AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter25
Lara sat in Tate’s truck, twisting her fingers together. “I could have driven myself.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t. But you were distraught and I’m still worried about Kent and the BRR watching you.”
She exhaled loudly and sat back in the seat.
“How long has your mom been sick?”
“It’s been a while now. She’s always been prone to sickness. She was weak. But about twenty years ago, she got worse. Then about four years ago doctors said her heart was slowing down. They didn’t say congenital heart failure, but they said her heart muscle was weak.”
“I assume she’s on medication for it?”
She inhaled. “Yeah. Dad takes care of her medical needs. She was doing so much better until about two months ago.”
“Has she seen a different doctor? Sometimes a second opinion is helpful in ferreting out problems.”
“Dad said he took her in and adjusted her medication.”
She sat up straighter. “You need to turn on the next road.”
Tate navigated the corner, and she gathered her thoughts. “Do you think my dad is involved with the BRR? Is that what you were implying earlier?”
He rotated his head on his shoulders. “I suppose it sounded that way. To be honest, I don’t know what’s going on between your dad and the BRR. But…” He turned to look at her, then licked his lips. “Lara, something isn’t right.”
She huffed out a breath but said nothing. She pointed to the driveway in front of her parents’ home.
“Do you want to come in with me?”
“Sure. If you don’t think your mom will mind.”
She shrugged. “To be honest, she’s too tired to care about much lately.”
He exited the truck and walked around the front to her door. It had been a long time since anyone had treated her like a lady. The fact that he cared to do so made her heart swell.
He opened her door and held his hand out for her. She smiled when she looked into his eyes. Since the day she’d met him, actually the day after she’d met him, she’d thought he was handsome. Now, looking into his dark eyes, her tummy swirled. When their hands touched, she felt alive. Goose bumps skittered up her arms and her breathing came in fast spurts.
As they walked toward her parents’ home, he took her hand in his and she felt like she did on her first date with Chad Johnson; back in her freshman year in high school, they went to homecoming together. Was it sad that she’d hadn’t felt like that since? It was sad for her.
She opened the lid on the keypad on the side of the garage and entered a code. The door opened and they ducked under instead of waiting for it to open completely.
Tate stepped into the house behind her and she scanned the kitchen. It was spotless. Eerily so, like no one had cooked in it for a long time. That didn’t make sense. Her brows pinched together, and she met Tate’s gaze. Her shoulders lifted in question.
“Mama?” she called out.
Coughing sounded from the back of the house, and Lara hurried through the kitchen and down a hallway. Tate followed close behind.
Her mom laid on the floor, coughing, as they entered the bedroom.
“Mama. How long have you been lying on the floor?”
Lara tried lifting her upper body to aid her coughing. Tate touched her shoulder, and she stepped aside. He bent and easily scooped her mom up and placed her on the bed. Lara puffed pillows up behind her mom as Tate stepped back.
As the coughing slowed, she sat beside her mom on the bed and motioned toward Tate.
“Mom, this is Tate Vickers. Tate, this is my mom, Laylah Bennit.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bennit.”
