Carl, having heard, nodded from the end of the table. “She sorted and cleaned all the closets yesterday. All of my shirts are arranged by type of material and color, though I found a few that had higher polyester blends that were categorized out of order, but I fixed it.” He turned to look at me and cocked his head, thinking. Sometimes it was hard to remember how intelligent Carl was when he wore his adult-sized bib that said Party Boy on the front of it. “Or maybe it was a test. Most clothing has a percentage of synthetic material these days, but regardless, the arrangement by color I’ve found to be beneficial.”
I glanced at Carl’s outfit which consisted of a neon green T-shirt, orange corduroy pants, and purple running shoes.
“She made us a three-course meal for lunch Monday,” Nicholas said.
“Served on Hattie’s good china,” Sara added.
“I was trying to be nice!” Lisa wailed from the kitchen, having overheard. “I should’ve known you kids would make fun of me.”
“They’re not picking on you. But why are you cleaning everyone’s closets and scrubbing floors in the middle of the night? And why are you making extravagant lunches for the kids when they’d be perfectly happy with soup or a sandwich—both of which they’re capable of making themselves.”
“I just want everything to be perfect!”
“For who? Nobody here is looking for perfect.”
“It’s good to have goals!” she yelled.
“Donovan? Why isn’t she making any sense to me?” I asked as I threw my hands up into the air.
“Because she isn’t sleeping,” Donovan said.
“Tattletale!” Lisa snapped at Donovan.
“Enough!” I said, before walking to the other side of the breakfast bar and pressing my hands against the counter as I faced her. “Lisa, go home. Get some sleep. Please. I promise, we’ll handle everything here.”
“You just want me to go away!” she squawked before she started bawling again.
I had to turn my back to her to keep her from seeing the smirk on my face.
“Donovan!” Katie yelled. “Get her out of here!”
“Abigail’s in the living room,” Donovan said, somewhat panicked.
Anne rolled her eyes. “We can handle a real baby. We can’t handle Lisa when she’s acting like a baby on crack! Go!”
Donovan nodded, pulling Lisa toward the door as Tyler held it open for him. When the door closed, everyone turned back to me for some odd reason.
“Is there anything for dinner other than clam chowder?” I asked. “I’m starving.”
“Only bread and salad,” Nana answered from the kitchen. “Don’t worry, though. Give me a few minutes. I’ll scavenge something up for you.”
“She likes grilled cheese sandwiches,” Grady said, pushing me into my chair and sliding my bowl down the table to Tech.
“Nana, your cooking is worse than Katie’s,” I said. “I’ll just eat some bread and salad.”
“I’m tempted to see how bad she can screw up a grilled cheese sandwich,” Anne said. “But instead I’ll heat the chili that Hattie has in the freezer.”
“And a grilled cheese sandwich?” I asked, batting my eyelashes.
“I’ll make the sandwich,” Sara said, sliding out of her chair and following her mom into the kitchen.
“I want to help,” Nicholas insisted, chasing after them.
I smiled as Nana stepped back to watch with curiosity as Sara and Nicholas got out the supplies.
“Doesn’t Nana live alone? What does she eat?” Grady asked.
“Cereal and takeout,” Charlie said, taking Sara’s place at the table.
I turned and looked at Grady, willing him to help me escape another confrontation. He shook his head, sighed, and kissed my forehead before stepping back and leaning against the wall.
“Ah,” Charlie said. “The mighty boyfriend is leaving this mess for you and me to sort.”
“It’s not his mess.”
“You’re right. It’s yours.”
“That’s pretty funny, Kid,” I said, pressing my palms against the table and leaning toward her. “If it wasn’t for me, your ass would still be sitting in jail.”
“Because I was cleaning up the shit your cowardly ass ran from years ago.”
I didn’t think. I just acted. My hand moved from the table and across her face with enough speed and force that she flew sideways into Whiskey’s lap. He caught her but his eyes, and everyone else’s, were on me.
Their combined looks of shock stabbed me with such intensity that I forced myself to stand and step back. “Oh my God,” I gasped as I looked down at my own hand. I took another step back.
“I’ve got you,” Grady whispered in my ear from behind me. “Just listen to my voice. It’s going to be all right.” His hands flexed on my hips, pulling me against him.
I shook my head, unable to talk. My vision blurred and my hands shook.
“Get out,” I heard Anne say louder than normal.
I looked up, surprised to find that she wasn’t yelling at me, but at Charlie.
“She’s the one who hit me!” Charlie glared, pushing herself away from Whiskey and standing.
Abigail started to cry from the living room and Alex, bless his heart, moved around Anne and raced in that direction.
“You deserved it.” Anne stepped into Charlie’s space. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but my best friend faced something today that sickened her. And she did it for you! She did it to get you out of jail. She loved you enough to wade into that cesspool of a town and drag your ungrateful ass out.” Anne pulled a dining room chair out of the way and moved closer to Charlie. “Not all of us were lucky enough to have someone like Kelsey in our younger years. But you were. And what did you do to repay her? You forced her to return to a place she vowed she’d never go again. You forced her to face her mother and declare war. You forced what you wanted on her, without considering what she needed. I’ve watched my best friend go through some of the most terrifying things imaginable. She’s barely been able to keep afloat these past few months as she’s tried to rebuild her life. You disappeared—angry about some bullshit that happened a decade ago. But we’ve been here. We’ve watched her struggle to keep one foot moving in front of the other. And then you call—and once again—Charlie needs to be saved. Charlie needs to be protected. And, that’s her job, right?”
My friends and family shifted closer to Anne. I wasn’t sure if their movements represented unity or if they were moving in to prevent bloodshed.
“Well, not anymore!” Anne closed the distance, standing nose to nose with Charlie. “GET OUT!”
Charlie kicked her chair back to gain space and moved out of striking distance. She looked to her left, then her right, finding nothing but scowling faces. She looked at me, surprise and shock etched on her face. As she turned to leave, she came face to face with Katie.
“I get it,” Katie said in a low calm voice that warred with her angry eyes. “It felt good to beat the shit out of your old man. That makes sense to all of us.” Katie shrugged, but didn’t break her eye contact with Charlie. “But you chose to get your revenge in a bar filled with witnesses, because you knew Kelsey would save your ass.” Katie shook her head. “That was cruel and selfish.”
Charlie’s head dropped. With her back toward me, I couldn’t see her face. She stepped around Katie, walked past Nana who had tears in her eyes, and slipped out the garage door. I stepped forward, reaching toward the door as it closed, still unable to speak.
“No,” Grady said, stopping me. “Let her go. She’s not a little girl anymore.”
“He’s right,” Nana said, wiping her tears. “I love her too, but she can’t tie herself to you and then jump into the ocean. Let her figure it out.”
“I had to get her out of jail. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Of course,” Anne agreed. “But now she needs to feel the consequences.”
“You’d make us suffer,” Katie said. “It’s how yo
u taught us to be strong for ourselves.”
I turned, feeling eyes on me. Bones was watching me, gauging my emotions. He must have decided the danger was over, because he pulled his chair out and sat. “Any more of that chowder left?”
Anne seemed relieved with a task to do, taking Bones’ bowl with her into the kitchen.
Katie slid into an open chair at the table and looked back at Bones. “Where’s Bridget?”
Bones snorted. “Said it wouldn’t be right to mingle with the bosses while she was a trainee.”
Alex returned, bouncing Abigail in his arms as she gurgled happy noises up at him. Everyone settled into regular conversations as if nothing had happened. But something had. Something inside me had cracked open. The feeling of boiling lava filled my chest. Sara and Nicholas returned with a bowl of chili and a grilled cheese sandwich, setting both in my spot at the table—at the head of the table. Where I always sat. A place meant for the person in charge of the family. Responsible for all of them.
My hands shook violently. I tried to pull air into my lungs. My vision swirled at high speed, everything spinning around me. I felt myself pulled and turned before being pushed forward. I knew I was being led down the hall, but I wasn’t able to control my own movements. I wasn’t able to breathe.
Chapter Five
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I realized I was naked, leaning against Grady’s chest, with steamy water nearly to my shoulders. I closed my eyes as I listened to the low whirl of the bathroom fan and Grady’s deep voice vibrating against my back as he sang a slow country tune. The melody lulled me as my muscles relaxed and my breathing slowed. I could feel one of his arms bracing me up and his other hand slowly stroking the side of my ribs. The steam dampened my face and neck above the water line.
“I love you,” I whispered, keeping my eyes closed.
“I know,” he whispered back, kissing the back of my head.
“You shouldn’t have to take care of me.”
“It’s no chore. You were there for me when I needed your help. Like during the flashback I had after the bomb went off. And when I was arrested for murder.”
“But I’m not getting better. Hell, I’m getting worse. I slapped Charlie.”
“I’m glad you hit her.” Grady chuckled. “It was a shock, yes. And I know it scared you. But maybe she’ll pull her head out of her ass and start thinking about you for a change.”
“That’s not fair, Grady.”
“Isn’t it? She’s so angry that she can’t see the truth. She has no idea about the guilt you carry over the decisions you made as a kid. You sacrificed everything to get her out of that town.” He wrapped both arms around me, snuggling me tighter against him. “I’m proud of you. And you’ll get better at the day-to-day stuff. It takes time.”
“How much time?”
He chuckled, making the water ripple around us. “Always so impatient.”
I leaned my head back and to the side, looking up at him. He grinned down and kissed me before he stood, dragging me upward with him. “You need to eat.”
I released a long sigh. “I don’t want to go back out there.”
“Good.” He handed me a towel. “I don’t feel like sharing your attention.”
He dried himself before walking into the bedroom. I heard him rummage in the dresser, followed by the bedroom door opening and closing. After drying myself off, I hung both towels on the rack and slipped into my bathrobe.
I strolled into the atrium, hitting the button on the wall for the blinds to close. Light still reflected from the glass ceiling, but none of our friends and family would be able to see into the room. I turned on the corner lamp, the one with the low-wattage bulb that cast barely a glow within the room. Walking to the stereo, I turned it on and smiled when jazz music streamed out of the speakers. Grady must have sat in the atrium listening to music while I was away.
Grady entered a few minutes later, carrying a tray of food and setting it on the coffee table. I settled myself on the floor and we moved the bowls and plates around.
“This reminds me of the time we spent at the cabin,” he said as he placed a glass of milk in my hand.
I accepted the not-so-subtle hint and took a drink of the milk before setting it down. “Thirty people, including kids, weren’t in the other room when we were at the cabin.”
“Yeah. It’s definitely crowded.”
“Do you regret moving here?”
“No,” he answered before leaning over to kiss my cheek. “But we should talk.”
I dragged my spoon through my chili, unsure I was ready for another serious conversation.
“We need your signature giving us permission to build two more houses at the end of the road.”
“You don’t want to live in the main house?”
“It’s not for us. Tech and Katie will move into one of the houses, which frees up the apartment above the garage for guests. Then Lisa and Donovan will move into the other new house. Anne, Sara, and Whiskey will move into their house next door.”
“This is what everybody wants?”
Grady nodded. “Hattie and Pops went back to Texas because Pops needed a break. I’m sure when it was just you girls it was cozy, but now that Carl, Pops, Whiskey, Nicholas, and I have moved in, it’s become tight quarters.”
“But why would Lisa and Donovan move into one of the new houses?”
“Sara panicked when we talked to her about moving down the road. Katie suggested that if Sara was next door, she could use the tunnels connecting the houses. Everyone, including Sara, was okay with that.”
“What about Pops and Hattie?”
“We’ll open up the spare room upstairs and build a kitchenette for them. That way they can have some quiet time away from everyone when they want, but I’m worried that eventually they’ll need to swap rooms with us downstairs so Hattie doesn’t have to go up and down the kitchen stairway.”
“Did you ever notice that stairway next to the kitchen is an odd layout?”
Grady raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
“It’s the exact dimensions needed to install a personal elevator.”
He shook his head, grinning. “Only you would have planned so far in advance.”
“They’re my family,” I said, shrugging.
“I know. And we all agreed that the common areas would still be a public space for everyone to come and go as they please. But if we can break up the sleeping quarters a little, we won’t feel like we’re living in a boarding house.”
I scrunched my nose, thinking about it. How many times had I escaped to my atrium to have some peace? Whiskey and Anne didn’t have that option. Sara didn’t have that option. Hattie had a small sitting nook in her room overlooking the field, but that was it. The changes made sense.
Grady grinned. “The paperwork is in the top drawer of your desk. The contractors start next week.” He scooped a large spoonful of chili into his mouth.
“I don’t want Sara using the basement tunnel every time she comes over. Can you build a walkway from their living room to our family room?”
“Maybe. I’ll take some measurements tomorrow and talk to Whiskey.”
“What about you? Do you need more space? A kitchenette? A man cave?”
“No. I like the atrium.”
“No fifty-two-inch TV?”
Grady’s grin widened. “We have a sixty-inch TV in the lounge at Headquarters. I can run over there if I’m having a testosterone crisis. Now quit playing with your food and eat.”
I looked down and noticed I had torn my grilled cheese sandwich into small pieces. I took one of the pieces and dipped it into my chili. “Why aren’t you eating the chowder?”
“Because I plan on doing things to you later tonight with my mouth and didn’t want to worry about you having an allergic reaction.”
“Oh my.” I smiled at him as I ate the piece of sandwich, thinking of all the things I liked him doing with his mouth.
“
Eat faster.” Grady chuckled, scooping another bite of chili.
I followed orders.
~*~*~
I woke at dawn, snuggled into Grady’s side. I looked up and saw he was awake. “Why are you watching me?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
I leaned over and kissed his nipple.
“Careful. I’m ready for round three.” He stroked a hand up my ribs and over my breast.
“Not happening. You wore me out last night.”
“The best way to build your stamina is by practice.” Grady leaned over and kissed down my neck.
“Later, cowboy.” I laughed, sitting up and wrapping the sheet around me.
“Fine. I’ll let your body rest, but I’m not promising for how long.” He leaned back against the headboard. “What time is it?”
“Seven-ish.”
Grady rolled over to the nightstand for his phone and texted someone. I tilted my head, watching him. He answered my silent question. “I told Donovan to send the trainees out for a five-mile run.”
“A run sounds good. I’ve spent too much time in my SUV lately.”
“And after your run?” Grady asked as he extracted himself from the tangled sheets to stand. His back and shoulders muscles tensed as he waited for me to answer.
“Shower, check on the kids, and then I’ll finish going through the trainee files.”
Grady nodded, not turning to face me. He wanted to know when I was going to disappear again, but he didn’t ask. I was acting like a spooked horse these days, always ready to bolt.
“You? What’s on your agenda?”
“I’ll be working with the trainees the rest of the morning, then I’ll turn them over to Bones for the afternoon.” He sighed as he walked around the bed and sat next to me. “As much as I hate it, I know you’ll leave again. Just promise you’ll stay in touch.”
“I’ll try,” I said, lifting a hand to run it along his arm.
“You’re doing better than you think,” he said, taking my hand. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Maggie called.” It was all I said, but his hand tightened on mine as his shoulders tensed again. Maggie was a friend despite being an FBI agent. The last time we saw her, she was being treated for the injuries that Jonathan Vaughn had inflicted during her captivity.
Day and Night Page 4
