Second Time's the Charm

“You have a second set of sheets?”

“Five of them,” he told her, standing there, letting her look him over. Letting her see the obvious effect her unabashed perusal was having on him. “Abe was sick a couple of months ago. Kept throwing up. I couldn’t care for him and worry about laundry, too, so I took some money out of my savings and bought new sheets.”

She was staring at his penis. And swallowed. He watched her.

And when she lifted her arms, he bent and picked her up and carried her into the tub with him where he didn’t think about sheets at all.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

LILLIE

WENT TO the day care on Saturday specifically to see Abraham. She didn’t pretend, even to herself, that she had a legitimate reason for being there. After Jon had dropped her off early that morning, on his way to take Abraham to Little Spirits and then to work at the cactus jelly plant, she’d showered, put on a clean pair of scrubs in case she was called into work, stopped for a bagel at the diner and ended up in the Little Spirits parking lot.

Her phone rang as she was heading in the back door. Seeing the name of her caller, she answered immediately.

“Papa? Is everything okay?”

“I just saw my son.”

Dropping her purse off in the locker she’d been assigned, Lillie closed the small staff room door, poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down on the small, faux-leather couch.

“He said you two are talking.”

“We’ve had two conversations,” Lillie told him. “You have nothing to worry about, Papa. I’m a big girl. And I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“My son seems to think that there’s something still there between you two.”

Kirk was Braydon’s father. There would always be something there. But not in the way Papa meant.

“I’ve made it clear to him that there isn’t.”

“Apparently not clear enough.”

Looking at the colorful collage of photos on the wall in front of her, Lillie said, “You want me to call him?”

“No!” Jerry’s voice was unusually sharp. “Exactly the opposite. I know my son, Lil. When he wants something he gets it. At any cost. And right now he’s convinced himself that he’s going to win you back. I won’t have him hurting you again.”

“No worries, Papa.” And before she could talk herself out of it, she added, “I’m not available.”

“What?” His voice took on a confused tone. “You’ve met someone?”

“Lillie has a boyfriend?” Gayle’s squeal in the background sounded clearly over the line.

They were going to make far too much of this, which was why she hadn’t intended to mention her friendship with Jon. But if it put their minds at ease...

It wasn’t as though they’d ever have occasion to meet Jon. He wasn’t free on Sunday mornings when they met for breakfast. And Papa and Gayle rarely visited Shelter Valley. Never without first letting her know.

“His name’s Jon, Papa.” Kirk’s father would tell Kirk. And put an immediate end to any plans Kirk had, too. This was all good. “He’s twenty-seven.”

“Who is he?” Gayle’s voice again. “Where’s he from? What does he do?”

“When can we meet him?” Jerry asked.

This was all good, Lillie reminded herself as she took a deep breath and said, “His son was a client of mine.”

“He’s divorced?” Jerry’s tone sharpened again.

“No. Never married. Abraham’s mother had him and left him at the hospital.”