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“Nope, but she will be thrilled to meet him when we get there.”
Before we went to her house, we stopped at a local store and did some clothes shopping for him so that he had clean underwear, pajamas, and a few outfits. We changed him out of his dingy clothes in the car and put on one of the new outfits he had picked himself. Neither Mike nor I missed the protruding ribs on his torso and how translucent his skin was from lack of proper nutrition and sunlight.
We drove to Laney and Evan’s house in my SUV, and Harley was quiet on the way. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him yawn. It would have to be a quick visit because I believed he was getting worn out from his adventurous day.
When we pulled up the driveway, Harley spoke up. “Wow! Who lives here?”
“My brother, Evan, and his wife, Laney.”
Harley popped his belt and leaned on the console again. “Are they rich?”
I smiled as I glanced at Mike, and we both said simultaneously, “Yes, they are rich.”
“Hey, jinx! You guys said that at the same time.” He giggled.
“Yes, we did. Come on, Harley, let’s see the house. Wait till you see the huge garden out back with a stream that has fish in it.”
“What? Really? They have fish? I’ve never seen a fish before!”
We knocked on the door, and a moment later, Laney opened the door, glanced at us, and then dropped her eyes down to Harley. “Well, well, well, I have a surprise visitor,” she said and smiled at Harley. “And I am pretty sure I know who your daddy is.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
MICHAEL
It was hard to believe that this little boy had come into my life only hours before. I didn’t know him, but I knew I had to protect him, and I would do anything to do that.
“Who are you?”
She squatted down. “My name is Laney. What is your name?”
“Harley Bollard,” he said, and my back tensed. He went by my last name. I glanced at Candy, and she was nodding.
“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Harley. Come on in, and I’ll show you my garden. Do you like fish?”
“I don’t know. I have never seen a fish before.”
“Never?” She glanced at Candy.
“Um, Harley’s experiences have been, um, very limited.”
“Okay, well, let’s go expand on those.”
“Candy and my dad said you are rich. Are you?”
She snickered, “Yes, I am. Are you?”
He shook his head as he walked beside her and glanced around. “No. Mom said we were poor.”
“Where is your mom?”
“She’s dead,” he said in a voice that sounded like he was talking about the weather.
“I’m so sorry, Harley,” she said as she glanced at me and winced, mouthing sorry.
I nodded to her, and then we stepped out onto the balcony, and Harley ran to the railing. “Wow! This is yours? You really are rich.”
I heard Candy lean toward Laney and say, “We aren’t sure what the thing is about rich. He talks about it all the time.”
