He still had a few years to bond with Ty. He’d do his best for both boys.
The moment Walter had changed his name and expunged his record, he should have gone directly to Spokane.
Ty still spoke to Bo, which eased the strain of his visit.
“You tell Ty if he doesn’t behave, I’ll give himwhat forwhen I get down there.” Anger brought out more Southern in Charlotte’s voice.
“How are things going up there?” God, he missed her.
Charlotte’s tone lightened. “The house closing is in two weeks, so I’m packing up. Might be a bit hard to get a moving company at this time of year with so many students heading into dorms. You know, it’s kind of bittersweet. On the one hand, selling allows me to live closer to you and finally go to nursing school, but this house holds so many memories. The boys opening their gifts on Christmas morning. Ty learning to ride a bike in the driveway.” She sniffled.
Coming home and finding gifts from a chickenshit brother too scared to deliver them in person.
Easy to visualize Charlotte’s wistful smile. “I’ll be back soon. I… I miss you, brother, and look forward to catching up on lost time.”
All the time we missed.
Because of Lucky’s bullheadedness.
***
Lucky stepped into the kitchen, stopped, and leaned against the doorway.
Ty and Bo sat at the kitchen table, Moose sprawled at their feet, Cat Lucky nowhere to be seen. Probably in Todd’s lap somewhere.
“… and then Todd…” Ty chattered away, a mile a minute, regaling Bo with stories his brother might not want broadcasted, with texts and notebooks spread out around them. Reminded Lucky of Charlotte at that age, so full of life, so excited about everything.
Until she’d crossed paths with a loser and wound up seeing the world through haunted eyes. Did she even date? She hadn’t told him of any men since her ex-husband, so if she’d had boyfriends over the years, she’d certainly not mentioned them to Lucky.
The nurse who’d tended him when he’d donated part of his liver to his dad—and later turned out to be from the bureau’s Virginia office—had shown interest.
She needed a boyfriend, in case Jimmy or whatever-the-hell-his-name-was made good on his threat to transfer to Atlanta.
Lucky had never told Charlotte about her admirer and wouldn’t.
“Your mom says she’ll be back soon,” Lucky said.
At the first word out of his mouth, Ty froze and slumped, all his excitement gone.
One day maybe the kid would forgive an errant uncle enough to talk to him.
Until then, he’d be on the outside, uncomfortable in his own house. Everyone else got along fine. The old him wouldn’t have minded. Much. Especially since he worked hard at being a total bastard.
So why did being outcast bother him now?
Chapter Eight
“You better get back soon. That shit O’Donoghue’s being an asshole.” Even with Walter lying in bed unresponsive Lucky couldn’t tell him the jerk took over the office.
The office? No, Walter’s office.
Lucky sat in the chair at Walter’s bedside. The old man’s skin now held a healthier, if pale, color, and they’d removed the horrid mask from over his face. He still had tubes running under his nose and into his nostrils. The place reeked of antiseptic. Lucky’d wound up spending way too much time in hospitals lately.
“My nephews are running me ragged. Was I that hard to understand at sixteen? Jeez!” He stared at the man lying immobile on the bed. “Moose sends you a tail wag and expects you to come over and give him a belly rub.” Babbling didn’t keep Lucky’s brain from churning.
Walter might not wake up—or wake up a lot less than Lucky remembered. What would happen to him? Walter and his wife had no kids. Who’d take care of the house? Mrs. Smith didn’t drive. Who’d take her to the grocery store, especially since delivery hadn’t come to their neck of the woods yet?
Ty was sixteen. Wanted to drive. Giving the kid something to do on weekends might take his mind off his problems, make him feel needed. He could cut grass. Lucky’d pay him, or work with him. Maybe they’d finally reach an understanding. It would do him good to take on some responsibility, earn some money. And Mrs. Smith wouldn’t be alone.
