“I just told my mom you want the kids and me to move in with you,” she said.
Burke took a seat beside Donna. “And we want you to move in with us as well. We’ll get a place with a mother-in-law suite, so you can have your own private area.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Dorthea said.
“Mom, we want you to move in with us. I haven’t told Laura Lee yet, but I know she’ll be thrilled if you lived here too so she could see you more often.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t know. I’ve never thought about leaving my home. Memories of your father and raising you and Laura Lee are there.”
“But we’re all here now, and you’ll always have your memories. Mom, please think about it. I can’t move without you.”
“Oh, sure you can, Donna,” she said.
“Dorthea, I want you here. I’m gone for work a lot. I’ll feel better if you’re here to help Donna and the kids. Besides, the kids are used to seeing you every week. They’ll miss you. And I know Donna takes you to appointments. She can still help you if you’re here. You said yourself that driving can be difficult for you.”
“Well, maybe I’ll consider moving into a condo or something near you.”
“I know you still like to garden and sit out in your yard, Mom. I don’t think you’d be happy in a condo.”
“We’ll talk about it,” Dorthea said dismissively. “What kind of timeframe are you thinking this move will take place in?”
Burke and Donna stared at each other. They hadn’t discussed that. Burke assumed it would be right away. “As soon as possible. I plan to go back to Virginia with you after Christmas,” he said. “I need to set that detective straight that Donna saw.” He paused, not needing to say it aloud. “They could move back in with me right away.”
“So soon?” Donna and Dorthea said at nearly the same time.
“Why not?” Burke said.
“Well, I can’t get packed that fast,” Donna said.
“I’ll hire packers and movers,” he said. “We’ll just have to figure out where we’ll live. I’m sure we can find a short-term rental until we find a place to buy, close on it, and can move in.”
Donna watched him shrug as if it was no big deal. “Rich, buying a place takes time.”
“Nah, not really. Several of my teammates found their place and closed on it within a month. One of them moved in two weeks after finding the place and putting in the offer. It was vacant, and he was able to rent it until closing. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find that kind of arrangement too.”
“We’ll see,” Donna said. “You haven’t even talked to a bank yet about a loan.”
“It won’t be an issue,” he said confidently. He winked and smiled at Dorthea.
***
Later that morning, they left the kids with Dorthea and drove over to the townhouse community where Wilson lived, as well as all of Alpha Team’s members except for Cooper and Madison. They lived nearby in a subdivision of single-family homes. Lambchop and Michaela lived across the street from Cooper’s house.
Donna would admit that she was a little nervous about meeting Rich’s boss. And she wasn’t sure what his fiancée could tell her about being with someone who did the job they did. Would she paint a rosy or bleak picture of it? And would it change her mind about being with Rich? She didn’t think so.
“This is a nice subdivision,” she said as he put the car in park in front of Wilson’s garage. It was a middle unit.
“It is. Several team members from Alpha Team live here as well.”
Donna could see herself living in a place like this. It was definitely a step up from the apartment complex she was in. This would be a much better environment for her kids. She reached out and took hold of his hand as they walked up to the door to calm her nerves.
The door opened as they reached it. A white guy with longish blond hair greeted them with a smile. “Hi. I’m glad you reached out.”
“Donna, this is my friend and team lead, Jimmy Wilson,” Rich introduced.
Wilson swung the door wide and stepped back. “Hi Donna, great to meet you. Come in.”
Inside the comfortable living room were a dark-haired woman and a little girl. Donna said, “Hi.” And smiled at them.
