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“We have a little. Everyone needs help, Sam. Let us help you. We do it for your sisters.”
“Yeah, but they’re here, helpingyou, and they’re married, giving you those grandbabies. They aren’t off two thousand miles away.”
“That doesn’t mean we love them more. We help them, and we can help you,” he said.
“You help them with money?”
“Sure. We babysit a lot. That’s money. And we floated a loan occasionally in the early days. We can do it for you too.”
“No, it was my decision to move away. I should stand on my own.”
He planted both feet on the floor and leaned toward me. “Sammy Jo, you’re so hell-bent on doing everything by yourself. You seem to think you haven’t? Honey, you already are. You’ve successfully lived away from home, with no help from us beyond a little tuition, for nearly ten years. You never asked us for anything. And we’re real proud of that. But I’d be even prouder if you let us help you now and then. Maybe we could be part of it all. We’re your family.”
“But Mom’s always telling me to come home when it gets too rough like she’s expecting me to fail.”
“Not fail. Your mom never wanted you to fail. She wanted you home. She misses you. You’re her baby. And you like to do the same things she does … cook and try new restaurants, you remember?”
I smiled at the memories of Mom and me watching the paper for new places opening. We liked to try the foods and then work out how to make them or what special ingredients were used. Some places were expensive, but we always made it to a least a handful each year, even if it was only for lunch.
“You’re a little special, but don’t tell your sisters, or I’ll call you a liar till the day I die.” He nodded his head with a pointed expression.
“Thanks, Daddy. I guess, if you’re willing, I could use a loan. I was planning to take some out of my retirement fund—”
“Don’t you dare, girl. What do Ialwayssay?”
“Pay your future first and leave it there.”
He saluted me with his glass of tea. “That’s right. You figure out the amount and let us know before you head back.”
Headlights broke through the dimming evening light. A truck door slammed as another truck pulled in beside it.
“Aunt Sam! Aunt Sam!” my four-year-old niece Hailey screeched, running toward me as Dad and I moved down the porch steps.
Ellen, my oldest sister, scrambled after her while Loretta, my middle sister, leaned in for a hug with my nephew Mason drooling and clapping in her arms. A shiny new tooth peeked out of his wet grin.
A third car pulled into the drive. I saw Billy, Ellen’s husband, already.
“Is that Scott, Lo?”
“No, I’m here, carrying all the baby stuff.” He gave my sister a pat on the backside before he joined the rest of us in staring at the new arrival.
A man walked toward the house. I couldn’t make him out in the headlights, but he looked a lot like … “Lucas.”
Damn, he looked good. Well, not good. He was thinner, tired, and he’d clearly had his hands in his hair a lot today.
“Jo.”
“What are you doing here?”
Lucas took in Billy and Scott, all bulging muscles and standing at the bottom of the stairs with arms crossed and trucker-style hats firmly in place. The baby blue diaper bag over Scott’s shoulder somehow made him look even tougher, like he didn’t give one fuck.
“I need to talk to you,” Lucas said.
“And you flew all the way here?” I asked.
“It’s where you are.”
Dad stirred by my side. “Come on, boys, let’s give ’em some privacy. You girls too.”
