"Hey there, sis."
Feeling someone tap her shoulder, Kayla jumped a mile and nearly fell off the bench.
"Roman…" she sighed, wiping at her eyes and stuffing the letters in her purse on top of her phone before turning around, managing a small smile.
"You alright-"
"Yeah, sorry. I'm sorry. I just didn't hear you come up behind me."
"Well, nice to know this old cop still has some skills left."
"If this is your way of telling Mom and I you're giving up the pub to relive your glory days at the SPD…"
"Kayla, are you serious-"
"I'm just saying, today would not be a day to hang up your bar tending skills. Pretty sure they will not go unappreciated by me, or half the crowd over at the Salem Inn right now."
"Yeah, I think the good stuff's gonna be in pretty high demand over there today," Roman acknowledged. "I thought you and Steve had already left for the reception. Didn't see the Bluesmobile in the lot."
"I told Steve to go ahead. He offered to come over here with me, said he was overdue for a visit, too, but I could tell he needed a change of scene."
"Yeah, I saw you take off after him during the service. You made it out of the clearing and up that hill pretty quick. SPD could sure use that kind of skill on the force," he said as Kayla rolled her eyes, running her hand over her face.
"You saw…so I assume everyone-"
"Sis, you and Steve needed to leave, so you did. Heavy days like this can bring out that sort of stuff," Roman said as Kayla nodded in agreement.
"You know you never answered when I asked if you were alright."
"I was just a little jumpy, Roman. I mean, what do you expect when the headstone my family picked out for me is just a few feet from that rosebush over there," Kayla snorted, only to see concern flicker over her brother's face.
"I am managing though," she assured.
"You're sure? 'Cause I admit, I've been white knuckling it here today and Katie wasn't even…being a little on edge. There's no shame in that or in finding a way to deal with it."
"Makes sense I guess we'd both wind up here," Kayla said with a watery smile, fixing the bouquet at her feet.
"Even though now I'm sure she's mad I haven't pulled it together and gone to the reception, made the first toast."
"Well, Kate started one up in the parking lot before we headed to the grave site," Roman said.
"Really? Too bad I missed it," Kayla smirked but saw the worry in her brother's eyes and went serious.
"Roman, if anyone knows how to handle their liquor and handle tough stuff, it's Kate. Victor was a significant part of her life and she'll probably need some time and top-shelf vodka to process everything, but I know she'll lean on you when she has to. For now she may just need a little space."
"You know I know when folks are trapped together in traumatic situations they tend to bond but... I'm not sure I'll ever be used to you talking about Kate like-"
"Like she's my sister-in-law and we're not entirely sworn enemies anymore?" Kayla asked, getting a nod.
"Well, having a common enemy helped. And seeing firsthand that she loves you as much as you love her."
"You say that, and then you say space is the best thing for-"
"I'm just saying for now. In places like this sometimes you need to sort things through by yourself."
"You speaking from experience there, or-" Roman asked before Kayla turned her attention to her purse that was now buzzing. Taking out her phone buried at the bottom of it, then answering it only to get asked by a robot voice about a car warranty, she rolled her eyes and thumbed to her texts.
"Oh, for Pete's sake."
"What is it?"
"Damn thing decides to ring for a spam call but goes radio silent for three texts in a row."
"Is it the hospital, or-"
"No...no. Just Steve. And Steve again. Guess the Salem Inn double-booked the room where the reception was supposed to be. Nobody's been seated yet, they're just stuck at the bar."
"They wanna move things over to the pub? We can accommodate if-"
"No, Steve says another twenty minutes or so they'll have things sorted out. There's no need to rush over there, though."
Kayla said before arching a brow, seeing the message from Kate.
"Well, I guess that gives us more time to track Katie down and-"
"How about I go. Find her," Kayla offered. "I have a feeling you didn't come over to this bench just to talk to me," she said knowingly, getting a nod and a hug before she slipped her heels off and walked back to the clearing.
Once reaching the grave site, she shook her head, seeing Kate slumped back against a tree, sipping directly out of a flask.
"About time you showed up."
"I just saw your text. And just bought you ten minutes to try and sober up before we see Roman and he gives you his patented big brother retired cop 'I'm worried about you' look."
"So you saw my text but didn't read it? 'Cause it said drinks are on me."
"Doesn't look like you have much left there to go around," Kayla noted as Kate rolled her eyes, then waved the flask at her to indicate there was still liquid inside it.
"Oh, I've got enough to share. Once you start to, anyway."
"I'm sorry, you're gonna have to slur a little more specifically here."
"I'm not slurring," Kate scoffed. "And really, that... that's how we're gonna play it?"
"Play what?!" Kayla asked in frustration.
"I didn't come here to drink, Kate. I came here to find you and see how much you'd already had," she sighed.
"Your text saying I was holding out on you? What does that even-"
"It means what it says," Kate interrupted. "I wandered into that church garden at just the right time to hear you talking about an ISA agent whose name starts with S. Who isn't Steve," Kate said as Kayla's eyes flickered.
"I was talking to my mother. Not to you."
"Well, you can't expect to have a completely private conversation in a completely public cemetery. I wasn't going to interrupt, but I wasn't going to stop flower picking just 'cause you made the church garden your own personal confessional."
"Well, if you heard everything I said, that confirmed something you already knew," Kayla reminded. "Why would you say in that text I was holding out on you?"
"I-"
"You knew that Shane and I were involved. Enough to throw it in my face and say that I had a brother-in-law fetish," she spat as Kate rolled her eyes.
"And you said you wanted a new waitress and got all snarky. It's in the past, Kayla. Which is where I thought everything between you and Shane was, but clearly-"
"No...not clearly," Kayla said as her eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you trying to say to me?"
"What were you saying that you wish you could leave at your mother's grave? Whatever's at the end of that love letter you're carrying around in your purse?"
"It's not... it's just a letter."
"And I just keep underestimating you," Kate snorted, shaking her head.
"I mean, fight face, killer instinct. At least when it comes to Megan Hathaway. I was impressed seeing that side of you, but this? Your ex-lover slash former brother-in-law, who's back to being your brother-in-law is back in town for a funeral, and you decide now's is the perfect time to drag your open secret of an affair right back out into the open-"
"That's NOT what it-"
"Fine. Your relationship with Shane that you made no secret about, except to Steve."
"Kate, I-"
"What, were you afraid he'd find out his picture of sweetness and light has a got a dark side?" she snorted as Kayla stormed up to her, grabbing the flask out of her hand.
"Hey!"
"I suggest you do yourself a favor right now and shut up! 'Cause I swear if you weren't in mourning and drunk off your ass-"
"You'd what, go all fight face on the only person around right now who can actually help you?" Kate countered.
"Even mourning and, admittedly, drunk off my ass, you know I'm the best woman for the job."
"I don't know, the woman I was calling my sister-in-law back in the lab seemed to be a better fit," Kayla scoffed.
"Well, I'm sorry vintage Kate has reared her ugly head," Kate retorted. "That said, you have some ugly stuff you're trying to sort out..."
"You can what?" Kayla asked with a scowl. "Sort it out for me?"
"Well, I know what it's like to have to. Dealing with a part of your past, a part of you that caused some problems. Or still could."
Taking her flask back, Kate moved to sit back down in front of the tree.
"Most of the time, you don't want to change it. It was who you were or what you wanted or needed at the time, but coming to terms with it or trying to get someone you love to come to terms with it. Especially if something forces your hand and forces you to deal with it all again, makes you pull it all out and look at it. You know things will get dredged up that you're not proud of. Things that may have defined you then but don't anymore."
Looking up, she rolled her eyes at the stunned look on Kayla's face.
"What. You need me to slur more specifically?"
"Kate, I-"
"No, now I sat in that clearing today and mourned for my crime lord ex-husband who I loved and hated and felt every damn thing in between for once upon a time, all the while holding Roman's hand. The day we found out Victor died, we sat across from each other at the pub for over an hour talking about the past I'd shared with him. It wasn't an ideal conversation to have with the man I just married. Let alone with a retired police commissioner. But the situation forced it and strange as it sounds, I'm glad it did."
"Really?" Kayla asked as Kate nodded.
"We had something get dredged up that we had to look at, and looking at it didn't kill us."
Nodding back, Kayla approached and sat down next to Kate at the base of the tree before taking the flask from her. Uncapping it, she sniffed at the contents.
"What the hell are you-"
"Trying to figure out what the hell you infuse your vodka with," she said as Kate rolled her eyes and took the flask back.
"What? I only wish I could sound that articulate after a round of Stoli shots," she said before getting a better look at the flask and realizing why it felt familiar in her hand.
"It's Grey Goose in here if you must know," Kate corrected, only to frown at the look on Kayla's face.
"And okay, you can have some! Just quit doing that weird staring thing that you're-"
"This flask was Adrienne's, wasn't it?" she asked, getting a nod.
"It was. She told me about that night, you know. Not all the details. Just her seeing you need a little liquid courage to try and talk to-"
"Talk to...explain myself to. Apologize to," Kayla sighed as Kate rolled her eyes and handed the flask to her.
"If you need to handle all that with him again, just go ahead and have the rest."