“You are,” Kate agreed. “But that doesn’t make it okay. So, what do I need to know?”
Amanda cast a glance his way, and Kate immediately said, “It’s okay. He’s had a personal glimpse into our family dynamics.”
“Lucky you,” Amanda said with a tilt of her lips. “Welcome to NGEFBHC.”
“Excuse me?”
Kate chuckled, looking slightly embarrassed. “The Not Good Enough for Beth Handelmann Club.”
“So,” Amanda continued, “Karyn was upset that no one had bothered to check in on you, especially since you were in the accident. She’s also not happy that Luther is the one running the store. She says she doesn’t trust him.”
That made two of them.
“He’s a snake,” said a voice from the other room.
A woman appeared in the doorway. Besides being slightly older and with much shorter hair, she was otherwise Kate’s doppelgänger.
She immediately went to Kate, placed both hands on her shoulders, and looked her up and down. “I’d hug you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
Kate wrapped her good arm around her and pulled her in for a hug anyway. “Worth it,” she said.
The woman looked at him over Kate’s shoulder. “This him?”
“Yes.”
The woman released Kate but remained close by Kate’s side.
“Chris, this is my sister Karyn. Karyn, Chris Sheppard.”
She appraised him but spoke to Kate, “Is he treating you well?”
“Yes.”
“Then, I approve.”
He liked her, too.
Karyn moved over to the brunette, slipped an arm around her waist, and kissed her. “Is that your Korean barbecue I smell?”
Amanda grinned. “Yes.”
“Is it any wonder I love this woman? She’s the only one who can rival Kate in the kitchen. Come on. Let’s eat. We have a lot to talk about, and it’s best not done on an empty stomach.”
He wanted to hear what Karyn had to say but also didn’t want to intrude. He offered to leave, but both Kate and Karyn vetoed that idea.
“It’s important you know what you’re getting into,” Karyn told him.
Conversation was light at first, focused on catching up. He listened mostly. Over dinner, he learned that Karyn was a lawyer who specialized in corporate law, and Amanda was a forensic accountant. They’d been living happily on the West Coast but missed the seasonal variety of the East Coast and were thinking of relocating eventually.
“You would hate SoCal,” Karyn told Kate. “Insane cost of living, people and cars everywhere, perfect sunny weather ninety-nine days out of a hundred. It’s a nice place to visit, but it wears on you after a while.”
They asked about Sanctuary, and he explained the concept at a general, high level, that they were turning the old resort into a place where service men and women could reacclimate to civilian life in a safe environment. Both Karyn and Amanda were very supportive.
After dinner was cleared away, they sat with coffee, tea, and locally made apple crumble from Obermacher’s, and then they got into the heavy stuff.
“Nothing’s changed, has it?” Karyn said with a sigh. “Mom is clinging to some antiquated June Cleaver ideal, Kylie’s still a spoiled brat, Dad just wants to keep the peace, and you’re the one who quietly takes care of everything.”
Kate frowned, but it was probably the most accurate description of the family he’d heard, based on what he’d seen.
“Admit it, Kate. They don’t appreciate you.”
“They do ... in their own way,” Kate protested quietly.
“Bullshit. You do so much for them, and they don’t even acknowledge it. Working every day in the store for peanuts when you could have had a free ride to that cooking school. Have they ever once thanked you for that? Suggested that you stop living their dream and start living your own?”
“Dad needed help.”
“Then, he should have hired someone! Or better yet, made Kylie work in the store like we had to, so you could have a chance.”
“It’s the family business. I can’t just walk away.”
“Family business, huh? Then, why did Mom say she’ll be glad when Luther takes over?”
Kate went pale. “She said what?”
Karyn nodded. “Apparently, Mom’s got it all worked out. You marry Luther and give her the grandkids she wants so badly, and she and Dad can get a retirement condo in Florida.”
He raised an eyebrow in question. Kate’s face turned red, and the look in her eyes begged him not to say anything. It was then he knew that she hadn’t told her mother or Karyn about her inability to have children.
Kate turned to her sister. “No, you’re wrong. I’ve made it very clear that I am never going to marry Luther. Ever. Besides, they can’t afford a condo in Florida.”
“That’s what I said, but she said Luther’s been handling their accounts and that their retirement funds are ‘substantial.’” Karyn shook her head. “I don’t like that guy, Kate. There’s something really shifty about him.”
“He handles a lot of local accounts, including Handelmann’s.”
“Do you ever check the books?”
Kate shook her head, frowning. “No, I’ve never had a reason to.”
Cage’s intel about Renninger being the subject of an IRS investigation rattled around in Mad Dog’s head. He’d been fairly quiet up until that point, but this was the perfect opportunity to say something.
“Maybe Amanda could take a look at them while you’re in town,” he suggested.
Karyn nodded thoughtfully and turned to her wife. “That’s a really good idea. Would you?”
“Of course,” Amanda said. “Anything I can do to help.”
Mad Dog decided that was as good a time as any to take his leave. They had a lot to talk about. “Well, I should be getting back. Thank you for the dinner. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
They responded in kind while Kate frowned and walked him to the door.
“I’m really sorry about this. Thanks for not outing me in there.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. And you’re welcome. They don’t know, do they?”
She shook her head and shifted her weight from one foot to the other and then back again. “No. No one does, except you.”
“It’s just never come up?”
She shrugged. “Something like that. It’s never seemed like a good time, and honestly, I’m hoping I never have to.”
He understood. He hadn’t shared his sterility with anyone either.
“Chris, is there something you’re not telling me? About Luther, I mean.”
“Like what? That he’s an asshole?”
She smiled briefly at that. “No. That, I’m already quite well aware of. I have a feeling that maybe you know more about the situation than you’re letting on.”
He pulled her to him. “Maybe I just don’t like anyone thinking you have a future with the guy.”
“Not a chance of that,” she assured him and then shook her head. “I’m just tired, I guess. I’m going to miss you.”