Benson was worried these people didn’t understand he wasn’t right in the head. The more she talked about him helping her out with little Pete, the more he realized she didn’t care what was wrong with him. Benson, she told him, was a part of her family now, and he could be Pete’s honorary uncle.
“I’ve never been an uncle to nobody before.” She said he’d be a special uncle for him too. An honorary one. “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll be the best honorary one he ever had.”
By the time they got to Mr. Don’s house, he was exhausted. His body was hurting from working. And he’d not had a wink of sleep in all the time he’d been home yesterday.
Every time he thought about home, he’d hurt for his momma. She was in Heaven now, not hurting at all. Mr. Don found him a place to lay down. Benson wanted to hold the little boy, but he knew he needed to rest. If he got too tired, he might hurt the little boy. This was better. Almost as soon as he laid his head down on the softest pillow he’d ever felt, his body just fell asleep before his head did.
~~~
Shirley walked around the house twice before she settled back in the dining room. Anna was already there, playing with her new toys. This house was better than anything she’d ever lived in, along with the fact that she had a good job and a place to hide from David. She wondered what he had been thinking beating up on one of the Foster men.
“Mom, I was thinking about something.” Shirley sat down at the new dining room table and ran her hand along the smooth surface while asking Anna what she’d been thinking about. “You got a nice job now. And I heard Ms. Parker saying you have insurance for all kinds of stuff. Does that mean we can go to the eye doctor too?”
“Yes.” She watched her daughter as she played with the crafting kit she’d been given. “Are you thinking you need glasses or something? The last time you were checked out, they said you were seeing just fine.”
“I was thinking about you.” It had never entered her mind that she could use the insurance too. All her life since her daughter had been born, she’d been making everything about her. Doctors, food, and the things that would keep her safe. “I see you reading on the tablet thingy you got, and I think you need to go and get checked out soon.”
She could, she realized. Ms. Parker had given her an advance on her first check so that she and Anna could go to the store. However, once they were there, it seemed like every Foster in the state had shown up to help her. By the time they were finished up and loading things into the two trucks that were there, they had enough food in the house for an army, she thought.
“They’re very generous, aren’t they? I mean, I thought they were nice when I kept hearing about how they were helping out people in the town. But to know that all of them are about as nice as the other one, it’s surprising, I guess.” Anna told her about meeting Grandma Jane. “Yes, she was at the grocery with us. Remember?”
“I do. She made you buy both kinds of ice cream instead of just what I like.” Anna was putting away her things when she looked at her again. “They paid for this house too, didn’t they, Mom? And the food and stuff we’re using.”
“Yes. We owe them a great debt. I’m not allowed to repay them because they said we need to pass on the help that we got. But to consider it a loan on happiness.” Anna hugged her tightly. “This right here could be a wonderful thing to pay people back with. You, my dear child, give the best hugs ever.”
The closer it got to dinner, the more she wanted to go out and try the new grill. She’d never done anything like it before, had a grill that worked every time you wanted to cook on it. And there was no charcoal to wait on either. Just turn it on and then wait for it to warm up to cook. Shirley asked Anna what she wanted to cook out.
“Oh, Mom. When I was at the Foster house, they had salmon on the grill. It looked so good, and it was as tender as a slice of bread.” She said she didn’t know anything about cooking fish on the grill. “Me either, but I was thinking the next time we went there, we could ask them. But I’d love a burger hot off the grill. And some grilled onions. Remember that place we went to, and that’s what they had?”
She did remember that. It was the only time they’d been out to eat. The place had only just opened up, and they were giving away free treat burgers. Asking Anna to see if she could find a recipe on how to do that, she said she’d give it a try.
They had fun looking up things to try and cook. As it turned out, they had several things going on the grill at one time. Burgers, of course, but they also tried grilled onions, carrots, as well as mushrooms. Anna had found a tray of chicken strips too, and she put them on. Their plan was to use them on a salad this week.
Sitting at the table when they were finished, the two of them ate off the large platters she’d used and took bites of all of the things they’d cooked. They were still keeping track of their favorites when someone rang the front doorbell.
Shirley was halfway there when she remembered what Parker had told her—never answer a door straight on. Always come to it from the side. While she understood the reasoning behind it, she had been worried that Parker had seemed so forceful about her remembering that. Just as she slid to the side of the door, the entire door exploded inward, throwing pieces of wood all the way back to the kitchen.
Yelling at Anna to run, she was happy when she made her way to the back of the house and into the area where the walk-in freezer was. There was a secondary door back there that only unlocked from the inside. Her daughter was safe. That was a wonderful feeling to her. Shirley realized she’d been hit when standing up after the blast was hard.
Where are you? Not even thinking about how she was speaking to Parker, she told her what had happened. I’m on my way. Don’t get killed by being stupid. You understand me?
Yes. I’m rarely stupid just so you know. Having no idea why she was talking like nothing was going on, Shirley told her it was David. He had a gun. I’m in the dining room under the table. Anna is in the freezer. She might have gone out the back, but I can’t tell from here. I’m hurt.
She saw the woman she’d grown to admire in just a few days as she entered the room behind David. Shirley didn’t speak, even when David was screaming for her. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. It was that or sob like a child. David was out for blood, and he wasn’t going to be happy until she spilled out all of hers.
“Hello, David.” David asked Parker where his wife was. “Your wife? You don’t have a wife anymore. You were divorced. A couple of years ago, as a matter of fact. Did you know you’re not supposed to be carrying a gun? Nor are you supposed to use it to get into a house that doesn’t belong to you.”
“Shut the fuck up. You’ve caused me enough shit.” Parker asked him how she’d done that, she didn’t even know him all that well. “Your family. They’re all a bunch of pricks, did you know that?”
“No. The police are coming. If they weren’t, I’d have had you dead by now. You’re not worth me having to fill out a bunch of paperwork to kill you before they get here.” David snarled something at Parker, but Shirley couldn’t hear what it was. “You’re such a mother fucker. I wanted to tell you that before you’re picked up again. By the way, did you have some fun with my brother-in-law the other day? I heard it was quite a sight to see you being nicked around your small twig and berries. Loman told me it was hardly worth the effort to cut them.”
“You shut the fuck up. You don’t know shit.” Looking down at her hand, Shirley wondered if she was going to die right here. “Where is Shirley and that brat of hers? They should be back at my house waiting on me, not out here living it up.”
“Perhaps they’d be there, waiting on you, if you’d allowed them to live it up once in a while. But when you beat the shit out of someone on a daily basis, then things get a little out of control.” Parker tisked at David. “You shot Shirley, David. While she won’t die, there is a good possibili
ty that you’ll get a longer prison sentence for firing a weapon at her.”
Shirley almost laughed. Just hearing Parker tell David she wasn’t going to die made her feel so much better. Careful to not make any noises, she looked into the kitchen when someone made a sound. There stood Don. He was grinning from ear to ear too.
Go with Don, please. He’s going to make sure you and Anna are safe. Nodding, she moved toward the man when Parker told her to go. The police are pulling in now. You just—
When her words were cut off, Shirley had just taken a step toward Don. Turning when the gun went off again, she watched in horror as Don went from a smiling man to a big lion in no time at all. Don, as a large lion, darted by her and out to the main hall where his wife and David were. Going to the freezer room, she saw that Anna wasn’t in the large walk-in and went out the door. There on the grass was Anna and Mrs. Foster, Don’s mom.
“Come along now. We’re to head to the barn back here and await the others. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything. The only thing I was asked to do was to come for you.” Carmilla asked if she was all right. “That doesn’t look too bad, my dear. I don’t know if you were told this or not, but as a part of this family, you can’t be killed by a mere bullet. I don’t know what it would take, but I’ve been told to assure you you’re going to be fine.”
“It looks like it’s not bleeding as much.” Carmilla looked it over and declared it healed. Anna looked too and was so relieved to see that it was indeed healed, she hugged her tightly. Shirley asked if David was going to prison.
“That I can tell you, though I don’t know how you’re going to feel about it. I believe he’s been shot but is going to heal. Parker said she could have killed him but didn’t. She wants him to spend a lot of time in prison—nasty person. My husband was like that. True to her word, Brook saved me.” Shirley told Carmilla how much she admired her daughters-in-law. “I do, as well. They’re brilliant and funny. They scare me some too, but I’m almost over that.”
The police joined them in the barn a few minutes later. David had been shot, but he’d done it himself while trying to aim his gun at Parker. Shirley wasn’t sure why, but she believed Parker had hurt him, and the police, happy to have him out of the way, would agree to anything she said. Shirley loved the other woman and wished they’d met under different circumstances. She would love to have been a friend of hers.
You are my friend. Startled when Parker spoke to her, she moved from the police who were asking questions of Carmilla. You’re a good friend, and I’m glad we were able to help you out. I don’t have a lot of female friends. They’re intimidated by me. Not that I understand that.
I do. You’re this all powerful witch that has all sorts of freaky magic, and you don’t have any trouble calling it like it is. They both laughed. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for my daughter and me. We were having such fun before David came into the house.
And you will again. I promise you. Now that he’s broken all kinds of laws, they’ll hold him until he goes to court. There is a long prison term for trying to shoot an officer of the law. It just so happens that the police department hired me as a consultant just today. Parker winked at her when she laughed. But seriously, things will start to look up for both of you. Anna and my grandmother-in-law are practically joined at the hip now, they’re such good friends.
Once David was taken away by ambulance and the house put back in order, Don went to the hardware store to get them a new front door. This time, he told her he was going to make sure she had a camera on the door so she could see who was out there. They were about the nicest people in the world to have on your side.
After everyone left the house and her home was back in order, she and Anna sat on the couch to watch some television. She loved this little girl with all her heart and was glad she was so well adjusted. It couldn’t have been easy living with David all the time and seeing him beat up on her. Shirley thought the first step was the hardest. And they were supposed to be easier as a person stepped away from whatever they were trying to get out of. They were finally beginning to feel like they were finally someplace they needed to be.
“I’m going to help other people when I get older. I want to be able to make sure people are safe. Like the Fosters did for us.” Shirley told her that it was a great thing to strive to be. “Yes, I’m going to save up all the money I ever make so I can help people get a fresh start. Like Parker and Don did for me and you. We couldn’t have done it without them, could we have?”
“No, we would still be running. Still be looking for someplace to be safe, live, and try to be like everyone else.” Shirley kissed her daughter on the top of her head. “Anna, I love you. I couldn’t be more proud of you than if you were president of the United States.”
“Maybe I’ll do that too. I think I’d make a good one. I’ll start working on my acceptance speech now.”
Shirley was still laughing as she went to bed later that night. It wouldn’t surprise her to see her daughter in the White House either, she thought with a laugh.
Chapter 11
Glancing at the clock, Lily counted down the time she had left to work. Her feet hurt, her back was killing her, and she thought if she were to sit down right now, she’d never get up again. This was the problem with being overeducated, unmarried, with four kids at home wondering where their next meal was coming from. Smiling, she thought of her sister and what she was going to say to her when she arrived tomorrow night.
Lily knew the first thing she was going to say to her. She’d want to know where the hell her head had been when she’d taken on three kids that weren’t hers. Lily would tell her what she said to anyone that asked. She loved them.
But she also knew Rogue would love them too. If nothing else, her sister would strive to be the best aunt to them and would love them as much as she did. Her sister was one of a kind.
A year and a half ago, Lily had been happy, about to be married and living in a home for the first time in her adult life. Then, as life would do sometimes, it shit on her. Mark was killed in a car accident. She assumed, sadly so, that she and the kids would be taken care of. But that didn’t pan out either.
His ex-wife had sued her for the house and insurance before Mark had even been buried. Not only did she win the suit against her—even though everything, from the insurance and house to the cars in the garage, were in her name with Mark’s—in the end, Lily had been left with nothing. Less than nothing, because while she’d been earning a nice check each week, the money had been in the checking account she’d shared with Mark. The bitch had gotten her money too.
The kids, however, had been nothing Missy, his ex-wife, had wanted. They were hers, of course, but since Mark had won full custody of them, she saw no reason to take them with her when she robbed them of even a home to live in. The attorney for Missy had told Lily several times how sorry he was, and that he wished he’d been on her side. Lily was glad she was there for them when their father had loved them so dearly. Even her own son, Gabe, Mark had treated the same as he had his own children.
“Lily, there’s a phone call for you. I think it’s your daughter.” Nodding, she took the call in the boss’s office of the restaurant she worked in. Billy, at fifteen, was in charge of the others when she had to work.
“Mom, there is a person here who says she’s your sister. She’s nothing like you, is she? If she is your sister. I don’t know if I like her or not.” Lily laughed and asked her to put her on the phone. “I’d have to let her in. Are you willing to bet she’s your sister?”
“All right. To test your theory, and it is a good one, ask her what her first name is. If she won’t tell you, it’s her. By the way, her middle name is Rogue. She won’t allow anyone to call her by her first one.” She heard Billy asking her what her first name was, and the reply she got from Rogue.
“You tell your mother that I’m going to kick her
ass all the way to my car and back if she so much as gives anyone my fucking first initial. You tell her I didn’t come all this way to—” Billy must have believed her because she was talking to Rogue as she finished talking about the things she was going to do to her when she found her. “I’m not above kicking your ass, even though you’re older than me.”
“I believe you. I’m so glad you’re there. But I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow. What happened?” Rogue didn’t answer her but asked a question of her own. “Yes, we’re staying in a one bedroom apartment. It’s all I can afford. There is plenty of room if you discount the fact that I’m rarely home anymore, trying to keep up with the rent and food for the five of us.”
“One of them is giving me the evil eye right now. Doesn’t she know I’m her aunt, and the one she should be buttering up?” Lily told Rogue they didn’t understand buttering people up, as they didn’t know anyone with anything they would share with them. “You need to get you a good attorney, Lily. If I had been around, she never would have gotten away with this.”
“Yes, well, that costs money. Money I don’t have. I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you. Where are you going to stay?” She asked her if she could move them in with her. “I don’t know, Rogue. Are you still living out of a suitcase?”
“Pretty much. But today I’m in a hotel that has three rooms and a kitchenette. I’m going to gather the kids up, hit a pizza place, and meet you after work.” She told her the name of the hotel she was staying at. “If you want, I can come pick you up. The kid in charge here said you walked to work because you have no car. Didn’t I tell you I’d pay for one for you to use until I could make it back here?”
“That would be Billy. She’s fifteen.” Rogue asked her how she could keep them all straight. “You can do that when you love them as much as I do. I’ll be getting off here at around eleven. If you could pick me up, I’d love it. I’m too exhausted to walk much more today.”
Donahue: Foster’s Pride – Lion Shapeshifter Romance (Foster's Pride Book 2) Page 14
