The stairs behind her creaked and she turned, expecting to see Pat.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Brett’s voice was deep and smooth. “It’s after eleven o’clock. I wasn’t sure whether you were still awake or if you’d forgotten to turn off the light.”
“I think I’m still awake.” She pinched her arm and smiled. “Definitely awake. Did you finish what you needed to do in town?’
Brett pulled out a chair and sat down. Deep lines of exhaustion creased his face. “Did anyone tell you why I was there?”
“Thomas had dinner with us and said something about Dave and his family. Are they all right?”
“As all right as they’re ever going to be. Dave’s brother stole some money to pay his dad’s gambling debts.”
“That’s terrible.”
Brett sighed. “It gets worse. Dave’s dad is in prison. Over the last six months, he’s been harassing his wife and sons. They’re terrified of him.”
“Have they spoken to the police?”
“They have now.”
Hannah picked up another brush and slowly rubbed the bristles with a piece of old newspaper. She knew how difficult it was to ask for help, to trust that someone else had your best interests at heart. “What plan have the police put in place?”
“Dave’s father isn’t allowed any contact with his family. The police have arrested another man who threatened Dave’s brother and they’ll investigate the gambling.”
Hannah shivered. She pulled on a sweater, but it wasn’t the cold that made her tremble. Sometimes memories snuck up on her, reminding her that she would never be free from her past. “How is Dave’s brother?”
“He’s scared but okay. The money Scott stole was from a teacher at his school. Fortunately, they accepted his apology and didn’t call the police.”
“He was lucky.”
“He’s a good student. He’d never been in trouble before.” Brett tilted his head to the side. “Do you know someone who was in trouble with the police?”
Hannah looked down at her brush. “My dad has been in and out of prison for most of his life.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, locking away the hurt like she always did. “I haven’t spoken to him in years.” She wasn’t going to add that she’d moved from Boston to get away from him. He was bad news, and her mom was worse when she was around him. “You must be tired.”
“You could say that. I tried to sleep, but there are too many things running around inside my head.”
“So you came to investigate the light?”
Brett’s steady gaze bored into her until she looked away. “I was hoping you were still awake.”
“Why?” Hannah hoped her voice didn’t sound as breathless as she thought it did.
“I wanted to see your painting. And talk. But it looks as though you’re packing everything away.”
“Nearly. I haven’t painted for this long in ages. It feels wonderful.” She moved away from her easel and waved her hand in front of her canvas. “It isn’t finished, but it’s close. What do you think?”
Brett moved out of his chair, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her. “Wow. When you said you liked painting, I didn’t expect to see something like this.”
Hannah bit her bottom lip. She’d never been this nervous about anyone’s reaction to her paintings. “Do you like it?”
He pulled his gaze off the canvas. “Are you kidding? It’s amazing.”
She let go of her breath. “I usually paint abstract landscapes, but I wanted to experiment with stronger colors and shapes. I’m giving this painting to my friends for their wedding gift. It’s Emerald Lake.”
“As in the Emerald Lake that’s about twenty minutes from here?”
