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Instead, he’d let her down so terribly she knew she’d bear the scars of his neglect for the rest of her life. Because of his rejection, she wasn’t sure she could ever truly believe she was worthy of the love she craved and, of course, that interfered when it came to other men. The only guy she’d ever gotten serious with, in Anaconda, had anger issues himself and had gotten in trouble with the law over and over again, and yet, when she finally broke up with him, he told hershewas too combative. “You’re always trying to measure up against the boy your father chose over you—that nephew of his wife’s—and it keeps you too guarded. I can’t break down your walls, can’t get close to you,” he’d said. “You won’t allow it.”
She supposed he was right. She was so jealous of Hendrix she couldn’t help hating him just for being alive. And she was angry almost all the time, which made her prickly.
“He wasn’t going to say anything that would make a difference,” she mumbled, watching the plume of dust kicked up by his tires as he drove off. But she broke into tears as soon as she climbed into her truck and had the privacy to let the emotion that was tearing her up come out.
“Did you do it?” Hendrix asked when his uncle returned to the office.
Stuart didn’t even look at him. “Do what?”
Lynn came into the room, with Leo and Zeus trailing behind, before Hendrix could clarify.
“I told you Hendrix was here,” Leo said, pointing to him the second he came through the door as if he’d solved a great riddle.
Hendrix’s truck was in the drive. It must’ve been obvious to Lynn that he was there. Leo was just expressing his excitement. Hendrix had taken him out earlier for a donut and a walk, but almost every time Leo encountered him, he acted as though they hadn’t seen each other in a long while.
“Hey, Aunt Lynn.” Hendrix hoped Leo wouldn’t mention the donut. He’d told him not to tell, but that didn’t always make a difference. Leo could decide that he should thank Hendrixagainfor the delicious chocolate donutwith the sprinkleswithout even realizing that the people who weren’t supposed to know were in the room.
But no sooner had Hendrix thought about the donut than he noticed his aunt’s remonstrative look, which indicated he no longer needed to worry about her finding out. She already knew.
“Really, Hendrix?” she said, clearly displeased. “Youhadto take Leo to the donut shop when I’ve asked you—over and over again—not to feed him sweets?”
Leo clapped a beefy hand over his mouth but spoke through his thick fingers. “How’d she know?” he whispered like a shocked child. “Ididn’t tell her, Hendrix! I told her wedidn’tget a donut.”
“Yes. You volunteered that little nugget, but it might’ve been more believable if you hadn’t done it with chocolate frosting on your lips,” Lynn said.
Hendrix gave his aunt a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. I took him and Zeus for a walk afterward, if that helps.”
“It doesn’t. Not enough,” she said sulkily. “You’re not helping him by undermining me, you know.”
Hendrix bent to scratch Zeus behind the ears, partly to avoid his aunt’s eyes. He’d agreed to help keep Leo on his diet, and yet he hadn’t come through for her. “It’s just so hard to tell him no. I mean...come on. If I can make his whole day just by giving him a donut...”
“The doctor says he needs to lose some weight,” she said. “You don’t do that by eating donuts.”
Hendrix patted Zeus before standing up. “Fine. I’ll try harder.”
Her expression softened. “I know you love him. But it’s because I love him, too, that I’m asking you to do this.”
Hendrix nodded. She should be able to rely on him to support her efforts. “Okay.” He had a candy bar in his pocket right now. It was a habit to pick up one for Leo whenever he got gas, but he promised himself he’d save it for when his cousin had lost some weight and it was okay with Lynn.
“Have you been to our PO box recently?” she asked, continuing to her desk, which was in the back corner. “I need to make a deposit when I go to town in an hour or so, and there should be some checks waiting for us.”
“I haven’t been by today. I’ll go in a few minutes.”
“Sooner would be better than later.” She gestured at the desk next to hers, which they’d given Leo. “Have a seat, Leo. That coloring book I bought you is in the top drawer, remember? Maybe you can color me a picture.”
He hung his head as he shuffled to his desk. “Are you mad at me?” he asked her, clearly heartbroken at the mere thought.
“No, of course not,” she replied to reassure him.
He lifted his head. “Are you mad at Hendrix? Because I don’t want you to be mad at Hendrix, either.”
“Hendrix broke the rules,” she said, attempting to be a bit harder on her nephew.
“I just wanted a donut,” Leo mumbled, sounding dejected, and she immediately relented.
“Don’t get upset,” she said. “Everything’s fine. Isn’t it, Hendrix?”
“It is now,” Hendrix joked, giving her a victorious smile and stood up to go get the mail—but then he noticed that Stuart hadn’t said a word throughout the exchange and wouldn’t really catch his eye. “Uncle Stu?” he said, remembering what he’d been asking about before. “Are you going to tell me what happened with Ellen?”
