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“I may already have one leg in the grave, Mr. Two Legs, but I’ll take you all the way there with me if I ever catch you with my wife again.”
I hung my head, wishing I could disappear into the water, not daring to make eye contact with Liem.
Or with Mom.
But out of my periphery, I noted how Monny Lott simply sat there, his long years in the military showing in his proud posture even while in his wheelchair, content to survey his morning’s work with nothing but smug satisfaction written across his face.
Maybe Liem would get him to Dawn’s. If they got out of here quick enough to survive until then.
I flicked my gaze to Paul, who just stood there, mortified, unable to form a response.
Fair.
Mom sat quietly in the passenger seat of my car on the drive back to their house.
Too quietly.
My old Rav didn’t handle the bridge gracefully, the tha-thunk tha-thunk tha-thunk jostling Mom’s petite frame as she braced herself by clutching the roof handle—or the “oh shit handle,” as Dad called it.
When the bay finally disappeared behind us, she broke her silence.
“Why now, son?”
I furrowed my brows but kept my eyes on the road. “What do you mean?”
“Before this weekend I got the sense that you were preparing to go back to Gulf Shores. And now you are leaving, but not to go back there. So, it makes a mother wonder what has made her son change direction. It makes me wonder why you think you need to stay here long enough to live on a boat.” She didn’t phrase it like a question, so I kept quiet, wondering if she had more to say.
She did.
“Or is it that there is a reason that you want to stay now? Because before I asked where you were going this morning, I received an interesting text message. Do you know what that message was?”
I shook my head slightly as I shifted down a couple of gears before coming to a stop at a red light.
“Well, I’ll tell you. It was a photo of your Aunt Arizona and Uncle Gilbert. Behind them was a breathtaking sunset. From a familiar condo balcony. Why didn’t you tell us that they’re staying in your condo, son? I didn’t even know how to answer her message. I haven’t even told your dad about it.”
I glanced at her apologetically but had to put my attention back on the road when the light turned green. “I’ll tell him today. It happened quickly. I called Aunt Ari yesterday, and she happened to mention that they weren’t happy with their rental, so I decided to let them rent my condo. I told her where to find a spare key, and I guess she wasted no time moving in. You know how she is.”
“I do.”
Her short response was worse than any reprimand. “You’re right, Mom. I’m sorry for how that made you feel. I didn’t intentionally keep that information from you.”
“You know that we appreciate your help, but we are capable adults. We made this decision, and it is on your father and me to do what is necessary in order to handle it. It’s not your responsibility or your brother’s.” My chest felt tight as she said softly, “We are your family, not your burden.”
I took my hand off the gearshift and squeezed her much smaller one. “Mom.”
She sniffed. “It has been hard, son. I won’t deny that. But this morning…. I think it was a sign of a turn in our luck. Seeing your dad like that after all these weeks of healing and adjusting….”
I squeezed her hand again. “I know.”
“I know you do. You see everything, and we are so lucky that you are ours.”
I glanced at the slight woman beside me, and my heart swelled with the knowledge that if her assessment was true, then it was a trait I learned—or inherited—from her.
16
BREE
Caffeina was maybe the best thing about Fortuna.
