Cole's Mistake (Haven, Texas 8)

Neither Keira nor Julian moved.

“The ghost,” Keira explained on a yawn.

“Um, what?”

“The ghost,” Keira repeated. “It makes that noise and the smell tends to get worse when it’s around. We can’t find any other source of that stench, so it’s got to be the ghost.”

“You don’t seriously believe that, right?” Cole looked from Keira up to Julian, who shrugged.

“Never believed in ghosts,” Julian told him. “But it’s as good an explanation as any.”

Cole groaned. He had to get them out of there. The sooner the better. “There are no such thing as ghosts. Was that smell around when you bought this place? It couldn’t have been or you wouldn’t have . . .”

He trailed off as he took in the guilty look on Keira’s face. Julian tightened his hold on her.

“Okay, I don’t understand why you bought this house.” He shook his head. “With what I pay you, surely you could have gotten something in a better location.”

Keira looked even more guilty, if that were possible. “We . . .I . . .”

“This is what we could afford,” Julian told him.

He frowned. Something wasn’t adding up.

“We have other expenses.” Julian sent him a warning look.

Right. None of his business. But he wondered at those expenses. Obviously, they didn’t spend their money on clothes or cars or vacations. Then what?

“My father is in a specialized facility,” Keira told him. “He has dementia. We pay for his care.”

That explained it. He immediately felt like an ass. “I’m so sorry, baby.” How had he not known that? What else were they keeping from him?

Easy. Soon you’ll know everything. Soon there won’t be any secrets.

“That must be so hard on you. Is he in a facility close by?”

“No, he’s in one in Kansas.” There was a funny note to her voice. He knew they’d both grown up in a tiny town in Kansas, from their HR paperwork. Maybe they couldn’t afford a care facility nearby.

“Would you like some help moving him closer?” he asked.

“No!”

He was taken aback at the vehemence.

“Sh, kitten,” Julian murmured to her. “It’s all right. He doesn’t know.”

She took in a deep breath, let it out slowly and sent Cole a tremulous smile. “My father and I don’t have a good relationship. My mom died when I was young and so it was just the two of us, and he wasn’t a very good father.”

Julian made a grumbling noise. “Understatement.”

They shared a look, and Cole once more felt that stab of being on the outside, looking in. Then Keira reached out and took hold of his hand in hers. She squeezed lightly.

“He wasn’t very loving. He enjoyed pointing out the ways I was a disappointment to him, from my grades, to my looks, to the fact I wasn’t a boy.”

What an asshole. That explained her reaction earlier to when he’d said he was unhappy with her. That was most likely something her jerk of a father used to say to her.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have a good relationship with your father, little bit,” he told her. “It’s admirable you still look after him.”

She sighed. “Well, I don’t want him coming to live with us.”