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“Did you two do anything other than have sex on the ship?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m asking you if you guys talked at all?”
“We did.”
“Then how do you not know that his brother died several years ago and his sister is a crack addict living on the streets?”
I fell back in my chair as if someone had just kicked me in the chest. “Bobby, Zack said he didn’t want to talk about his family when I asked about them, and I respected that. He never brought them up again. I had no idea about any of that. What about his mother?”
“She died two years ago.”
“Oh, my God!” I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Valerie was a drug addict or that his younger brother Jake was dead. No wonder he didn’t want to tell me. “What’s wrong with his father?”
“Other than he’s dying?”
“Yes, what medical condition does he have?”
“He has Parkinson’s. It’s pretty advanced.”
I winced. That was a horrible disease to die from. “Bobby, where is Zack living?”
“At home.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure he’s living at home, but where is his home?”
“No, he’s at home. He moved back into his parents’ house after his mom died to help take care of his father. They had a rough year that year. Jake had died not too much before that, and then his father was diagnosed, then his mother suffered a heart attack. Val wasn’t anywhere to be found. Zack was the only one around to help his father.”
I began to gather my things. “Thank you, Bobby. I appreciate you telling me.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to get back to work,” I told him and then rushed away. The only thing I was going to do when I got back to work was tell them that I needed the afternoon off.
Fifteen minutes after I arrived in the lab, I was heading out to the parking lot. I had to know why Zack had held back all that information. Was it because he was embarrassed? Or because he was upset? Either way, if what Bobby said was true, Zack dealt with all of this on his own.
Well, not anymore.
I had every intention of telling him that I would help him as much as he needed. Even if it was only a shoulder to cry on, I would be there for him.
I drove straight out to Plymouth and glanced at my old apartment complex as I drove past. How far I had come since high school.
On the other side of town, I slowed, trying to remember what street they lived on. It had been a very long time since I’d been over here, and normally, I’d been walking and not in a car. I finally found the street I thought was right, but had to do a U-turn, and then the next street I picked was the right one.
In the driveway were two cars, a charcoal gray SUV and a dark-blue sedan. Did one of them belong to a woman? For the first time since I’d made the rash decision to come out here, I wavered. What if Zack was involved with someone? Bobby hadn’t mentioned it, but I hadn’t asked either. Maybe that was the real reason Zack didn’t want to see me.
Well, I was here, and I was an old friend of the family. If there was a woman here, I’d say I came to pay my respects to Mr. Wheeler and then be on my way. Of course, it would be a lie, but whatever.
I got out, straightened my skirt, and headed to the front door. I hesitated just a moment before I knocked, and then I waited as nerves tingled through my body, making my knees quiver. A few moments later, an older woman opened the door.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m wondering if Zack is home.”
She gave a tired smile. “He is, but he’s not accepting visitors at the moment.”
“I’m sorry. I just found out about Zack’s father. I wanted to come by and check on them both.”
