For a split second, wariness appeared in her eyes; then she shook it off. “So? There are things about me that you don’t know, either.”
That put him on edge. “Like what?”
“You’ll be here through the summer, right? That’ll give us time to get to know each other. I’m sure I’ll still feel the same way.”
Suffering his own dose of wariness, Brogan eyed her. “What way is that?”
“That Connie was a loving mother who ensured her daughter’s happiness by making a great choice of guardian. You.”
Her opinion would definitely change when she knew the truth. She had a right to know, so he decided to get to it. “There are some things I should tell you. See, Connie left … well, not a journal, really, but a notebook full of explanations. Things she wanted me to know.”
Pixie said nothing.
“A lot of it was stuff about her parents. Her mother, our father.”
“Really awful stuff?”
God, he was botching this. “They didn’t beat her or anything, but physical abuse isn’t the only kind.”
“I agree.”
“She wanted me to understand why they weren’t named as guardians, I guess, in case I balked at the responsibility.”
“Get real. Never for a second did she believe that.”
No, Connie hadn’t, but how could Pixie know so soon? “She didn’t want me to use them as even occasional babysitters, either. She left a nice life insurance policy, plus a house, car, bank account—stuff that she said should help if I needed to hire a sitter.” Not that he had access to the house. That was going to take a while, because Ruth and Brian had moved in.
“Hmm, I haven’t thought of any of that yet, but I probably should.”
Did she think he was pointing fingers? “You have Marlow and Cort, right? You know they’d take care of Andy.”
“True, and Andy’s grandparents are wealthy. It’s a struggle to keep them from taking over.”
The casual mention threw him off for a moment. “Are they involved in Andy’s life?”
“They are now, at least somewhat.”
“Somewhat?”
“At first, they resented me. It’s a long story, but right now, we’re talking about you.”
Brogan pressed on anyway. “You’ve worked out your differences?”
Appearing confused at his curiosity, she shrugged. “They idolized their son and saw me as a stain on his reputation.”
Protective instincts reared up. “What the hell?”
“It’s fine. They came around, and now they consider Andy a link to their son. We don’t see them often, mostly because I still won’t do things their way—and no, I’m not going into that right now. I’ll just say that the animosity is over. Now they’re distant, but doting, grandparents.”
“Distant and doting can’t coexist.”
She grinned. “I guess not, but I meant that when they see him, it’s all adoration. That happens a few times a year. They send gifts, have a trust fund set up for him, and generally invite us to travel with them during holidays.”
“Do you?”
“No. I want Andy to have a simpler life, at least for now. When he’s older, he can expand the relationship if he wants. Inthe meantime, they’re affectionate with him, but they lead busy lives.”
“You like them, though?”
