Carried Away

“One day I ate too much candy and started throwing up. The kid working there rushed to help me and when he realized I was there alone he called the cops. That’s how my father found out my mother was having an affair.”

“Jesus. It’s bad. I get it but…”

“But what?”

“But at least you have one.”

I didn’t think I could feel any worse tonight but here we are. “I’m sorry…how did she die?”

“Heart attack. Bad valve. It failed when she was at work at the diner. She was a waitress. We didn’t have any money for doctors so she never knew.”

“How did you find out?”

“She worked the night shift. There was a knock on our door one night around midnight. The cops found me home alone and called CPS.”

“And your dad?”

I hear him take a deep breath. “I met him once––when I was six. But all I remember about him is that he was big and scary. To a six year old he was scary. I think…I got the impression we were better off without him.”

My throat swells and my eyes get glassy. I take a shaky breath and reach for him, cupping his scratchy jaw. Guided by nothing but touch. It’s automatic and without design. He kisses my palm brings my hand down. Then he turns me and tucks me against the front of his body.

“Sleep,” he mutters tiredly. “We both need it.”

Chapter 15

“Heard you had quite the tussle last night,” Nan says the moment I step into the kitchen the next morning.

For a moment I think she means Jake and then I remember.

“Did you hear about the hooker?” I ask while I pour fresh coffee grinds in the machine.

“She’s you mother. Watch your mouth,” she says, pointing two manicured fingers with an unlit cigarette in between. An eye roll worthy moment if ever there was one. “And yes.”

I turn on my heels to get a good look at my grandmother. Something doesn’t smell right, and my suspicion is confirmed when I see the blank look on her face.

“You knew. You knew and you didn’t tell me.”

“Not my business to tell.” She grabs a mug from the cabinet and pours herself a cup of coffee. Then she lights the cigarette.

“Nan…” I hate the smell.

“My house, my rules.”

“And you’re okay with this? Your son cavorting with a woman of loose morals?”

“Morning,” my father says stepping into the kitchen.

“Morning…” I mutter.

“We were just talking about you,” Nan announces.

Dad exhales tiredly. “Let’s have it out. But once it’s done, I will not discuss it anymore.”

“Dad…how can you possibly trust her? She’s an energy vampire. She will drain you until there’s nothing left and toss you aside.”

“Carrie…” He makes a pained face. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“I don’t.”

He sighs tiredly and meets my pointed gaze. “We don’t get to pick the people we love.”

There’s a lot of truth to that. But it’s the look on his face that practically knocks me off my feet. He means it.

“I can’t explain it any other way. I have always loved your mother. And it’s a sure bet I always will.”

“I can’t believe these number.” Hal looks dazed as he stares at his computer screen. We moved our weekly meeting to late afternoon so it wouldn’t interfere with my work at the hotel.

My column has gone viral. Twitter has even given me a blue check. That means a lot in some circles. Not so much in others.

“You know what this means…” Gray says, his big brown eyes full of mischief and mayhem. “Syndication.”

“Slow your roll, Edward R. Murrow. A few more eyeballs don’t equate to squat.”

I’ve been having so much fun writing my lifestyle columns that I forgot to worry about everything else. Like Shares and Likes and reTweets. I stopped paying attention and it happened. And nobody is more surprised than me.

Every time I walk into the office, Hal is hollering about the sky-rocketing numbers like he hit the trifecta at Saratoga. I guess small town life is more entertaining than I thought. Then again, I tend to be wrong a lot.

“This is cause for a celebration. Want to grab a drink?” Gray suggests.

“Yeah, I know just the place. Hal?”

He shakes his head.

My mind immediately drifts to Jake and our late night talk. I can either continue to live on standby, or I can go for it. And since I don’t have his number, I figure one drink to shore up my spotty confidence, and then I knock on his door.

“What are you doing here?” Regina says to Gray the moment we reach the bar.

Her attention shifts back and forth between the two of us. “You two know each other?”

It’s so loud in here I can barely hear her, the bar packed three rows deep.

“G––we work together at The Gazette. How do you two know each other?”