I sip my coffee and glance over at her when she doesn’t elaborate. “Gavin?”

She shakes her head, staring at the tea bag as she bobs it in the hot water. “Jake didn’t share much about himself. Did he?”

My shoulders lift a fraction as my lips twist. I hate that Deedy knows things about Jake that I don’t know. It makes me feel like a fool who spread her legs for him. I fell in love with a man I don’t really know. And he fell in love with the version of me he created. Now our bubble no longer exists, and we are nothing.

“He’s a vegan chef who owns two restaurants. He was a fighter or boxer … or something. I met his dad and Francine. She’s basically me—in his mind. That led to a fight and a confession. His mother committed suicide after losing a battle with depression. She lost a baby, so he’s an only child.” I glance up from my coffee mug. “But I don’t know about anyone named Gavin. And I don’t even know how you two met.”

Deedy removes her tea bag, squeezing the excess water out before setting it on a napkin. “Gavin was my husband.”

I nod slowly.

“And Jake’s uncle.”

My eyes widen, lips parted, words muted as my brain pieces things together. Jake’s uncle. That means Deedy is Jake’s aunt. She’s going to marry my dad. That will make me … Jake’s cousin? No, that’s not right. But it feels like there’s a family tie that makes what we’ve done even more wrong.

“You have a disgusted look on your face. Is it the coffee?”

“No. It’s just that makes Jake …”

“Gavin was his father’s younger brother—a lot younger and nothing like his father. Jake and Gavin were more like cousins or brothers than uncle and nephew. After Jake’s mom died, he lived with Gavin because—”

“He didn’t want to live with his father. He told me that.”

“Yes. Gavin is the one who helped channel Jake’s anger into a better outlet. Fighting. He trained him. Jake was like another brother to me. I never thought of him as a nephew after Gavin and I got married.” She shrugs and gives me a soft smile. “Jake’s my family. He always will be family.”

“Well, clearly he thinks a lot of you because I can’t tell you how many times his mumbled mantra ‘do it for Deedy’ kept him from literally killing me on our trip.”

Deedy grunts a laugh. “Jake feels indebted to me. He feels guilty … responsible for Gavin’s death.”

“Why?” My head cocks to the side a bit.

Deedy takes a slow breath. Then she bites her bottom lip, eyes focused on the blank table space between us.