CHAPTER 4
TALKING TO CAITLYN nearly every day was going to kill him. Kurt didn’t want to like her, laugh with her, remember she was human. Or worse, fall under her spell again.
He had nixed video calls, claiming that he wanted to talk while walking Max or cooking dinner, but he was more worried about her reading every lustful expression as it crossed his face.
And if shesmiled, he might just short circuit.
So now, he walked his neighborhood in the chilly dark on the first night after she’d returned home, phone in his front pocket. His headphones had a built-in microphone, and he had one earbud in place, the other tucked under his shirt collar so he could maintain situational awareness.
“How’s Sara?” Caitlyn asked about his sister.
“Great. She became a nurselike my parents, and she married my physical therapist about four years ago,” Kurt said as he tugged Max’s leash to get him moving again. Lampposts were the dog’s favorite target.
“Wow. Was that awkward?”
More than it should have been. “It was a little weird for me when they started dating, but I wasn’t Soham’s patient by that point, and he’s a great guy. A good dad. They have a three-year-oldnamed Luke.”
“I’ll bet you’re a good uncle.”
“The best.”
She chuckled and his chest tightened.
“That kid pretty much hangs the moon as far as I’m concerned. I spoil him mercilessly.” After all, Luke was the closest thing to having a son of his own he might ever get.
“Evil man.”
“It’s a brother’s duty to torment his sister.”
Caitlyn was silent for a few seconds. Had they been disconnected?“Mine never really got the chance.”
“You have a brother?” Jesus. Had he ever really known her?
“Mike was ten when I left home. He and Rose have the same dad. John Weekes. He reminisced about Barbados incessantly, and painted such an enticing picture that it became my dream to move here.”
“And you did.”
“Yeah.”
“Are he and your mom still married?”
“No. She has a boyfriend now. Paul,” shesaid as if her mom had shacked up with a cockroach.
“That bad, huh?”
She sighed. “Probably not. I just think she gives herself away too easily. She’s beautiful and smart, but she never finished high school. So, these guys offer her a bit of financial security and she thinks she loves them. Unfortunately, they only love the idea of her, not the messy reality. Beauty only gets you so far.”
“Thatsucks.”
“Yeah, well. Could be worse. They never hit her or mistreated us kids. And we always had a roof over our heads and food on the table. I just thought…”
Kurt waited her out.
“When I joined the Air Force, I thought if I left home, lightened her burden, she might not need to rely on someone else anymore. Especially if I sent home most of my paycheck.”
“What happened?”
“She refused themoney. But at least she stopped marrying the men after John. I felt bad for Rose and Mike getting shuffled from house to house, one guy to another, and maybe guilty for getting out.”
