“Will you tell me about it?”
“How about we have lunch, then I take you to see the house where he and Sara grew up?”
She looked delighted at that idea. “How about picking up some greasy fried takeout, and we eat it at the house?”
Jack’s eyes sparkled. “I see why Randal is in love with you. KFC?”
“Love it!” she said.
“I’m afraid I don’t have a car here. Mind riding in my beat-up truck?”
“Are you kidding? For years I drove nothing else. I had a manufacturing company to run, and I had to pick up supplies and deliver crates to be shipped and—” She waved her hand. “All of it. Being a boss is no easy job.”
“No, it’s not. Tell me about your business.” They got into his truck and as she talked of constructing sandals, Jack thought of saws and skulls being cut open. It looked like she had the know-how, along with the strong motive of getting rid of her abusive husband.
At the KFC window, he ordered two three-piece boxes, original recipe. He liked a woman who wasn’t afraid of fried chicken. He smiled when he remembered that when he first met Sara when he was a teenager, he took her out for huge, greasy burgers.
“Tell me about the houses,” Lea said.
“Built for soldiers returning from World War Two. Plain, sturdy, small.”
“And Cal was Sara’s next-door neighbor?”
“Yes,” he said, but then elaborated. “They were each other’s saviors. Cal’s father was a bastard, and his stepmother couldn’t have cared less.”
“And Sara?”
“Her situation was just as bad. Her mother loved Randal but couldn’t stand Sara.” When Lea gave a laugh, he looked at her in surprise.
“Randal can make anyone like him. It’s a talent, like music or art. He was so nice to my husband, he even made him smile a few times. But then Randal passed me in the hall and said, ‘I hate your husband.’ It made me laugh hard.”
“Sara isn’t like that.”
“No, she’s not. I can see that she is totally honest. If she dislikes you, you know it.”
As Jack stopped on the driveway of the Medlar house, he looked at Lea. He was glad she seemed to really know Randal. She wasn’t fooled by his elegant manners.
She seemed to understand and they exchanged smiles before turning away to look at the house. “It looks good.”
“Thank you. We had plans for a major reno, but we haven’t had the heart to do it. I’ve done a lot of repairs since I bought the house. It’s stable and clean, but it hasn’t really been changed. I was in Colorado for months, and Sara said they put in some furniture. I haven’t seen what they did. You ready?”
She nodded, and they took their food boxes and drinks inside. It was cozy and very much like stepping back in time. Very 1950s decor, even to the flowered wallpaper around the front window.
“Looks like Kate and Sara did more than they said.” Jack shook his head. “I have a feeling I’m never going to be allowed to renovate this place.”
“I’ll bet you Randal had a hand in this.”
“Probably so.”
They put their food on the skinny-legged coffee table, then Jack followed her around the house. The kitchen had retro appliances and new laminate countertops. No granite allowed. The bathroom was turquoise tile with white fixtures.
“Perfect,” Lea said as they went back to the living room and sat down to eat. “I want to hear about Randal.”
As succinctly as he could, Jack told her about Randal’s life. The story wasn’t pretty. Jack elaborated on how Randal had been favored by his mother. “It’s not good for a child to be told he’s right in whatever he does. That hurts him.”
Lea looked at Jack. “Or for a child to always be told he’s bad.”
He knew she was referring to Roy’s relentless belittling of him. He turned away but was glad for her understanding.
