“That man of yours, he’s a sweet one,” Mama allowed. “A good, salt-of-the-earth man. And the way he looks at you, like the sun rises just to shine on your face. I couldn’t be happier that you’re with him, truly. It’s just….”
I waited silently.
“I suppose I shouldn’t fuss. I didn’t realize how hard it was for you, to be down here, until I listened to you last night. I thought long and hard about what you’d said. Maybe I should have gotten you tested earlier. I just miss you when you’re gone. And I’m worried about you out there in the world. There’s no family out there to turn to if something goes wrong.”
“I have a great many excellent colleagues out there that I work with. And trust me, I’m not limited on family. The Havilis have taken me in like I’m one of their own. I’ve been assured by Mama Havili that if something goes wrong, and I don’t call her? My neck’s on the line.”
Her eyes came back up to mine and she looked at me steadily, curiously. “They really like you?”
“They really do. It’s mutual. I like them just as much. Mama Havili learned how to adapt her recipes so she could cook for me. I’ve never been to her house without being fed something.”
That cleared the doubt from her expression. A Southerner understood that if you go into a woman’s house and she feeds you, she likes you. If there’s no food offered, get out and get out fast, as she hates your guts.
“And Brandon’s not about to let anything happen to me,” I promised her, again meaning every word. “It kills him if he thinks he’s failed to protect me.”
“That’s clear,” she agreed without hesitation. Then she sighed, a lifetime’s worth of sighs rolled into one. “I suppose the world outside of your home has been kinder to you than here. No wonder you’re adamant about not returning. But I will see you as often as you can make it here, alright? You promise me that.”
I dearly wished I could give her exact dates and promises. But the job wouldn’t allow me that. “I promise I’ll try and try hard. We travel a lot, and if I’m nearby, I will stop in even if it’s just for a night.”
“Good.”
“And I hope to see you sooner rather than later.” This seemed the right time to ask, and she’d given me a good segue. I wanted to offer a good olive branch and this might be the right tactic. “How about you fly up to Nashville for a weekend sometime soon?”
She squinted at me with narrowed eyes. “What are you plotting?”
The woman did know me well. “Here’s the thing. My Accord is sitting parked at the Havilis’. I haven’t needed it at all. Brandon always drives, and now, because the FBI gave us the Tahoe, we have three vehicles. It just doesn’t make sense to let a good vehicle sit there.”
“You want to give it to me to drive? But you’re making payments on that, aren’t you? Why not just sell it?”
I’d expected this argument and thought of a counter argument. “Remember how much trouble we had for me to buy it to begin with, because I had no credit history? I can’t renege on the first thing I’ve bought; I’ll be screwed.”
Her mouth opened in an O. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Better keep it, pay it off,” Edmée encouraged, still at the stove cooking. “And Aunt Adelle, he’s right. It makes no sense for the car to sit there, especially with yours giving you all that trouble. If you feel bad about it, sell your car. Use the money to help pay off his.”
Bless Edmée. I could’ve kissed her. “And when you fly up to get the car, you can meet everyone. It’ll be great fun, I promise you.”
That sweetened the deal for her, I could tell. “Well. Let me think about it, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”
Ha. I’d won even if she hadn’t admitted it yet.
10
“Don.” I headed outside as I answered, as it was too crowded inside the little house to easily hear him.
“Hey, little brother.”
“You know I hate it when you call me that.”
“Of course. It’s why I do it. How are things going down there?”
Blowing out a breath, I ran a hand through my hair. It had gotten much longer than the short buzz I preferred. I made a mental note to get it cut. “Good and bad. Good news, we found the ghost and Mack forced it to pass on. It did a lot of damage before we managed that, though, so we’ve got sheetrock and furniture to repair.”
“Ouch. I’m afraid to ask about the air mattress and sleeping bags.”
“Total write-off, bro. Send me links to things you like and I’ll buy you the replacements.”
“That bad, huh. Okay, I’ll do that. But you’re both fine?”
“Meh, a few bruises for me. Mack’s fine.”
“If you’re both fine, then what else is going on?”
“Mack’s mom isn’t doing real good—there’s a full story behind it, but short version is Mack sent her a thousand dollars to buy a new fridge with. There’s no new fridge, money’s gone, and his mom’s lost twenty pounds. At least. There was barely any food in the house. And to top that off, every time I offer to do something, it either starts an argument with Mack or he gives me these eyes, like he can’t figure out why I’m offering. Or maybe he can’t believe I’m sincerely willing to do something for a person I barely know.”
“Ah. That look. Yeah, it’s hell, isn’t it? Being on the receiving end of that.”
The understanding in his voice was perfectly sympathetic. My ears perked. “Does Jon do this?”
“Less often, now. It’s this weird juxtaposition with him. He knows he needs help on a regular basis, he’s perfectly frank on his shortcomings. But if you offer to help, he doesn’t know how to gracefully accept it. His initial, knee-jerk reaction is to be suspicious of why you’re offering. Or to feel like a burden. Usually both.”
He could have been describing Mack. “Shit. That’s Mack all over. Why they hell are they so alike on this?”
“My guess is because they’ve unfortunately got too much in common. They both grew up with abilities no one around them understood. They had to rough it out themselves, figure it out, and they didn’t have reliable help in that process. It’s left them with some mental and emotional hang-ups because of it.”
I let my head fall back, eyes slipping closed. “God, Don. The thought of my sweetheart going through hell like that…makes me want to kill someone.”
“Yup. Felt the same way many a time. Want me to tell you what worked with Jon?”
“I’m all ears.”
“Patience. Patiently keep repeating the offers. Follow through on them consistently. Words don’t have much of an effect on them—they’ve heard pretty promises before to no good end. But do tell him, when the moment seems right, that he’s not a burden to you. That he’s your top priority. Took about six months with Jon before it really sank in. And that’s with his eyes.”
“Which see everything. Damn. I might have more of an uphill battle with mine.”