

"But why would he make up a whole story like this? I think he's telling the truth."

"How about we talk to him? See if we can figure out what he wants?"

"Are you guys going to talk to him even if I tell you not to?"

"You know us so well." Elizabeth grinned and squeezed his hand before bouncing out the door with her sisters. She slowed her steps as she entered the living room, the stranger still sitting on the edge of the sofa.

He looked up when she cleared her throat, quickly jumping to his feet.

"Hi. I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself before." She held out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Elizabeth."

"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth."

"These are my sisters, Viola and Julie."

Viola stared him down. "And you're Jack Thornton. Tom's brother, or so you say."

"You don't trust me." It wasn't a question, just his impression.

She took a seat in the chair across from him, eying him warily. "I don't know you."

Julie and Elizabeth sat on either side of her.

"What do you want to know?" He settled in, trying to look open and relaxed despite the fact that he was completely thrown by these women sitting in front of him—one of them in particular.

"It's been so long. Why now?" Viola crossed her arms.

"Right to the point, huh?" He chuckled lightly. "Um, I've been looking for him for years. There wasn't much I could do as a kid, obviously, but even once I had access to more information, it took a while to track him down. I just found his address today and came straight from work."

"Hence the uniform."

"Yeah." He tugged at his collar, feeling a little nervous. "Look, I realize this seems suspicious, and you guys probably think I have some ulterior motive here, but I promise I don't. I really just wanted to find my brother, to reconnect with him. I haven't seen him in twenty years."

"We want to believe you." Elizabeth sighed. "This is just…"

"It's a lot. I know." He cleared his throat. "So, uh, you're Tom's sisters?"

They all nodded.

"My three favorites," Tom stated as he returned to the room.

"Are there more?"

"Nope," Julie replied. "Just the three of us. He couldn't handle any more," she teased.

Tom took a seat on the end of the sofa furthest from Jack. "So…" he began.

"Is there anything you want to know?"

"I don't know. I think I need to let this all sink in before you tell me anything else."

"That's fine. I can go now, if you want. I'll give you my number, and you can call or text me if you want to know more." He pulled a business card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Tom. "My cell number is on the back."

"Okay, um, thanks."

They both stood, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Well," Jack sighed. "I'll get going now. It was really good to see you again, Tom. I'm glad I found you. And it was nice to meet you, Julie and Viola and Elizabeth." He shook their hands, lingering a bit before he released Elizabeth's hand.

"You as well." Elizabeth led Jack to the door since Tom seemed to be frozen in place. "So, I guess we might be seeing you around?"

"Maybe. Goodbye, Elizabeth." He gave her a dimpled grin and a slight wave before she closed the door behind him.

"You okay, Tom?" Elizabeth returned to her brother's side, rubbing his back gently.

"Yeah." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Can we have a raincheck on dinner? I think I just want to go to bed."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. And please don't mention this to mom and dad. I'm looking at you, Vi." He shot her a look.

"I don't know what you're talking about. My lips are sealed." She pretended to zip her lips closed.

"Okay. We'll clean up and get going." Elizabeth hugged him. "Love you, Tom."

"Love you guys. I'll see you all next weekend."

They cleaned up the kitchen and checked again that Tom would be okay before they headed out to the parking lot.

"So, should we just go home or…?" Julie questioned.

"Let's go back to our place. I think we have some leftovers we can heat up. You up for that, Vi?"

"Yeah. Mike isn't expecting me home for another couple of hours. Besides, we can't let this wine and dessert I brought go to waste." Viola held out the bag she was carrying. "I'll meet you there."

An hour later, they found themselves sitting in the dining area in Elizabeth's and Julie's apartment.

"It's just so weird," Julie stated. "Tom has a brother."

"Might have a brother," Viola corrected. "I still don't fully trust this guy."

Elizabeth sipped her wine. "But what if it's true, Vi? This could change Tom's life."

"Yeah, and if he's lying, it could change all of our lives."

"I think I believe him."

"We don't know him, Liz."

"I know that." She trailed her finger along the stem of her glass. "There was just…something about him, though. He seemed genuine."

"Remember Charlie? He seemed genuine, too."

"Hey, no need to bring up my mistakes," Julie protested.

"Sorry. Anyway, I think he needs to give more proof than just an old picture."

"I'm sure mom and dad will insist on having more proof, too."

"I just hope he doesn't take forever to mention it to them. They need to know about this."

"And I hope you remember that you promised not to say anything to them." Julie shot her a look.

Viola rolled her eyes. "I'll give him a week. If he hasn't told them by then, I might have to take matters into my own hands."

"And there's the Viola we all know and love." Elizabeth chuckled.

...

"Hey, Jack."

He looked up as his partner, Detective Lee Coulter, took a seat at the desk across from him. "Hey, Lee."

"So? Any news?"

"Yes, actually." He cleared his throat. "I found him."

"You did?"

Jack nodded. "It was surreal, Lee."

"Well, congrats, man."

"It's just crazy. I hadn't seen him since I was seven years old and he was a baby. Now, he's a man, living on his own, going to school. I never thought I'd see him again."

"Wait, you spoke with him already?"

"Mhmm. I went to his apartment to see him in person."

Lee raised his eyebrows. "And how did he take that? Did you freak him out?"

"A little. I didn't get much chance to talk to him, though. He seemed overwhelmed, so I left before I overstayed my welcome."

"I'm sure he'll get back with you when he's ready."

"I hope so. I've gone so long without a real family—besides you and Rosie, of course; it'd be great to have him back in my life." Jack leaned back in his chair. "And I'd like to get to know the rest of his family better if he'd let me. I met his sisters last night." His face warmed at the thought of Elizabeth.

Lee noticed his friend's reaction and smiled. "You like one of them."

"What? No. No, I don't like one of them. I don't even know them."

"You're blushing, man." Lee chuckled. "And you just said you'd like to get to know them better."

"And you're starting to sound like your wife."

"Take that back."

"Nope." He grinned.

"So what's her name?"

"Don't you have work to do?"

"You know that Rosie isn't going to let this go once she finds out."

"There's nothing to find out. I don't have a crush!"

"Just embrace it, man. Speaking from experience, married life is great. You really should try it."

"Well, I'm not marrying her because I do not have a crush on her."

"Tell me that again in a few months once you've gotten to know her better."

"Let it go, Lee."

Even though Lee dropped the subject and started discussing a current case with him, Jack kept finding his mind drawn to Elizabeth—the woman he did not have a crush on.

Well, not a big one.