about her face. However, it had been over twenty-one years since she came to our home, and my three-year-old self wasn’t concerned with remembering what she looked like.
Most of her information was set to private, but I was able to view some of her pictures. However, the only ones I could see were of two girls I assumed to be her daughters—one of which was likely my sister. I was so excited I could barely contain myself.
Both girls were gorgeous, and surprisingly, they looked alike, which meant they also looked like me. Both had blonde hair, though each had a slightly different shade. It was hard to tell an exact height from pictures, but they both seemed to be on the petite side. The one with lighter blonde hair had a leaner frame, and her skin had cooler undertones, while the one with darker hair was the opposite with a curvier frame and warmer skin tone. Still, judging by looks, they could easily be related to each other, as well as related to me.
I saved a couple of the pictures in case I needed to do a reverse image search, but as luck would have it, I found a photo with both girls tagged in it. Unfortunately, the tags were in the corner of the picture instead of on the people in the photo.
Paige Coleman.
Heidi Coleman.
I clicked on Paige’s name since it was the first one my mouse landed on. Her profile was locked down and only allowed me to view her profile picture, which was a cute shot of her and Heidi standing in front of a couple of motorcycles.
Clicking the back button, I clicked the tag to take me to Heidi’s profile. A grin took over my face when her almost public profile filled the page. I decided to start by going through her pictures so I could put a face to a name, but it was like Paige and Heidi were joined at the hip. They were together in every single picture posted on Heidi’s page, and there were hundreds of photos uploaded.
Switching gears, I scrolled through her “About” section and reached for a notebook and pen when I saw she’d listed her current place of employment.
Precious Metals.
After clicking and opening the link in a new tab, I jotted down the phone number and address for the place described as a local family-owned sports bar and grill.
Then, I went back to her main page and started scrolling through her posts. She didn’t generate her own content very often, but she did frequently share posts from others—particularly book-related posts. I squeaked and clapped my hands in excitement. Either my half sister or my half sister’s sister was not only a book lover but a romance book lover.
After several more minutes of scrolling and not finding anything useful, I entered the address listed in my mother’s files into the map app on my phone, surprised to learn that it was only a seven-minute drive. Grabbing my purse, I slipped on my shoes and dashed for my car.
Seven minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of a cozy, ranch-style house. My stomach fluttered with excitement. She could be in there.
My sister.
I had to force myself to walk to the door, instead of run, and to ring the doorbell one time, instead of pounding on the door until someone answered. I bounced on the balls of my feet while I waited. And waited.
I rang the doorbell again and knocked on the door a few times for good measure. Still, no one answered.
Frustrated and disappointed, I stabbed the doorbell several times with my finger and beat on the door. “Hello!” I called out. “Anyone home?”
Silence.
Sighing in defeat, I retreated to my car and started to head back to the hotel. However, I ended up driving around the town, looking for places to check out. But, I wanted to know more before I went out looking for answers again, so I spent the rest of the day in my hotel room searching for more information on the Colemans. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much more than I already had.
I spent the first part of the next day working. I was just barely on schedule, and I wanted to hang on to that for as long as possible before falling behind yet again. It was a common occurrence for me, despite my numerous attempts to break the habit.
Finally, when six o’clock rolled around, I took a shower and got ready to head to the bar