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“How much you been drinkin’, honey?”
“So much,” she confessed instantly. “More than ever before. I’m scared to death.”
“No excuse to abuse spirits, honey. You go on inside and take a nice shower. Maybe a nap. Your old room is empty. Gage is drivin’ us over to Austin in his truck. You know I’m no good on the road anymore.”
“G-Gage is driving us?” Her anxiety ratcheted up a notch.
“Poor thing went on a two-day bender when Rowan’s husband invited us to her surprise party. Tabitha was worried sick about him. Gave him a talkin’ to and he straightened up yesterday. Can’t have him addled behind the wheel.”
Tilting her head, Nina asked, “How are you leaving the home? We’ll be gone two days…”
“Well now, Bennett called a service out of Longview and got them to send a couple of real fine ladies up to take care of the girls I have and keep an eye on the place until I get back.” She shrugged. “I only have three girls right now. Two seven-year-olds and an eleven-year-old. They’re out of school for the summer and Tabitha promised to check on things.”
The elderly woman patted Nina’s hip. “Go on now. You smell like a distillery and I can’t have that ‘round the little ones. Get cleaned up and sleep. Dinner’s at the usual time. If you’re not down, breakfast is still the same time, too.”
As far as confrontation went, it was asriledas the woman who ran the home ever got. She never raised her voice or berated those around her. She stated her displeasure and reinforced a routine to get things back in line.
It was a people skill she’d perfected over fifty years of taking at-risk girls into her home and making sure they were safe and fed day in and day out.
“I love your version of being pissed off, Miss Jeffries.”
“Language, Nina! Tsk, tsk.” She smiled and her pale blue eyes sparkled. “I’m a little ruffled but not too bad.”
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Carrying her suitcase upstairs, she was amazed at the memories that flooded into her mind. She showered, dressed in leggings and a tank top, and stretched out on one of the beds.
She crashed for twelve hours.
Racing downstairs, she skidded into the kitchen. The glare of the sun-filled space, the smell of bacon cooking, and Gage Chambers standing in the middle of the room combined to make her hold up her hand and charge for the downstairs bathroom.
After vomiting violently, she returned to her old room, showered, brushed her teeth, and dressed rapidly.
Entering the kitchen with her chin up, Nina cleared her throat. She started to make an excuse when Gage laughed.
“Seems like you been drinkin’ as much as I have. My nerves are shot, too. No need to explain, Nina.” He walked to her and hugged her lightly. “Good to see you again. I hope Miss Jeffries is prayin’ to beat the band that we make it through this thing.”
Hugging him back, she nodded against his jaw. “Hi, Gage. I’m sorry. Not sure what we’re walking into.”
He released her and stepped back, slipping his hands into his back pockets. “Neither am I but one thing I know for sure is that Rowan wouldn’t roast us publicly. She never believed in airin’ dirty laundry on the street.” He shrugged. “Can’t see her changin’ that much. Can you?”
Nina shook her head. “No. No, I can’t.”
Miss Jeffries tapped her spatula against the pan. “You two quit gabbin’ and eat somethin’. We need to be on the road in twenty minutes. Come on now.”
Hours later, they turned onto the drive of a sprawling mansion estate just outside Austin.
Gage whistled low. “I feel really overwhelmed.”
Smacking him on the arm from the passenger seat, Miss Jeffries said, “Son, you come from money that don’t look much different than this to most folks. Pull it together.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A guard waved them through the massive iron gate after checking their credentials. “Pull through the portico. A valet will take your vehicle.”
Nina’s stomach was in fits as they got out of the truck and were escorted through the house to the back courtyard.
It was Gage who saw Rowan first.
