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Tom spoke about upgrading the swimming pool for the rest of the journey. A project that Lorry had initiated and was what had prompted her mother to start a full upgrade of the hotel. The swimming pool was last upgraded when Lorry was eight which was a long time ago. It had only taken nearly a year for Barnes Contractors to finally start on the pool. Lorry pushed that thought from her mind reminding herself that Tom was being kind and getting irritated with him would be rude. Thankfully, the journey didn’t take long, and soon they were pulling into the parking area of the country club. Lorry was barely out of the pickup when her mother rushed out the front door.
“You won’t believe what’s happened.” Pat was out of breath as she rushed toward Lorry and Tom, holding her purse in her hands. “A jogger saw what happened and chased the person who mugged me.”
“Really?” Lorry’s brows shot up in amazement.
“You were mugged?” Tom’s face fell as he gazed at Pat in disbelief before looking accusingly at Lorry. “You never mentioned your mother was mugged.”
“It didn’t come up.” Lorry shrugged and turned toward her mother. “Is everything inside?”
“Yes.” Pat nodded. “Everything!”
“That was lucky,” Lorry told her. “Who was the man that retrieved your purse?”
“Do you remember Brand Goddard?” Pat asked.
“Yes, he’s one of Tammy’s teachers,” Lorry answered.
“Wasn’t he also one of Ashley’s crushes when she was in high school?” Pat frowned, trying to remember which one of her younger daughters it was.
“No, I think it was Hannah who had a crush on him,” Lorry corrected her. “He was also one the people who bullied her or let his snooty girlfriend bully Hannah.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Pat nodded before patting her purse. “Well, he’s a hero to me today.”
“I’ll remember to thank him the next time he calls me to discuss Tammy’s science grades.” Lorry wasn’t about to be fooled by one good deed from Brand Goddard.
The man hadn’t been very nice to three of her sisters when he was at school and didn’t have a good reputation from his sports star days either. Brand also had the reputation of being a ladies’ man whose ex-wife died under mysterious circumstances.
“Lorry!” Pat rolled her eyes at her eldest daughter. “You need to learn how to forgive people, my dear, and learn that while a leopard may not be able to change its spots, they can fade over time.”
“Yes, but the spots are still there.” Lorry gave her mother a smug smile.
“I don’t see your car,” Tom changed the subject as he glanced around the parking area.
“It’s at my—“ Pat didn’t get to finish her sentence when Lorry butted in.
“I think my mother left her car at your father’s house!” Lorry drawled, folding her arms and seeing the surprise in her mother’s eyes that Lorry knew.
“Oh!” Tom’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, making Lorry realize he hadn’t known about the relationship. He cleared his throat and recovered from his shock quickly. “Can I give you a lift back to your car?”
“No, it’s okay,” Pat told him. “Now that I have my keys and don’t need my spare, I’m sure Margorie can give me a lift.”
“Do you need to go to the doctor?” Tom asked her.
“No, I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt,” Pat assured her. “But thank you for asking.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tom’s eyes scanned Pat.
“I agree with Tom that we should take you to get checked out by a doctor,” Lorry told her. “You said you had a fall.”
“It’s just a little bruising.” Pat waved them off with a soft laugh. “Now get back to work, the two of you. I know how busy you both are, and I’m sorry to have caused you both distress.”
Lorry didn’t get a chance to reply. Pat’s face turned ashen. Her brow creased into a frown as she started to sway before her eyes closed, and she began to crumple to the floor.
“MOM!” Lorry shouted.
Before Lorry could reach out to grab Pat, Tom had stepped toward her and grabbed her before she hit the ground.
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