She smiles to herself.
“Then there’s the comments from younger women. Surprisingly, around twenty-five percent of my audience are women in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties. They ask the best questions.”
“Sounds like therapy more than a fashion channel.”
Her eyes widen. “That’s what I said to Meghan a few weeks ago. In a way, it kind of is, but I don’t claim to be anyone’s therapist. I’m not trained or licensed in that field.”
I grunt. “I bet what you have to say is worth twenty licensed therapists. Bunch of crooks.”
Tilting her head to the side, she studies me for a minute. “What do you have against mental health professionals?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “As long as they stay the hell away from me. I went to more than one after my wife—” I stop upon realizing what I’ve just said … what I wasaboutto say.
“You need more chili.” I rise to my feet and take Ellyn’s nearly finished bowl of chili along with mine to the kitchen.
Behind me, she says something like she doesn’t need anymore.
Ignoring her, I slice another piece of cornbread onto her plate before buttering it, along with adding more chili to her bowl.
“You didn’t need to fill my bowl,” she says as I place the food on her tray in front of her. “I hope you got seconds for yourself.”
She eyes my refilled bowl and nods.
“Meghan will be happy to see that you’ve eaten well.”
I observe Ellyn as she breaks off a piece of her cornbread and dips it into the chili before eating it.
Satisfaction rolls through me as she closes her lips around her fingertips, enjoying the bite of food.
“Shit,” I grunt under my breath.
“What did you say?”
“Not a thing.” I shake my head, and scoop a spoonful of chili into my mouth.
“Your daughter’s in law school, huh?” I ask after a few more minutes of silence.
“Second year,” Ellyn answers, pride lacing her voice. “She wants to be a public defender.”
“In New York?”
Ellyn chuckles. “I’ve already told her she’s going to be broke, but Meghan has a justice streak a mile wide. Once when she was twelve, she watched a documentary of a man who was unjustly sentenced for over twenty-five years.
“It was one of those public organizations that goes back and reviews sketchy convictions. They retested the DNA the policehad just sitting around in evidence for years. It wasn’t a match. That, along with some other evidence, proved his innocence.”
“And ever since then she’s wanted to fight the good fight?” I ask.
“That’s right.”
I chuckle. “Like my Ace. He watched that damn eighties movie about fighter pilots with Tom Cruise and he was a goner.”
“Is he an Air Force pilot?” Ellyn asks.
“Sure is. He’s been teaching at the Academy an hour away for years. That’s where Aiden gets it from.”
“Aha!” She snaps and points with her uninjured hand. “I did remember correctly. Your grandson is in the Air Force.”
I smother the grin that twitches my lips but narrow my eyes on her. That makes her laugh.
