“No. I don’t think anyone was willing to report what had happened. They all felt bad. She got disability payments,” he continued. “That covered the bills, but not her care. She couldn’t stay by herself. I worked after school for a while, but that meant more time I needed to pay someone to be with her, so I got a night job as a janitor. I worked while she slept.”
She swore under her breath. “When did
“When I got older. I could only pay for someone to be around so many hours a day. We had great neighbors. They would look in on her. College was harder, because I was gone during the week. I could drive home on weekends to check on her and I did, but those years were tough.” He hesitated. “She went into a group home for a while. My last two years of college. She seemed to like it, so that was something.”
He didn’t sound convinced.
“Garth, you can’t blame yourself for that. You’d done more than most people. You took care of her when you were still supposed to be a kid. You were totally alone. You can’t beat yourself up for that.”
“I don’t. I blame Jed.”
“He deserves it.”
She’d known for a while why Garth wanted to destroy Jed, but listening to his story made the reasons more real and immediate. The money to save Kathy Duncan would have meant nothing to Jed. It was pocket change. He’d once cared about her enough to sleep with her and later set up a trust fund that should have taken care of her for the rest of her life. If tragedy hadn’t struck. Now all their lives were different, because of one thoughtless act.
“Where does Kathy live now?”
“Around the corner from the pet store. I bought her a little house with a garden. She has someone stay with her when she’s not at work. Her caretakers take shifts. They’ve been with her seven or eight years. It works.”
He’d solved the problems he could, she thought. The logistics. But there was nothing he could do to get his mom back. Not to the way she’d been.
They walked into the pet store. The teenager in front greeted them.
“We have new puppies,” she said with a grin. “Kathy’s taking care of them.”
Garth nodded.
Was it always like this? Did he have a coded conversation every time he came in, finding out from people how his mother was doing? What happened on a bad day?
They headed for the rear of the store. Kathy sat beside a large pen watching three black Lab puppies tumble and play. She looked up and beamed when she saw her company.
“Garth!” She scrambled to her feet, then took the latte he offered. “You came to see me.”
He kissed her cheek. “It’s Saturday.”
She nodded, her eyes wide and happy. “You always come on Saturday.” She turned to Dana. “You’re friends now. I knew you would be.”
Dana blinked and tried to smile.
Kathy was casually dressed in jeans and a bright pink polo shirt. A green smock with Titanville Pet Palace on the front covered her from shoulders to knees. She held her coffee in both hands, still smiling, as if her day couldn’t get better.
“The puppies are nice,” Garth said. “Have you found homes for them yet?”
“Two,” Kathy said. “They’ll be by later to pick them up.” She looked at Dana. “You’ll need a dog, but not for a while. You’re still not ready.”
Dana shifted in place. “I’m, um, not really a pet person.”
“You will be.”
There was a scary knowingness in Kathy’s happy expression, as if she could see dimensions the rest of the world didn’t even know existed. Determined not to be totally freaked out, Dana smiled back and shifted so Garth was between her and Kathy.
Kathy put her coffee on a shelf by the pen and took one of his hands in both of hers.
“You’re not so sad today.” She released him, then returned her attention to Dana. “I’ve known Garth a long time.”
“I know. He loves you very much.”
Kathy’s smile widened. “I’m lucky.”
“Yes, you are,” Garth said quietly, then kissed her cheek. “I’ll be by to see you later this week,” he promised.
“Okay.”
Kathy dropped down by the puppies and spoke softly to them. Dana studied her for a moment, wondering if they were forgotten now, until the next time she saw one of them. Did Kathy remember or dream or long for something different? Or was she happy in her own world?
Garth had gone out of his way to give her a good life, but what had he given himself? What were
“God, I hate this,” he muttered as they left. He tossed away his half-finished coffee. “Seeing her like that.”
“I was just thinking you’ve made her a lovely life.”
“I have money to spend on her, so I’m one of the lucky ones. I know that. But this isn’t her. My mother was a vibrant, funny, smart woman who saw the ridiculousness in life. She loved to argue politics and read a book a day. She talked about wanting to travel. We were supposed to go to Europe for the summer when I graduated high school. Every week we put twenty dollars into a special savings account. By the time I graduated, it would have been enough.”
His pain was a living creature breathing down the back of her neck. She didn’t know what to say-how to help him feel better. Then she realized there would never be the right words. Telling him no one deserved this wouldn’t make a difference at all.
Not knowing what else she could offer, she reached for his hand and laced her fingers between his.
He looked at her, his dark eyes clouded with hurt and anger. “You don’t strike me as the hand-holding type.”
“I’m not. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone.”
“I won’t say a word.”
DANA GOT HOME A lot earlier than she’d planned. After visiting Kathy, Garth had announced he needed to go into the office. She suspected he mostly needed some time alone to bury himself in work so he could forget…at least for a little while. He’d promised to call her later so they could go to dinner, but she wasn’t holding her breath.
Her relationship with Garth was confusing at best and not easily defined. Distance between them wasn’t a bad idea.
Dana parked her rental in her space, then walked toward her apartment. She’d barely pushed the door open when every sense in her body went on alert. Without thinking, she shoved her hand into her purse and pulled out her handgun. The purse dropped to the floor and she kicked it out of the way. Then she stepped into the room.
Everything was exactly as she’d left it, with one very real exception. Jed Titan sat on her sofa, reading a magazine.
He glanced up at her, then showed her the front of the magazine.
“That depends on why you’re here.”
CHAPTER TEN
JED TOSSED THE MAGAZINE onto the coffee table, then pointed to the club chair opposite. “I’m here to talk, Dana,” he told her. “Alone. But if it makes you feel like you’re in charge, you can continue to hold the gun.”
She walked to the chair and pulled it away from him, so she wouldn’t be in reach, then sat down. She kept the
