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“Hettie,” I warned.
“You know what it’s like. Maybe knowing you’re close by will help him.”
I pushed off the doorway and walked to the island. I grabbed a lemon out of the flowered bowl. She wasn’t going to let this go easily.
“You won’t hurt them, Vic,” she said quietly.
She didn’t know that because I didn’t know that. “They can stay here with you and Addie.”
“Of course they can, but Macayla and Jackson need their space, and Jackson loves the cabin. It’s good for him there.”
I opened a drawer in the island and pulled out a knife. I cut the lemon in half, then squeezed the juice into a teacup.
She continued, “I know you think being alone is what you need, but it’s never done you any good. You need family around you.”
My hands closed into fists on the counter and my muscles tensed.
“Your real family, young man. The ones who matter. Addie, Jaeg, Gabriel, Callum, and Ethan.” She paused. “And I’m not blind. Callum’s still family, regardless of his choices and whatever happened between you.”
“My choices don’t include money laundering and dealing illegal contraband.”
She picked up her tea. “He calls.”
Of course he did. He was a coldhearted crime lord with a shitload of charm, and he used it to get what he wanted. Which included keeping on Hettie’s good side.
We moved out onto the front porch, and Hettie sat in her rocking chair. I leaned up against the railing and set the lemon water on the top rail.
Hettie talked. I listened. Or semi listened because my brain was still distracted by having seen Macayla this morning when she drove out. How she stopped and looked at me while I was talking to Jaeg, who happened to be bitching about me not letting Jackson and Macayla stay in the cabin. How she nervously licked her upper lip. How I could swear that even from that far away, I could see her cheeks turn pink.
“… and Caity Killington needs to put a sock in it. She just can’t keep her mouth shut and stay out of other people’s business.” She went on about the old grain terminals and how they wanted to tear them down.
Hettie’s voice stopped and she was quiet a minute as she sipped her tea. Another minute went by. Then another. Okay, something was brewing.
I waited.
She settled her teacup back on the saucer. “I heard from Gertrude that Hester saw Mac knock over a pyramid of kidney beans in Food Basics last week when Dale Richards walked past her. She said that Mac looked scared out of her wits.”
I didn’t know who Dale Richards was, but suddenly I wanted to know everything about him. I dipped my head, staring at the scuff mark on the toe of my boot. Don’t get involved. She’s safer if you stay clear.
But the reality was that I was already involved. I’d been involved since the second I looked into her eyes again.
Because everything inside me wanted to protect her. Protect them. And that included protecting them from me. From what I was capable of. It was why I needed them gone.
I picked up the teacup and sipped, not trusting myself to speak.
“She hasn’t said anything, and the boy hasn’t mentioned what’s happened, just like you didn’t. Addie told me not to meddle, but I’m concerned. I think she may be running from an abusive husband or boyfriend.”
I remained silent. I suspected the same thing.
“Maybe Jaeg knows and that’s why he’s been avoiding me.”
Oh, I had no doubt he knew something because he’d spoken to North, and Hettie had a bullshit radar, which was exactly why he was staying clear of her. He’d be picking apples for the next century.
“Addie and Jaeg don’t like to worry you.”
She flicked her hand dismissively. “I can look after myself and have for sixty-two years.”
Hettie was the strongest woman I knew. She’d also been my lifeline when I needed it the most. If it wasn’t for her, I’d likely be in prison right alongside Hank, or dead right now.
