“True, but you want to be where there are people your age and Reese can have friends. You and your brothers were always bringing home neighborhood kids.”
Her house had been the one where everyone had hung out. While having a dozen or so boys playing in the yard or watching TV had created a lot of extra work—not to mention the expense of feeding them all—she’d liked having her boys at home and knowing all their friends.
“Are you worrying about me?” Kent asked as they pulled in front of a two-story Craftsman house.
“Yes, and don’t say I shouldn’t. I’m your mother. It’s part of the job description.” She glanced at the house. “This is nice.”
“Josh owns the house,” Kent grumbled. “I’m not sure I want him as my landlord.”
Josh had moved into their house when he’d been ten or twelve, Denise thought fondly. His mother had abandoned him, literally. The town hadn’t wanted to turn him over to the state, so she and Ralph had taken him in. He’d been one more kid in an already crowded house, but they wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“On the other hand, you can threaten to humiliate him by telling stories about when he was younger.”
Her son grinned. “Good point.”
They got out of the car and walked toward the house. Josh had said he would leave it unlocked, so she turned the knob and they stepped inside.
The foyer was small, opening onto a good-size living room. While the floors were freshly refinished and the paint was new, the Craftsman details—built-in cabinets and beams over the doors—had been left untouched.
“It’s lovely,” she breathed, heading for the dining room.
“Lorraine would really like it,” Kent murmured. “Craftsman was always her thing.”
Denise came to a stop and had to consciously unclench her teeth.
It had been over a year since Lorraine had walked out on Kent and Reese. Like Josh’s mother, she’d abandoned her husband and her child. A case could be made for ditching a spouse, but what kind of woman left her kid? Lorraine rarely saw Reese, didn’t call or even text. And she wasn’t dead. Apparently Kent had made sure of that. From what he’d told her his ex-wife was living a different kind of life now and didn’t want to be married or deal with her child. Not that she was willing to contribute to child support either. Denise had begged her son to take her to court over that, but he refused.
Kent walked into the kitchen. “This seems fine. Lorraine always liked big windows over the sink.”
Even as Denise told herself this wasn’t her rock to carry, she stalked into the kitchen. She stopped in the center, noted the blue granite went really well with the white cabinets and tile floors, then put her hands on her hips and faced her son.
“It’s been over a year,” she said, hoping she sounded more calm and reasonable than she felt. “A year. Lorraine isn’t on vacation—she walked out on you and Reese. She left her son, Kent. Not a word, not a note, nothing. This isn’t an example of a woman who has feelings. She’s not a good person and she’s not coming back.”
Her son stood with his back to her. She saw the tension in his back and the way his shoulders hunched, and felt crappy.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t say anything. I just hate to see you like this.”
He faced her, defeat in his gaze. “I can’t help loving her, Mom.”
“Have you tried letting go? Are you doing anything to get over her?”
“Are you over Dad?”
Ralph had been gone long enough that she could hear the question without having to deal with the pain. “I still miss him, if that’s what you’re asking, but, yes, I have moved on. I have a life.”
“Good for you, but I’m a different person from you. Lorraine was the one.”
No, Lorraine was a bitch, Denise thought, lowering her arms to her sides. “There can be more than one great love. Maybe if you got out there and started dating, it would help.”
“I don’t want to.”
“So you’re going to spend the rest of your life pining for a woman who doesn’t care about you?”
His body flinched and he looked away. “You weren’t there, Mom. You don’t know what she was like. We have a past.”
Not a very good one, Denise thought, grabbing on to her patience. As for knowing what Lorraine was like— everyone but Kent had figured that out years ago.
“I love you and I hate to see you like this. I want you to at least consider trying to put your marriage behind you. If not for yourself, then for Reese. Don’t you think he knows how much you’re hurting?”
“I don’t talk about it.”
“He’s a smart kid. He’s going to guess. Having you in pain hurts him. Don’t bother trying to tell me I’m wrong. I remember how you kids were every time I cried.”
He walked to the window and looked out. “Maybe.”
It wasn’t much of a concession, but she was going to take it all the same.
He turned toward her. “What about you? Are you really moving on with your life?”
“I’m dating,” she said. “So far not very successfully or with much enthusiasm, but I’m trying. You need to do the same.”
“Will you get off me if I say I’ll think about it?”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Which wasn’t exactly the truth. What she really meant was “for now.” But Kent didn’t need to know that. At least not yet.
CECE DROPPED THE SMALL BALL she held in her mouth and gazed at Kalinda expectantly. The girl giggled, picked up the ball and tossed it toward the end of the bed. Cece bounded toward it, captured it and returned to Kalinda’s side.
They’d been playing the game for nearly ten minutes. Even as Montana watched Kalinda start to tire, Cece dropped the ball and cuddled up next to her. The girl rubbed her back. Cece rolled over to get a tummy rub, as well.
“She trusts you,” Montana told her. “Cece doesn’t let just anyone rub her belly.”
Kalinda smiled. “I like her a lot.”
“She’s certainly helping,” Fay said from the other side of the bed, where she’d pulled up her usual chair.
“Can she stay longer tomorrow?” Kalinda asked, her blue eyes pleading. “Dr. Simon said she could.”
Fay’s expression turned wry. “We probably should have discussed it with you first. I’m sorry about that. We were talking about how Kalinda loves having Cece around. Dr. Bradley said we could use his office as a sort of home base for her. He hardly uses it at all and said she wouldn’t be any trouble.”
Montana supposed she should be pleased that Simon had come so far on the dog front. No longer just germy annoyances, the service animals had become a tool he could use for healing. Yay, her.
But she couldn’t get excited about the plan, mostly because he hadn’t bothered discussing it with her. Not surprising, considering she hadn’t seen him in nearly a week. To say he was avoiding her was to state the obvious.
It was her own fault, she thought sadly. First she’d assumed the worst about him and then she’d taken things too far. Why had she thought it was her place to fix anyone, let alone him? Why did she have to push things? If Simon had some weird ideas that got him through the day, who was she to tell him he was wrong?
But had she considered any of that? Of course not. She’d plowed ahead, pushing in where she wasn’t welcome, and now he was avoiding her and she really missed him.
Aware that Fay was waiting for a response, she forced a smile. “I think it’s a great idea to have Cece spend the day with the two of you. I can bring her in the morning and take her back in the evening. She’s crate trained.” She turned to Kalinda. “That means her dog crate is her home. She sleeps in it whenever she’s in the kennel. It makes her feel safe.”
Kalinda smiled. “It’s like she can take her bedroom with her.”
“Exactly,” Montana said. “I’ll bring the crate, along with some food and a couple of dishes. As long as she gets a walk once or twice in the morning and afternoon, she’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” Fay breathed. “It sounds like a lot of work for you. You don’t have to bring her every day. Just when it’s convenient.”
