Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“I know that.” She spreads butter on her roll. “You’ll understand one day when you have children. Well, maybe you won’t, actually. It’s kind of a mother thing.”
“It’s a mother thing,” Dad says. “I love you, son, and I’ll always be concerned about you. But I don’t worry when you don’t come home at night.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Fathers and mothers are different,” Mom says. “I always worry, but when you’re not living under our roof, I don’t know whether you come home at night or not, so while I’m always worrying because you’re my son and I’m your mother, it’s a little less real when I don’t expect you home.”
“Would you like me to let you know when I’m not going to be home for dinner or to spend the night?”
“Lori…” Dad says.
“Well”—Mom looks down at her plate—“it would be nice if you’d let me know about dinner. Because then I don’t have to make as much.”
“Absolutely,” I agree. “I’ll be more careful from now on. That was rude of me. I should let you know.”
She smiles then, takes a bite of her roll.
“Sometimes, though, I don’t know until fairly late whether I won’t be home for dinner.”
“Just do the best you can, Brendan,” Dad says.
“Will do.” I’m still holding the bowl full of beans, so I serve myself a couple of spoons full and hand it off to Dad.
The three of us are quiet for the rest of dinner.
Afterward, Dad motions for me—quietly—to join him in the study.
“Sorry about your mother,” he says.
“It’s okay. It’s a little annoying, but she’s my mom and I love her.”
“I do too. When will your place be ready?”
“Insurance paid me an amazing amount,” I say. “So I was able to get the whole thing expedited. Less than a week.”
Dad raises his eyebrows. “That’s interesting. Insurance companies usually try to screw you over.”
“I was surprised too, but I’m not going to complain.”
“Right. But something seems a little off to me.”
“Dad, can you for once just take something good that happens and not try to overanalyze it?”
My father’s always been kind of a cynic. He’s not depressed or anything, but he’s just always sure there’s some other morsel of information that we need. It’s why he still thinks there’s something he missed about his uncle. Just a glass-half-empty kind of guy.
“All right, Brendan,” Dad says. “It’s your policy, and it’s your home.”
“True, but you still own the building.”
“I do, but it will be all yours when I pass. You just handle this as you see fit.”
“I will.”
“Now…what did you learn from Ruby Steel? Did she have any insight into what these messages may mean?”
“She thinks it’s code for something, and she didn’t perceive any immediate threat.”
“Good. I don’t think it’s a threat either. I think it’s information, and I just have that poking feeling that this has something to do with your great-uncle.”
“If that’s the case, why would Ava get the same message?”
“Because the Steels have always been involved in what happened to him. I’ve known that from the beginning. I just couldn’t prove it.”
The urge to defend Ava and her family hits me hard. “None of the Steels alive today had anything to do with it. They can’t be charged with any crimes. They weren’t even alive then.”
“I know that. But they may have information. Information they’re keeping to themselves because they don’t want their sainted name tainted.”
“I don’t have any beef with the Steels,” I say. “Ha! No pun intended.”
“Puns are supposed to be funny, Brendan.” Dad shakes his head, chuckling. “I know you don’t. Neither do I.”
I liked my beef pun, but I’m relieved the tension has dissipated a little. Still, I know my dad. I know when he’s not being completely truthful. He may think he doesn’t have any issue with the current Steels, but he does. Why else would he use the term sainted name? The Steels are hardly saints, and they’ve never claimed to be.
What is Dad going to think when he finds out I’m involved with one of them? Halfway in love with her already?
I sigh. I don’t like keeping things from my father, so no time like the present…
“Dad, there’s something you should know.”
“What’s that?”
“The last two nights, when I didn’t come home?”
“Brendan, that’s none of my business. You don’t owe me any explanations.”
“So you’re not the least bit curious?”
“Of course I am.” He laughs. “But I respect your privacy.”
I clear my throat. “Thank you for that. I know you do, and I appreciate it. But you should know… Those two nights? I was at Ava Steel’s place.”
Dad’s eyebrows nearly fly off his head.
“That surprises you, I see.”
“Yes. It surprises me that you would date any Steel, but Ava? She’s a horse of a different color, no pun intended.”
“Puns are supposed to be funny,” I mimic dryly.
“Touché.”
“Ava is a lovely young woman.”