“It’s okay,” he muttered. “Like you said, I was a just a kid when you left. I thought of you as a lot older than me. An adult, you know? I was on the ranch then, and I liked it well enough there, but then Julian left and then Mom moved me to Springfield, and then she married Bob.”
After which, Betsy had changed her whole persona again. And no one had thought to provide a cake for Stuart’s fifteenth birthday.
Flooded with guilt, she said, “Bob seems like a very nice guy. You like him, don’t you?”
Stuart shrugged. “Sure. But, you know—”
Yes, she knew. He’d liked Stan, too. She doubted that he’d heard a word from his former stepfather since Betsy had walked away. That was the usual pattern in their life.
“Your sister and I think Bob could stay around awhile,” Tate offered, having been quietly listening to that point.
“Yeah, maybe. He and Mom seem pretty happy together. They don’t fight as much as Mom and Stan used to—actually, Mom and Bob don’t fight at all. He just gives her these sort of sad looks and she starts apologizing for whatever it was she did, and then they seem happy again. They had one of those not-fights about you, by the way, Kim.”
“About me?”
Stuart nodded, flipping his hair out of his eyes with the movement. “I don’t think Bob knew Mom had been lying to Grandma and Aunt Treva. I guess she told him before you got there. As much as she lies to everyone else, she’s usually honest with Bob—as honest as she is with herself, anyway. Anyway, I heard her and Bob talking last night and he was telling her it was her own fault she was embarrassed by the truth coming out, and that he wished she hadn’t put everyone, especially you, in such a difficult situation, but then when she started crying he told her it would all work out. So I asked what was going on and that’s when Mom told me she’d been lying to me about you and Tate.”
A spark of remembered hurt and anger glinted in Stuart’s eyes. “That’s when I told her I was fed up. You and Julian got out while you were still reasonably sane and I’ve got to do the same thing.”
“I understand, Stuart—obviously I do. But Julian and I had plans when we left. I had a full scholarship to college, which included room and board. Julian went into the service. You—well, you don’t even have a place to live, though of course you’re welcome to stay here until you decide what you want to do.”
He nodded glumly. “I have a scholarship, but it doesn’t cover room and board.”
“Then let’s consider this.” Tate leaned forward a little, resting his forearms on his knees, a thoughtful expression on his face. “What if you could still go to college and move out of your mother’s home? You could prepare for your own future without completely severing ties with your mother. That’s what your sister and brother did, right?”
Stuart sighed. “But Mom doesn’t have money for room and board, and Bob’s already got two kids of his own in school.”
“I’ll help you,” Kim told him. “I don’t have a lot, but I make enough to put some money away each month. I can contribute toward your room and board. Julian will probably kick in a little, too. And you can work part-time to make spending money. I did while I was in school. It’s doable, as long as you’re careful about your time management.”
His eyes wide, Stuart shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. You need your money for you and the baby.”
“You can get a student loan for expenses,” Tate suggested. “It could be too late for this semester, but you can let your sister and brother help until you get everything approved. Going into debt for an education is never ideal, but with your scholarship and part-time work, you shouldn’t have to dip in too deeply.”
He shifted in the chair, adding a bit hesitantly, “And if you need a little extra to tide you over this first semester, I can probably arrange that. Evan and I have talked about starting a scholarship fund in memory of a friend of ours who died in a motorcycle accident a few years ago. He was a high school teacher, wanted to teach on a college level eventually. I see no reason why you couldn’t be the first recipient of the Jason Sanchez Memorial Scholarship. It wouldn’t be a full ride or anything, but it would probably pay for your books and a few extra supplies.”
Though Kim was touched by the gesture—and fully believed his backstory about his friend—she was still a little uncomfortable with his offer of help. She regretted that Tate was once again getting drawn into her family issues, both because it embarrassed her that her family had so many issues and because she was doing her best to rebuild the boundaries between herself and Tate.
“You’d really do that?” Stuart asked, stunned.
“I’d have to discuss it with my business partner, of course. And I imagine he would want to see your transcript and either interview you or have you write a letter assuring us you would take your education seriously so we’d know we weren’t throwing away our money—but, yes. I would definitely recommend you to him, if you can tell me now that you understand the importance of preparing yourself for your future.”
Stuart sprang to his feet and began to pace in front of the couch in agitation, carefully avoiding the baby’s play blanket. “I can’t live with Mom again. Even if it means putting off school for a while or something, I can’t move back in there. Maybe I can get along with her like you and Julian do, Kim—you know, just talk on the phone occasionally and see her at holidays and stuff. But if I try to live with her again, I just know it’s going to lead to a blow-up that’s going to be permanent.”
Kim nodded and tried to speak reassuringly, motioning for her brother to take his seat again. “You’ll need to talk to the school, find out if it’s too late to get a dorm room. There are usually some last-minute cancellations, so you should be able to get housing. It’s going to be easier for you to take care of things from there than here. I’ll call Julian and ask if you can stay with him for a few days. I’m sure the reason he turned you away yesterday was because you told him you weren’t going to school. He didn’t want to be responsible for enabling that impulsive decision.”
At least, she hoped that was the only reason. Surely Julian would help once he heard all the details. As Stuart had pointed out, Julian knew quite well how it felt to need to get away from their mother’s chronic chaos.
“In the meantime, you should call Mom,” she added. “Despite everything, you know she does care about you. About all of us, I guess, in her own strange way. She’s probably worried sick. Or if you can’t talk to her just yet, call Bob and let him know you’re safe and that you’re developing a sensible plan for your future.”
“I’ll call Bob,” Stuart agreed only a little grudgingly.
“Good. I’ll call Julian.”
“And I’ll get out of your hair,” Tate said, standing.
Seeing at a glance that Daryn had fallen asleep on her blanket, Kim stood, too. “I’ll walk you out. Keep an eye on the baby while you call Bob, will you, Stuart? I’ll just be a minute.”
Stuart nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll watch her.”