Forever – Chapter 79

Sam’s eyes flashed daggers at his father. Under the table, his one hand squeezed mine hard enough I had to bite my lip. The other opened and closed in a fist on the table.

“Dad…you need to calm down. It’s not a big deal,” said Sam, on the edge of losing control.

His father sat back, incredulous. “Not a big deal? Armed guards are not a big deal? A stranger who turns up everywhere we go? He delivered the pizzas, right? The same guy who gave us his space at the parade?” asked Curtis, his face getting redder by the second.

“Yes, but…”

“But nothing! He’s probably here in the hospital right now,” he said, looking around the room. Twenty feet behind him, Ben sat at a table behind a wide support pillar. I couldn’t see him, but I’m sure he could hear Curtis. I imagined him sitting back there, hand on his gun, ready to intervene.

“What armed guards?” said Kat, dropping her fork onto her plate. It flipped off the edge and clattered to the floor. David stooped to pick it up. 

“Dad, this isn’t the time or place for this conversation,” said Sam through clenched teeth.

“What’s going on? David, what are they talking about?” said Kat.

“You didn’t see the guns?” said Curtis.

“Curtis, not now,” said Caroline, putting a hand on his forearm. He shook it off.

“I want answers! I’ve been quiet long enough. These two show up and suddenly we have strange men stalking us, turning up everywhere we go. Sam’s driving a fancy SUV I know he can’t afford. Expensive birthday presents. Camping trips. What the hell is going on?”

“He said guns. David…what’s he talking about?” said Kat, agitated.

“You see what you’ve done,” said a frustrated Caroline to her husband. “Kat, dear, calm down. Your father is over reacting.”

Curtis looked at his wife like she was nuts. “I’m over reacting? Did I just imagine three men with guns drawn, flying up from the beach just after Cam hit his head? Or the mystery man running out of the house right behind us? Who even let him in? Somebody start talking!” He pounded his fists on the table and we all jumped. 

This was getting out of hand. I saw Ben peer around the pillar he was hiding behind. Any second now he was going to start shooting. Sam pushed his chair back and started to stand up, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

“Sam, don’t!” He looked at me, seething, but he did sit down. His deep blue eyes searched mine for a way out of this mess. There wasn’t one. Sometimes the best way forward is to raise the white flag.

“His name is Ben,” I said to no one in particular. “He’s with us.” I reached for a drink of water while everyone digested that little piece of news. Curtis started to say something, but Caroline squeezed his arm.

“Let Jack speak,” she said. She smiled at me. Sam scowled at his plate. I didn’t have the courage to look at Curtis.

“We tried to keep the security team invisible to avoid all this, but when Cam hit his head…” My voice cracked. Sam looked at me, full of pain and anger. If we could only blink and disappear.

I swallowed hard and forged on. “I’m sorry if you feel like we deceived you. Honestly, Ben and his team are only a precaution, nothing more.”

“I don’t understand,” said Kat, very confused. “If those men who helped us weren’t the police, who were they?”

“They’re part of a security team watching over us this week,” I said.

“Security? For what? Are we in danger?” said Kat. I shook my head slightly. 

“What I don’t understand is how they knew about Cam,” said David. “One minute I’m holding my son in the pool, and the next some stranger comes up out of the water saying he’s an EMT.”

“I called them. With this,” I said, reaching into my pocket. I pulled out the panic device.

“What is that?” asked Kat.

“I don’t know what you call it, but I press this, and the cavalry comes running. When I saw Cam was in trouble, I pushed it. I’m sorry for the commotion. I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I thought they could help.”

“Thank God you did,” said Caroline, indignant. “There’s no telling what might have happened to Cam if you hadn’t.” Caroline was pissed, and her husband knew it.

Before Curtis could respond, David’s cell phone dinged. He picked it up off the table and read the text. “The doctor wants to see us,” he said. Kat pushed her chair back and grabbed her handbag. 

“Move,” she said.

“I’m coming,” said David to her retreating backside. He looked at Sam and me.

“Go,” said Sam. “We’re right behind you.”

Sam and I cleared the table and avoided eye contact with his parents. At least Curtis saw fit to end the inquisition – for the moment. Round two would come.

Cam was dressed in street clothes when we got to his room, sitting on his bed with his feet dangling off the side. He patiently waited while a nurse took his blood pressure. Carter sat on the bed, too, hovering, watching her every move.

Kat grabbed Sam’s arm as we entered the room and whispered, “They said we can take him home.” She gave me an odd look, like maybe she would prefer to leave me at the hospital.

“Is everything okay? Does he need anything?” asked Sam.

David leaned in. “We have to wait for a prescription from the hospital pharmacy, and the doctor wants to talk with us before we can leave.”

Just then the doctor knocked on the door and entered. 

“How’s my favorite patient?” he said, crossing to Cam. Seeing Carter on the bed, he did a double take. “Wait…which one of you is my patient?”

Cam giggled and turned his head, wincing a bit. “The one with the duck egg on his head.”

“You mean goose egg,” said Carter.

“Oh…yeah…right.”

“How are you feeling, Cam?” asked the doctor, reviewing his chart and making a couple of notations.

“Okay. Kinda tired.”

“Does your head hurt?”

“A little. Not too bad. Mostly I’m hungry.”

“Yes…well, I’m sorry, but I want you to wait until tomorrow morning to eat any solid food. You can have liquids only tonight.”

“Are there any other restrictions, Doctor?” asked Kat.

“He has four dissolvable stitches, so no swimming for forty-eight hours.”

“No swimming? Oh man, that bites,” said Cam.

“Watch it, young man,” said Kat. Cam looked at Carter with a barely disguised smirk. They bumped shoulders and giggled.

“No rough housing, either,” said the doctor. Turning back to Kat and David, he said, “He needs to avoid another bump on the head. Walking is fine, no running or strenuous exercise. And lots of rest. Keep him hydrated. Gatorade, fruit juices, things like that are fine. He can have solid food tomorrow, if he tolerates it. If he should spike a fever, get him straight to the hospital. But I don’t think you need to worry. His scans are clear. I’ve prescribed an antibiotic as a precaution. Start it tomorrow morning. As long as he has no issues and his headache goes away by Saturday, he’ll be fine. I’ll make sure the nurse gives you my office number, just in case.”

“Thank you, Doctor, for everything,” said David.

“My pleasure. You folks have a nice rest of your vacation,” said the doctor. He nodded to the nurse and departed. She handed a stack of patient after-care instructions to Kat, along with the doctor’s business card. David signed three forms, and we were free to go.

“The hospital pharmacy should have his prescription ready within the hour,” said the nurse as she departed.

Kat sighed and sat down. Sam looked at her, then over to Cam and Carter, still sitting on the bed. They both yawned.

“Kat, why don’t you guys take Cam home to bed. Jack and I can wait for the medicine,” said Sam.

“No, Mom and Dad would have to wait, too. We don’t have room, and they need to get home, too,” said Kat.

“We’re fine, dear. We can wait a little longer,” said Caroline. Curtis didn’t look too happy with the idea of waiting with us.

“Let’s swap. You guys take the SUV, we’ll come back in your car,” said Sam.

“Fine, whatever,” said Kat. “Come on boys, get your shoes on.” Sam and David swapped keys. They all shuffled out the door. No one said goodbye.

I stood there in the middle of the room and let a familiar loneliness creep into my bones. I sighed, too tired to cry about it. Sam saw my face and wrapped me up, squeezing me to his chest. I closed my eyes and burrowed in closer, my dream of becoming a part of the Wainwright family hanging by a thread.

“It’s gonna be okay, Jack. I promise,” said Sam. I wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, me or himself. I said nothing. I felt numb inside. So close, only to be knocked out in the last round.

“I’m scared,” I whispered, clinging harder against him.

“I know. But we’ll get through it,” said Sam, squeezing me a little tighter.

I heard the door creak open behind Sam. I pushed back, thinking it was the nurse returning. It was Ben.

“Hey guys,” he said.

“Hi, Ben,” said Sam. I said nothing. 

Ben came over closer to me and looked me in the eyes. “I know you’re in the middle of a shit storm you don’t deserve, but for what it’s worth, you absolutely did the right thing, Jack. You need to know that.” 

I nodded. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I have no idea. I can’t feel anything right now.” Sam moved to my side and his hand found the small of my back. It’s the little things.

“If I can help, I will,” said Ben.

“You already have. Thank you for everything with Cam.  He’s going to be fine. You guys were amazing. Please thank the team for us,” I said, coaxing out a thin smile from somewhere inside. 

He nodded, then looked at Sam. “What’s the plan?”

“We wait for Cam’s prescription, then home, I guess. Oh, we have my sister’s car now,” said Sam.

Ben nodded. “If you take your time, they might all be in bed when you get there. Just an idea.” If only.

Sam and I wandered down to the hospital pharmacy to wait on Cam’s antibiotic medicine. We said very little. Mostly Sam muttered under his breath. I couldn’t tell if he was worried or just pissed off at his family. I felt both.

Given that we had lost control of the timing and the message, I thought it unlikely I would achieve a place in the Wainwright family. Curtis was angry, feeling duped. Kat was focused on her injured child, but once he was settled, she would focus on my wealth, and based on her attitudes expressed at the Breakers, I was doomed. Even Caroline’s strong support wasn’t going to be enough. So be it. 

“Dammit!” said Sam, kicking a trash can as we walked down a vacant corridor.

“Whoa. What’s going on, big guy?” I asked.

“My dad really pisses me off sometimes. Why can’t he just trust me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s just upset because we didn’t tell him the truth upfront.”

“It’s none of his business how we live or who we travel with.”

“I agree. But our…travelling companion…sort of crashed the party. Sorry about that.”

“Stop apologizing for doing the right thing,” he snapped. I started to protest, but he gave me a look, and I dropped it.

I sat in a bright orange, hard plastic chair along the back wall in the small waiting area next to the pharmacy. Sam gave them our name, then sat down next to me. 

His phone vibrated, and he read the text.

“Kat wants us to pick up ice pops for the boys. They love those things,” he said, the hard edge in his voice softening.

“We passed a grocery store on the way over here. Hopefully they’re still open,” I replied. He nodded, focusing on the far wall. His blue eyes clouded over and he started crying.

He wiped the tears from his cheek and looked at me. “I was so scared, Jack. He was bleeding so bad. I couldn’t tell who was shaking more, me or David. If he’d died…” He broke down again.

I reached over and pulled his head to me and put my arm around his shoulders. My heart ached for him. He loved his family so much.

“Cranston?” said the technician at the window. I looked around. We were the only ones in the waiting area.

“Can you get that, Jack?” Sam whispered.

“What? Oh…yeah…sure,” I said, standing up carefully. Sam held my hand until the last possible second. I retrieved the little white paper bag from the lady and scribbled my signature on a clipboard. When I turned around, Sam was moving toward the hallway. I followed.

We found the car in the Emergency Room parking lot. The ride to the store was quick, and thankfully they had the exact ice pops the twins liked. Sam was moody, and I left him to his thoughts. I stayed close by. In the car, he held my hand like he would never let it go. We pulled into the driveway just after ten o’clock, exhausted. 

David and Kat were sitting at the dining room table. Sam walked to the kitchen to put the ice pops in the freezer. I stayed in the foyer, hoping to slip upstairs.

“Come in here, Jack,” said Kat, brooking no argument. Her eyes were red rimmed, like she had been crying again.

I sighed, kicked off my shoes, and walked over by the table to face the music. My hands trembled against the back of a chair, and it annoyed me.

Kat looked at me with a thin smile. “Please sit down. You, too, Sam.” I looked at him as he pulled out a chair. I sat next to him and together we faced Kat and David. I couldn’t look at her, so I focused on a picture of some flowers in a vase on the wall behind them.

“How’s Cam?” asked Sam.

“He’s sleeping. David put them down as soon as we got home. It’s gonna be a bitch keeping him in tomorrow.”

“We’ll play with them, keep them busy. Right, Jack?” I nodded, too afraid to speak.

“Jack…breathe,” said David. I exhaled, feeling a little faint. I kept my eyes fixed on the picture.

“I don’t know what all happened today,” said Kat. “It’s kind of a blur for both of us. Daddy said some crazy things and he’s really amped up about it. Mom got him to calm down enough to go to bed, but you need to be ready in the morning for some serious interrogation.”

“He needs to leave it alone,” said Sam.

“He won’t, Sam, and you know he won’t. Not when he doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“It’s none of his business.”

“Of course it’s his business. It’s all of our business. Sam, what the hell is going on?”

He sighed and stared down at the table.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbled.

“My, my…how mature of you,” said Kat. Sam glared at her but said nothing. I started to tell her to shut up and leave Sam alone, but David spoke up first.

“Well, I do want to say something,” he said. He got up from his seat and walked around the table to stand next to me. He thrust out his hand toward me and I flinched. He smiled. I hesitated for a second, then shook his outstretched hand. 

“Thank you, Jack, for helping Cam. I have no idea what’s going on, and honestly, tonight I don’t care. My son is safe and well and sleeping in his bed, and that’s all that matters to me. I owe you one, bro.” He had tears in his eyes and I knew I had to say something.

“You don’t owe me anything, David. I didn’t do anything more than anybody else would have. He needed help, and I just…did it.”

“David, sit down,” said Kat, clearly irritated. He gave her an odd look, but did sit down. “Tell me, Jack…you did what, exactly?”

I sighed, looking down at the table and avoiding her eyes. “Because of my…job…Sam and I travel with security. Usually it’s just Ben, but we asked him to keep his distance, to avoid all…this,” I said, open palms jutting toward her.

“So why all the other people?” she said, clearly intent on getting answers.

I gave up. “Ben decided having a team was the best way to keep an eye on us, especially since we were moving around a lot. The guy doing the gardening is one of his. They are only there should something happen, which was very, very unlikely. Unfortunately, Cam hit his head, and I…well, he was bleeding…so I called for help.” 

“With that little black thingamajig?” said Kat.

“Yes,” I said. 

“I see.” She obviously didn’t see, but there was nothing more to say. By the look on her face, whatever chance I’d had with Kat was long gone.

“I’m sorry I ruined everything,” I whispered to Sam, reaching for his hand.

He looked at me, his expression hard. He was pissed. He stood up and started pacing. David watched him closely, and Kat shifted uncomfortably in her chair. I’d seen Sam upset before, but not like this.

“Jack…I told you before we ever came out here…it’s you and me, no matter what. You didn’t ruin anything. You did exactly what I would have done if I had thought of it. Cam is safe right now because of YOU, and because Ben and his guys were out there.” He turned to Kat. “And we are NOT apologizing for it. Dear old Dad can shove his questions up his…”

“Sam!” shouted Kat, her eyes darting toward the kitchen and the hallway beyond. I followed them to see Curtis, dressed in maroon pajamas, walking toward us. Sam planted his feet in a fighting stance. I glanced sideways at the door to the deck, thinking about making a run for the beach.

“I see you both made it back. Good,” said Curtis. He turned his attention to Sam. “You can relax, son. I’m not here to fight with you. You either, Jack,” he said, looking past Sam to me. “I suppose you need to learn sooner or later I can get a little headstrong if I sense someone is stonewalling me. Occupational hazard, I guess.”

“You don’t always need to know everything,” said Sam. “Can’t you just trust me?”

Curtis put a hand on his shoulder, but Sam shrugged it off, defiant. Curtis just stood there with his hand hanging in the air, surprised. So was I. I didn’t expect Sam to disrespect his father like that.

Curtis sighed and dropped his hand. “It’s not a question of trusting you, Sam. I’d trust you with my life. But I’m still your father, and it’s my job to look out for you. Sometimes you don’t see the potential dangers right in front of you.”

“Oh, really. So now Jack’s a danger to me? Well, that’s just perfect. I’m glad you’ve got it all figured out.”

“Sam, knock it off,” said Kat. “You aren’t being fair.” Sam looked hard at her. He started to say something, but shut his mouth. I’d never seen him this intense. He was fighting for something, but I had no idea what.

“Look…can we sit down and just talk, like civilized people?” asked Curtis. Caroline suddenly appeared in the kitchen in a robe and slippers, glanced in our direction, then started making coffee. So much for everyone going to bed.

Sam looked at me, and I nodded. We might as well get it over with. I wondered where we would sleep tonight after his parents threw us out.

Sam moved around to the end of the table and sat down, and I scooted my chair a little closer to him at the corner. Curtis sat at the other end, opposite Sam. Nobody said anything. We waited in silence until Caroline quietly asked if anyone wanted coffee. I was the only one who declined. Like I needed another reason to stick out like a sore thumb.

Coffee mugs distributed, Caroline set a water bottle on the table in front of me. I smiled at her, and she laid a gentle hand on my shoulder for just a moment before sitting down next to me, across from Kat.

“Can I say something?” she asked her husband. Curtis nodded.

She turned to Sam and me. “I told you both at The Breakers, and I’m going to say it again. Jack is family. We…” she said, looking slowly at each person at the table. “We are family. No matter what’s going on, we’ll work through it. That’s what families do. Am I clear on this?” Every head nodded. David smiled, Kat frowned. Nobody spoke.

“Jack,” said Caroline, “if you wouldn’t mind, why don’t you tell us exactly why Kelly Bertrand’s azalea bushes will never be the same?” She grinned at me, and Kat snorted.

“What?” said Sam. I was confused.

“Oh, please,” said Caroline. “There is no way that man can be a professional gardener. He’s pruned her azalea bushes all wrong. He cut off every flower bud. She won’t see blooms for two years, at least.”

I buried my face in my hands.

“We’ll get her some new ones,” said Sam. “It’ll be fine. She can pick them out and we’ll take care of everything.”

Curtis shifted in his chair and started to speak, but Kat cut him off.

“Daddy…I know what you’re going to say, but let me.” She looked at Sam. 

“Do you hear yourself, Sam? We’ll get her new ones? How? They’re all over the property. Where are you going to get that kind of money?”

Sam sighed and sat back in his chair, defeated. Enough was enough. 

“Not only will we replace all of the damaged bushes,” I said, looking right at Kat, my tone harsher than I intended. “We will also hire a professional gardener for Mrs. Bertrand, who will plant them and take care of them for her, and anything else that needs attention in the yard.” Turning to Caroline, I softened my tone and said, “I’m very sorry they were not taken care of properly. We’ll make it right, I promise.”

“How?” said Curtis, a definite edge to his voice. “You have thousands of dollars we know nothing about?”

“Try millions, Dad,” said Sam, forcing the words through clenched teeth.

Caroline gasped, clutching the collar of her robe. Curtis sat back, stunned. David broke into a smile. I stopped breathing. 

“Yeah…right. What a crock. You’re so full of it, Sam,” said Kat.

He scowled at her. I tried not to throw up.

“Wait…are you serious?” asked Kat, dropping her smug demeanor. She looked from Sam to me.

I looked into her eyes and said nothing.

“Oh…my…god,” whispered Kat.

“There…now you know. Everybody satisfied?” said Sam, his defiant disgust obvious. No way to walk this back now.

I watched Sam. He was glowering at his father across the table. Curtis didn’t reply, just stared at me. I said nothing. 

Neither did anyone else. They just looked at me with weird expressions, like I was a strange bug that landed on the window screen. Fascinating, yet grossing them out at the same time.

Apparently Sam had had enough. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Come on, Jack. Let’s get out of here.”

“Wait!” said Caroline. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here. We don’t deserve this, and I’m not putting Jack through another minute of it.”

“Sam,” she said.

“No! No more. I’m done.” His voice cracked.

I jumped up, reaching for his hands. I looked deep into his flashing blue eyes, no longer aware of anything but him. “I can’t…I told you…I can’t be this guy, Sam,” I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks. “I won’t let you do this.”

“It’s not right. We did nothing wrong,” he said.

I grabbed his biceps. “I know…I know. But not like this. Please…”

“I knew it,” said Kat, bringing me back to reality. “I knew something wasn’t right.”

“You need to be quiet,” said David softly, watching Sam’s face.

“Don’t tell me to be quiet,” said Kat. “Sam’s my brother, and I’m not going to let someone take advantage of him like this.”

“That’s enough!” yelled Caroline, slamming her hands on the table, causing coffee to splash out of her mug. I jumped, twisting around mid-air. Even Curtis looked stunned as she pushed her chair back and stood up. 

“I’ve had it up to here with all of this,” she said, raising an open palm to her neck. “Who do you think you are, Katherine, sitting up there on your high horse, judging things you know nothing about. Who died and left you God? You need to listen to your husband and be quiet. If you ask me, you owe Jack a huge debt of gratitude for what he did for Cam. And you,” she said, pointing a finger at her husband. “You need to fix this…right now!” She plopped down in her chair, arms crossed, scowling at Curtis. 

He might have cracked a smile, I couldn’t be sure, but then his face turned serious again.

Curtis cleared his throat. “Sam…clearly you feel I’ve been out of line…”

“Not just you,” said Sam, glaring at his sister. She crossed her arms like her mother, not giving an inch.

Curtis stood up, put his fingertips on the table, and looked into Sam’s eyes. “For what it’s worth…I’m sorry, son.” Sam seemed startled by the apology, and looked down at the table, a lot of the fight in him fading away. “I see now I’ve handled things badly. Please believe me, Sam, I love you with all my heart, and the last thing I want is for you to leave, thinking otherwise.”

Curtis looked at Kat, his expression grim. Then he looked at me.

“Jack…I need to apologize to you, too. I am overprotective of my grown children at times, and you got caught in the cross hairs. Obviously my son loves you very much. I hope you’ll stay, and we can work this out.”

I nodded, too afraid to say anything. I turned to Sam. He leaned forward until our foreheads touched. Looking deep into my eyes, he whispered, ““Do you want to stay?” 

“Yes,” I whispered back.

“I love you,” said Sam.

“I love you back,” I whispered.

We sat down again. Caroline touched her husband’s arm and he acknowledged her gratitude with a nod.

“Well…I hate to spoil this little kumbaya moment, but you all seem to be forgetting something,” said Kat.

“What?” said Sam, on guard again.

“You lied to us.”

“That’s enough, Kat,” said Curtis. 

David looked at his wife like she’d lost her mind, and stood up. “Are you for real?” he said, looking down at her. I got the impression this was not a common thing, given the shock on her face. “Nobody lied, Kat. Maybe they didn’t reveal all, but I don’t remember anyone at this table asking me to open my checkbook and defend its contents, the way you are of Jack. What’s this all about?”

“Sit down,” she said.

“No, not until you explain why you’re suddenly so over-the-top angry because you found out Jack has some money in his pocket.”

“Not SOME money – millions. Right, Sam? That’s what you said. Millions?” 

“So what if he does. How is that any of our business?” said Caroline.

Kat squinted at her. “Look…Mother…I’m all for this new stand up woman you’ve become. But you’re ignoring the fact that these people take what they want without a care in the world for who they hurt.”

“You know what…now you sound just like Aunt Myra,” said David, walking away in disgust toward the kitchen. 

Kat’s mouth hung half opened, stung by her husband’s words. 

“But…I…Sam…I’m just looking out for you,” she said, turning to Sam.

“I can look out for myself, sis.”

“You’re telling me you’re okay with this? What about all those hoity-toity people you cleaned pools for, how they treated you?” she asked.

“Jack’s nothing like them,” said Sam.

“So…what? You want him for his money? I never figured you for a gold digger, Sam.”

Sam fell back in his chair, mouth hanging open. I was aware peripherally of Caroline’s hand flying up to her mouth in shock. David stood at the edge of the kitchen island, staring at Sam, horrified. What I saw in Sam’s eyes pushed me over the edge.

I jumped up. “You take that back, right this second. How dare you? Do you even know your brother?”

Kat stood up and leaned over the table toward me. “I can say whatever I want to about him. He’s MY brother!” she screamed.

“That’s enough! Everybody sit down…NOW!” said Curtis. 

Kat looked at me defiantly, daring me to sit down first. I didn’t budge.

“Jack,” whispered Sam, as he pulled gently on my wrist. My eyes never left Kat’s as I slowly sat down.

“Sit…down,” said Curtis. Kat glanced at him, and reluctantly sat down. The fire in her eyes never waned. 

“Katherine,” said Curtis. “You need to give your brother some credit, and apologize for your hurtful comment. David’s right. This isn’t like you. What’s gotten into you?”

“Why is everyone yelling at me?” yelled Kat.

“Hush, girl! You’re going to wake the twins,” said Caroline. Kat fixed angry eyes on her mother, irked at being talked to like a child. She deserved it.

Everyone went quiet, listening for sounds from upstairs. All was silent. David returned with a fresh mug of coffee. He sat down, and Kat turned a cold shoulder to her husband. This was getting ugly.

“Maybe we should go,” I said softly to Sam.

Sam looked from me to his father, then back to me.

“No…don’t leave, Jack,” said David. Turning to his wife, he said, “Kat…I’m sorry. I know you love Sam. We all do. But you need to back way the hell off here, and give Jack a chance.”

Something in David’s voice penetrated her resistance just enough. 

“Fine,” said Kat, looking at him with contempt. Then she turned her head again, looking toward nobody in the kitchen. Her lips quivered, and I realized she was trying not to cry.

No one spoke. I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. I struggled to calm down. As the adrenaline subsided, I remembered David telling me his wife hated to cry. I suddenly felt like a heel.

“Kat,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have done that.” She looked at me, a tangle of emotions. I looked at Sam. He gave me a thin smile and nodded. 

“Nothing hidden, right?” I said softly to him. He nodded again.

Turning to Kat, I said to her profile, “What do you need to know so you’ll believe I mean no harm to your brother?”

She looked at me, slightly less defiant. “Why the secrecy? Why not tell us the truth from the beginning?”

“Because of this,” I said.

“What?”

“The judgment. The criticism. People thinking I’m something I’m not. Geez, I thought being gay was hard.”

“I don’t care if you’re gay,” said Kat.

“Fine. So you give gay people a pass. But clearly you have major issues with people who have money.”

She looked startled, which was odd. “Yes, I have concerns. I won’t apologize for it, either. Most people with money look down on those without, and treat them horribly. I’m very surprised Sam is okay with this. How long have you known?” she asked her brother.

“Since the night he told me he loved me,” answered Sam.

“And you were okay with it?” asked Kat, a hostile edge in her voice.

Sam looked at me, not wanting to answer.

“It’s okay. Tell her,” I said.

Sam looked at his family and swallowed. “Honestly…I got mad and tried to leave.” 

“See? I knew it,” said Kat, sitting back with an ugly, smug grin.

Caroline gasped. “Oh no, Sam. Why would you do that?”

Sam looked across me to his mother. “I couldn’t deal with it. I loved him, and I knew he loved me, too. But all I could see was the money. It left no place for me.” Sam looked at me, sadness in his beautiful blue eyes, and grabbed both my hands. “I wanted to be the one to take care of him, and provide for him and protect him. With all his money…I thought he didn’t need me. But I was wrong.”

“How is that wrong? Why on earth would you stay?” said Kat, looking at Sam with renewed disdain.

“Because the money is not me!” I hissed at her, losing my patience. 

Kat recoiled in her chair and narrowed her eyes. 

I tried to dial it back a notch. “Look, you can think whatever you want to about me, but the fact is, just because I don’t need Sam for money, doesn’t mean I don’t need him.” 

“Tell her what you told me that night,” said Sam.

“I told him I’d give every penny to the charities of his choice, as long as he and I could be together. I love Sam, Kat. Not the money. I never wanted the money, I never asked for it, and I feel the same way today. I’ll give it all up in a heartbeat, if keeping it will cost me Sam.”

“Beautiful,” said Caroline, smiling. She beamed at Sam.

“What’s the matter with you?” asked Kat, turning her disdain on her mother.

“Not a thing,” said Caroline. “You should see the look on your face, dear. You can’t imagine that kind of love, can you?”

“What are you talking about, Mother? I know what love is.”

“Perhaps. But how many millionaires would be willing to give it all away for the one they love? You’re trying to lump Jack into whatever warped little box you put rich people in. But he’ll never fit.”

“I don’t have a…a box,” said Kat, slightly rattled.

“Really? I’ve listened to your tirades against the wealthy for years now. Do you have any idea how hard it was for Jack to listen to you and your father go on and on about the evils of wealthy people on the tour today?” 

She paused a moment, glaring at her husband and daughter.  “He spent the whole day worrying about you finding out. Is it any wonder they tried to keep it a secret?” she said. Curtis and Kat exchanged glances. 

Caroline smiled at me. “Turns out you did have a money problem after all, didn’t you?” I nodded.

Chastised but not mollified, Kat chose a different tack. “Okay, fine. So Jack’s not a total asshole. I never said he was. But what can you possibly need my brother for?” she asked.

“I’m sorry?” I replied.

“You said just because you don’t need Sam for money, doesn’t mean you don’t need him. So what is it? Sex?”

“Katherine!” said Caroline.

“What? I want to know what he expects Sam to provide in this relationship.”

“Now Kat, that’s really none of our business,” said Curtis. 

“He makes me safe!” I said, a little louder than I intended, but it got everyone’s attention. Sam looked at me, stunned.

“Look, you really don’t know me, but I’ve never had this…what you have. This wonderful, loving family. Everyone looking out for each other. Until I met Sam, I don’t remember ever feeling safe. I was always afraid someone would figure out I’m gay and hurt me. But when I’m in Sam’s arms, nothing can touch me. I’m safe. And I won’t give that up for anything in the world, Kat. I need him, okay? And I’ll tell you something else, too. No matter how much money I have, I could never look down on the man who every day lifts me up to stand beside him.”

Sam reached for my hand and I looked into his watery eyes.

“I do need you, Sam,” I whispered.

“I’m right here. Forever,” he said.

David saw something over my shoulder and straightened up. I turned to see Cam padding across the living room.

“Mommy, my head hurts,” he said. Kat was up and flying toward him. Everyone else stood, too.

“What’s wrong, baby? Tell me,” said Kat, crouching down beside him. She felt his forehead.

He shrugged. “I woke up and my head hurted.”

“All over, or just where you bumped it.”

“Right here,” he said, pointing to the swollen bump on the back of his head.

“David, do we have any children’s Tylenol with us?” asked Kat. He shook his head.

“We’ll go get some,” said Sam.

Kat looked at Sam and shook her head. “No, David can get it.”

“No,” said David. “I’m not leaving. Sam and Jack can handle it.” Kat started to object, but he gave a little shake of his head and she stopped.

“Fine. He needs the liquid kind. Not the pills,” she said.

“Let’s go, Jack,” said Sam.

“Do you even know where there’s a pharmacy open at this hour?” said Caroline.

“No…but Ben will,” I said without thinking. I think Curtis actually smiled.

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” said Cam.

“Tell you what, kiddo. I think Uncle Sam and Uncle Jack brought you some ice pops. How about one of those, and you can sit here on the couch with Daddy and me while you eat it.”

“Yes!” he said, pumping his fist, and walked toward the kitchen. Kat and David followed.

Caroline and Curtis stepped over by the door while Sam and I put on our shoes.

“Be careful, Sam. You okay to drive?” asked Curtis.

“I’m fine, Dad. Don’t worry. Back in a jiffy,” said Sam. He grabbed the keys off the little shelf by the door and we left.

My phone dinged as I pulled the seatbelt across my chest. It was a text from Ben with the address of a twenty-four pharmacy nearby. Guess I was off the naughty list.

Sam drove like a maniac, more than a little upset still.

“Sam…would you slow down, please.” I said, letting go of his hand and bracing myself against the dashboard as he tore around a corner.

“Oh…sorry,” he said. He sighed, lifting his foot off the gas pedal.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m pissed at my sister. Aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess. But not so much I wanna die in an accident.”

“I thought my dad was being a total ass, but Kat? What the hell was that? Who does she think she is?”

“Your sister. The one who’s loved you and looked out for you your whole life.”

He snorted. “I’m a big boy now. I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. But I get it…sort of.”

“Come on. You can’t possibly be defending her,” said Sam.

“I’m not, believe me. I wanted to slap her head off with that “gold digger” comment.”

Sam chuckled. “I thought you were about to jump across the table for her.”

I sighed. “Yeah. Not my finest moment.”

“I don’t know. Now that I think about it, it was kinda sexy.”

I snorted. “Fighting with your sister is not sexy. I felt like a bully or something.”

“She’s the bully. David’s right – she sounded just like Aunt Myra. She had no right to treat you like that.”

“I agree. But I think her heart’s in the right place.”

“How can you say that after the way she totally dissed you tonight?”

“Because…she did it for you. She and I are on the same side when it comes to you.”

“Somehow I don’t think she sees it that way.”

“She will. There’s the pharmacy on the corner.”

We returned less than twenty minutes later, and Cam was asleep, leaning up against David on the couch. Kat and her parents were nowhere to be seen.

“Where is everybody?” whispered Sam.

“They went to bed. You okay, Sam?”

He shrugged. I grabbed his arm in solidarity.

David woke Cam up so he could take his medicine. He was not happy about it. 

“Let me,” said Sam. He lifted Cam in his arms, carried him to the dining room table, and opened the Tylenol while Cam sat on his knee and watched.

“Hang in there, Jack,” said David softly, standing up next to me. “This family needs you. And it’s got nothing to do with your money, I can promise you that.”

“I hope you’re right. We’ll see.”

“All better,” said Sam, after Cam swallowed the liquid medicine and made a face.

“That stuff’s gross,” said Cam.

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed,” said David, taking his son from Sam’s lap. Cam put his arms around his daddy’s neck and nuzzled in closer. It was sweet.

“Good night, guys,” whispered David.

“Night,” said Sam.

Upstairs, we undressed in the dark. Sam was quiet, and I didn’t know what to say to make what had happened any less painful. I could feel him slipping away from me, withdrawing into himself, like he did after the Texas mess.

I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Stay with me, big guy,” I whispered. 

“I feel so…lost,” he said softly. I squeezed him a little tighter and he held onto my arms.

“How can I help?” I said.

“Just don’t let go, okay?”

“Never.” I kissed the back of his shoulder.

A long moment passed before he spoke again. 

“It’s like they don’t know who I am anymore,” he whispered.

“You’ve changed. You’re not the same guy who went into hiding in Hawaii,” I said. He inhaled and let go of my arms, then twisted around to face me.

“Everything’s changed with you.” He leaned his forehead against mine. I could still barely see the sparkle in his eyes.

“I don’t want to take you away from your family, Sam,” I whispered.

“You aren’t. It feels like they’re letting go.”

Something popped into my brain, and I stared into his eyes, wondering if I should say it. He must have sensed it himself.

“I’m the one letting go, aren’t I?” he said.

“Yeah…maybe…a little. But maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. I mean…you can stand on your own now. You don’t need them like you did before.”

“But I don’t want to lose them,” he said.

“So don’t. Don’t give up on them. They do love you, Sam. I know they do.”

“But they have to love you, too, Jack. I won’t give you up.”

I tilted up and kissed him gently, wiping away the tears as they slid down his cheeks, fighting back my own. He needed me to be strong right now. I could fall apart later.

“Come to bed. We’ll deal with it all tomorrow,” I said. “Things will look better in the morning.”

I stepped back and he took my hand and followed me to bed. I yawned and slid naked under the covers. Sam slipped in next to me.

“Hold me,” he whispered, turning so his back was to me.

I rolled onto my side and put my arm around his hairy chest.

“You gonna be okay, big guy?”

I felt his nod. 

“Promise me, no matter how crazy messed up my family gets, you won’t leave me,” said Sam.

“Never.”

He made a noise and pushed back against me. I hugged him tighter.

A moment later he said, “Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“If that’s your dick poking my ass, put it away. I’m too tired.”

I smiled. “Go to sleep, Sam. Love you.”

“Love you back, Jack” he whispered.

In the morning, I woke to a naked Sam moving around in semi-darkness, putting things in his suitcase.

“What are you doing?” I asked, still half asleep. I stretched and yawned. He came over and kissed my forehead.

“Sorry if I woke you. Getting a head start on packing, in case my family wigs out again.”

There was a thin line of sunlight peering around the drawn blinds. “What time is it?” I asked.

“A little after eight, I think.”

“Did you shower?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

“Wanna share?” I said with a grin. He smiled, dropped the stack of clothes he was holding onto the bed, and reached for my hand.

“I thought you’d never wake up.”

By the time we finished in the shower, in more ways than one, I was wide awake and wonderfully relaxed. Sam was actually humming something as we got dressed. 

“Hurry up, Jack. I wanna see the twins,” said Sam.

“I am hurrying,” I said, pulling up my shorts. I slipped a t-shirt over my head and grabbed the last pair of clean socks from my suitcase. Sam took my hand and pulled me into a surprisingly tender kiss.

“Thank you for talking me into staying last night.”

“It’s family, Sam.”

“You’re my family, Jack. I’m glad we get to go home tonight. Our home.”

I suddenly had a lump in my throat.

“Is it, Sam? A real home for you?”

He leaned his forehead against mine. “Home is wherever we are together. But yeah…I love Phillip’s Mountain. I miss it.”

“I’m glad,” I whispered, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes.

“Come on, I’m famished,” he said with a wink.

David stopped us at the bottom of the stairs. He had a mug of coffee in his hand and an odd expression on his face.

“Morning, David,” said Sam.

“Morning,” he said, none too cheery.

“What’s going on? Is Cam okay?” asked Sam.

“Yeah…um…he’s fine. The kids are in the kitchen with grandma learning how to make pancakes.”

“Cool. So why the glum face?”

David turned and looked toward the sliding door to the deck. “Uh…it’s Kat. She…um…she wants to talk to you.” David looked at the floor.

“Just me?” said Sam with a definite edge. He stood up straighter and rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the instant tension.

“Actually…both of you,” said David, looking at me for the first time. I inhaled sharply. Something about his tone worried me.

“Where is she?” said Sam.

“She’s out on the deck. And Sam…go easy on her. It’s been a rough night,” said David. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Definitely a rough night, from the looks of him.

Sam looked at me and grabbed my hand. We maneuvered around the furniture and out the slider to the deck. Kat was pacing along the far deck railing, beyond the pool, near where Cam had hit his head the day before.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

“I have no idea, but it’s not good,” said Sam. Gone was the anger, replaced with worry for his sister.

As we skirted the pool, Kat stopped pacing and leaned against the railing, facing the ocean, so she didn’t see us approach.

“Hey, sis,” said Sam.

She jumped a little, then turned. “Sorry…I didn’t hear you,” she said.

“David said you wanted to talk?”

She nodded to her brother, then looked at me. She did the Wainwright thing, looking deep into my eyes. I let her in. It didn’t last long.

She started to reach for my hand and hesitated. “Jack…I’m…” Her voice cracked. She took a breath and tried again. 

“I owe you an apology, I know. My behavior last night…I said some things…a lot of things I shouldn’t have said. I’d say I wasn’t myself, but…that’s not really true. I just…ugh, I’m making a mess of this,” she said, looking at our feet.

“I accept,” I said, smiling. She looked up with a slight grin, her bottom lip quivering.

“Thank you,” she said softly, touching my arm. “I don’t deserve it, but I’ll take it, all the same.” She tried to smile, but her eyes reflected only sadness and grief.

“Are you okay? You’re kinda scaring me, sis,” said Sam, resting a hand on her shoulder. 

She collapsed against her brother. “Oh, Sam,” she whispered. He wrapped her up in his arms, and she started sobbing against his chest. Soft, pitiful wails of deep agony. Sam looked at me over her shoulder, tears in his beautiful blue eyes. I took two steps forward, wrapped my arms around Kat’s back, and cried with them.

I was peripherally aware of the seagulls screeching and the gritty ocean breeze scouring my skin. Sam and I held onto Kat until her sobbing ceased, and she pushed back from Sam’s embrace. I dropped my arms and moved back a step or two to give her some space. 

She looked at Sam’s t-shirt, now stained with smeared mascara. “Oh, Sam. Your shirt,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it. Talk to me, Kat. Please,” he said. She wiped at her eyes, which didn’t look too bad.

“Ugh…I’m a mess. A total fucking mess,” she said, turning to hold onto on the deck railing and stare out at the horizon.

“David said you had a rough night,” said Sam.

“What else did he say?” she asked, fear lurking in the corners of her eyes.

“Nothing. Just…you wanted to talk to us.” 

She nodded. “Can we sit down? I’m suddenly very tired.”

“Sure,” said Sam. I followed them over to the lounge chairs, which Sam pushed a little closer together so we could talk quietly. Kat looked a few times over to the sliding glass door.

“Jack…if you see the boys coming, warn me, okay?” I nodded.

Kat sighed and looked at Sam. “I need to tell you something. You remember Frankie Romero?”

“Of course,” said Sam.

Kat realized I had no idea who they were talking about. “Frankie was a boy in my high school class. He was killed in a car accident the last week of our senior year. The police said he had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.”

“Stupid idiot,” said Sam, turning to me. “He’s the reason I never drink. They came to my school and told us his story. I vowed I’d never be that stupid.”

“Yes, Sam, getting drunk is foolish. But they didn’t tell you the true story. It wasn’t Frankie’s fault he died that night. It was mine,” said Kat. She looked at her hands and they started shaking violently. Sam grabbed them, scooting his chair closer to her so their knees bumped.

“What?” said Sam, glancing at me. “Kat…how could it possibly be your fault? He chose to drink himself into a stupor, then wrap his car around a tree.”

She shook her head. “No…you don’t understand. He died because of me. He tried to help me…and it got him killed.”

Sam looked at his sister, stunned. I could see his mind replaying past events behind his flashing eyes.

“But…I don’t understand. You never said anything. What are you talking about?” he said.

“Sam…what I’m about to tell you, only David knows. And you both have to swear to me you won’t tell anyone. Anyone!”

“Kat…”

“Swear it, Sam!”

“Fine. Fine.”

“Jack?” I nodded.

“What the hell, Kat? Why didn’t you tell me?” said Sam.

“Just…give me a minute okay. This is very, very hard for me to talk about,” she said. She took a few moments to collect herself, then after a deep breath, continued.

“Frankie was a sweet guy. One of the good ones. He didn’t deserve what they did to him. Nobody does.”

“Who did what to him?” said Sam, impatient.

“Give her a chance, big guy,” I said gently, rubbing his arm. He looked at me, his eyes in pain. I could tell he was about to come out of his skin, the way he kept fidgeting in his chair. But he shut his mouth and settled for squeezing Kat’s hands.

“The night Frankie died, there was a big party at Natalie Mottoromo’s house. I went with Cassie. Frankie was there. Everybody was there, pretty much. Almost the entire senior class. Her parents threw the party as her graduation present.”

“Some party. They provide alcohol to a bunch of underage kids and think nothing bad will happen.” said Sam. “Totally irresponsible.” The level of his disgust surprised me. 

Kat sighed. “Sam…it wasn’t like that. Natalie’s parents were there the whole night, and they did not provide the alcohol. There were pizza boxes stacked everywhere around the pool, but no booze.”

“Well, Frankie didn’t die from lemonade poisoning.”

Kat gave her brother a look and shook her head, then continued. “I was with Cassie and a group of others, listening to music in the living room, and in walks Ned Whitney and a few of his buddies.” I felt Sam tense at the name, but he kept quiet.

“Ned looked in our direction and pushed his way through the crowd. He made some smart ass remark and people laughed. Everybody thought he was so special. He kept staring at me. His eyes. I’ll never forget those eyes,” whispered Kat, her own eyes suddenly focused on a distant memory. I could see tremors ripple up and down her arms.

“What the fuck, Kat? You’re shaking like a leaf,” said Sam, sitting up straighter.

She looked down, pulled her hands from Sam’s, and rubbed her upper arms like she had chills. It had to be eighty-five degrees with the sunshine beating down on us.

She swallowed hard. “For some reason, Ned was creeping me out, so I tried to pull Cassie away with me, but she had gone to prom with one of the guys in Ned’s group. I forget his name, but she said she’d catch up in a minute. I left and went outside by myself. I remember wandering around the pool, and then Frankie poked me in the shoulder.”

Kat smiled for a brief second. “He was always doing that…poking me. It was a thing since grade school. He was such a sweet guy.”

“Why’d he poke you?” I asked, interrupting her reverie.

“He came to tell me that Ned wanted to talk to me. I told him I wasn’t interested in talking to Ned. But he was insistent. I kept saying no, but then I realized Frankie was scared, like if I didn’t go with him, there would be trouble.”

“So?” said Sam. 

Kat looked at him for a long minute, searching her brother’s eyes, connecting as they had done for years. Neither said a word. Finally, Kat looked down.

“I decided to talk with Ned,” she said.

“Why would you do that?” asked Sam, scooting to the edge of his chair.

“Because, Sam…Frankie was in trouble. I didn’t know how or why, but it had to be Ned’s doing. Frankie had spent half the year trying to get in with that crowd. I never understood why he would want to. They were all the biggest jerks.”

“Let me guess – they were also the guys all the girls wanted to get close to,” said Sam.

Kat looked up at him. “I guess so. Yeah…some of them. The rich girls, especially.” I tensed at her “rich” comment, but said nothing.

“It was years before my time, so I don’t know the players, but did Frankie’s family have money?” asked Sam.

“No. He had less than we did. Which made it all the more pathetic he was trying so hard to get in with Ned’s crew. They were never going to accept him, but he let them use him for homework and washing their cars and whatever other grunt work they were too important to do themselves. They strung him along, and he played right into it.”

“Then why did you think you needed to defend him?” asked Sam, raising his voice.

“Sam,” I said, reaching for his arm, trying to calm him down.

“I don’t know, Sam!” said Kat loudly. Then she dropped her voice, glancing toward the house. “Look…it was obvious Ned put him up to finding me, and I intended to tell Ned to leave Frankie alone, to just cut him loose. They didn’t have anything Frankie really needed, anyway.”

“So what happened?” demanded Sam.

Kat looked at him hard. “I went inside the house and found the door to the basement. Frankie said it was quieter down there and Ned just wanted to talk.”

“Oh my god, you didn’t,” said Sam, now very agitated. He reached for me, his eyes never leaving his sister’s.

Kat went into autopilot mode, reciting the next part as if a reporter was simply stating the facts.

“The door to the basement was in the kitchen. For some reason, I waited until everyone’s back was turned, and I opened the door. There was a light on down there, and the stairs were carpeted. I remember it all smelled new, like it had just been renovated.”

“The stairs opened into a large main rec room. There was a pool table to my left, an air hockey table to my right. Ned was standing by the pool table, a drink in his hand. He saw me and smiled. A cold, cocky, asshole of a smile.”

“The smarmy little shit had the nerve to say, ‘Hi, Kate. Glad you could make it.’”

“Oh, fuck no,” said Sam. He sat up straighter, like he was preparing to fight.

“Exactly,” said Kat. “I walked right up to him and told him to knock it off. He just smiled at me. So I slapped him.”

“Kat! Are you crazy?” yelled Sam.

“He pissed me off, Sam, with that ‘Kate’ crap. He did it on purpose, just to get my goat, so he deserved it. Then I told him to leave Frankie alone, he was too good for Ned and his merry band of losers.”

“Kat! You didn’t,” said Sam, standing up.

Kat stood up and stared him down. “I did! I was sick to death of his smug ass, I’m-better-than-everyone-else bullshit. What he was doing to Frankie was disgusting. He had to be stopped.”

Kat’s voice cracked, and she stopped, her mouth half open. Time stood still. I stood up alongside Sam. Then tears welled up in Kat’s eyes. She stood there, silently staring into Sam’s eyes, as they streamed down her cheeks.

“Oh, no…no…no, Kat,” whispered Sam. “Tell me he didn’t, Kat. Tell me he didn’t do it.” She didn’t say a word, but even I could read the truth in her eyes.

Sam inhaled sharply. “I’ll kill him. I’m gonna find him, and I’m gonna kill him,” he said.

Kat started to shake all over. Sam grabbed her and pulled her close. When he touched her, I saw her eyes flare in abject fear and started shaking her head back and forth, very fast. And didn’t stop. Like some crazy person, she kept shaking her head side to side, until a deep, dark, guttural cry – like a wild animal – came screaming out of her. 

I jumped. Sam held on tight, stroking her hair and whispering she was safe, as she continued to wail and thrash around. I looked toward the house, praying David and the kids weren’t seeing this.

I don’t know how long it lasted, but she eventually calmed down, almost like an engine running low on gas and sputtering out. Somehow we all ended up more or less seated again. Kat was laying in Sam’s arms, facing me. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was starting to slow down. She was a shell of her usual, totally put-together self. Sam looked at me over her head, his eyes red rimmed, his heart shattered.

“I’m so sorry,” I mouthed silently. His eyes thanked me.  

Kat’s personal horror changed me. I knew about pain. I knew about rejection. I knew about not being loved. But I didn’t know her kind of pain. A pain she had kept hidden for over a decade.

Slowly she came around, and finally sat up. She didn’t move from Sam’s chair, but did sit up straighter. Nobody spoke. We all just kept watching one another, like some weird dance, waiting for someone else to make the first move.

“I can’t believe I fell apart like that,” she finally said.

“Kat…” said Sam, but she raised a hand to cut him off.

“No…let me finish this. I need to get this…this thing…out of me, once and for all,” she said.

Sam looked at me and I nodded to him. He didn’t agree, but he let his sister talk. Kat picked at the corner edge of the chair cushion between her legs as she finished her story.

“After…after Ned pushed off of me and left me lying there on the pool table, he disappeared. I remember thinking, what do I do now? I laid there for I don’t know how long, staring up into the ceiling lights, hoping they would somehow burn my eyes out and I would never have to see myself again.” 

Sam inhaled sharply. Kat paused, looking out to something we couldn’t see. Sam looked at me, and I shrugged, just as Kat seemed realize she had drifted.

“Where was I? Oh…at some point, I managed to drag myself off that damned table and was surprised I could even stand up. My dress was torn. I remember looking at it and calmly telling myself it was no big deal, it was on the seam, and I could hand stitch it and Mom would never know. I couldn’t find my underwear. I think he took them.” Sam sucked some more air and made a tight, pinched noise.

“Then I heard a noise. Someone was coming downstairs. I looked around for a weapon. Frankie found me, crouched in the corner, holding a pool cue. I felt something wet between my legs and looked down. A single drop of blood dripped on the tile floor beneath my legs.”

“Oh my god, Kat,” said Sam. She turned to him and put a finger to his lips.

“Shhhh…shhhh. It’s okay, Sam. I’m okay now, I promise,” she said, smiling up at him. He had tears in his eyes again, but he nodded.

Kat slowly turned around again and rested her back against Sam’s chest. He put his arms around her and she held on to them, as I had done more times than I could count now. I wasn’t jealous. She was where she needed to be.

“At first Frankie just froze, staring at me. Then he started shaking, then he started crying. I dropped the pool cue and stood up. I took a few steps toward him with my arms out, hoping to comfort him. But he backed up, shaking his head, then took off up the stairs. I never saw him again. Until the funeral.”

She stopped for a moment, and there was nothing to hear except the birds and the breeze and the insects buzzing in the destroyed azalea bushes. I didn’t want to pry, but something was missing in her story. I started to ask, but thought better of it.

“What, Jack?” asked Kat. 

“I’m sorry?”

“What did you want to ask me?”

“Oh…nothing.”

“It’s okay. I promise, I won’t fall apart again. I’m…getting past it…I think. What do you want to know?”

I looked at Sam. He didn’t move.

“Well…you said it was your fault Frankie died. I don’t get it. If you never saw him again, how did you have anything to do with his death?”

“Because of what happened afterwards. My friend Cassie told me later that Frankie came running outside and attacked Ned. Just started wailing on him. Ned was a wrestler, and Frankie was a total lightweight. I gather Ned ended up throwing him in the pool, then stood there and laughed at him, he and all his buddies. At that point, Cassie went looking for me, but I was already walking home by then.”

“You walked home? At night, by yourself? It had to be two miles, Kat,” said Sam.

“I know. It took forever, and I was barefoot. I left my shoes somewhere in Natalie’s basement. I never thought to look for them. Funny, she never said if she found them, either.”

“What happened when you got home?” I asked.

“Nothing. Mom and Dad were asleep. Sam was in his room. The light was on under his door, so I knew he was up.” Kat twisted and looked up at her brother. “I thought about knocking, Sam, but…what could I say? There was nothing you could do. And…I kept thinking…if I make a big deal out of it, he’ll just get away with it anyway. It’ll just add fuel to his overblown ego and brainless swagger. And I couldn’t stand the idea of all the whispers in the hallways at school.”

“I wish you would have come to me. I could have helped you,” said Sam, rubbing her arm.

“And do what? I never should have gone down those stairs. The whole thing was my fault.”

Sam’s eyes flared. “How can you say that, Kat? You were only trying to help Frankie,” said Sam.

She shook her head in frustration. “It doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done.”

Kat faced front again and leaned back on Sam. “So I went to the bathroom and took a shower. For like two hours. I scrubbed my skin until it was red and raw, then scrubbed it some more. I never got the smell of his cologne out of my nose. Somedays I swear I can still smell it. That’s why I won’t let David wear any.”

“Oh, Kat,” said Sam, wrapping her a little tighter in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

She patted his forearms. “I know. It’s okay. It’s over now. I survived. I lived to fight another day.”

“What happened to Frankie after the party?” I asked.

“He made the mistake of trying to tell someone what Ned had done to me. Whoever he told, they went straight to Ned to see if it was true. Of course he denied it. His word against mine, and I wasn’t even there anymore. I was told he laughed it off, then sent a couple of his goons to find Frankie and take him out to the Weatherby farm. There’s an abandoned barn some of the kids liked to hang out at. Ned and the other two guys beat the crap out of him, then got Frankie drunk. Really, really drunk. They slapped him around some more, threatened to kill him if he ever said another word to anyone, then put him in his car and told him to get lost. He never made it home.”

“If you know all this, then surely someone back then knew it, too. Why didn’t those guys go to jail?” I asked.

Kat smiled at me. “Because…they had money. Lots…and lots…of money.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, though I was starting to.

“Ned’s father ran one of the largest investment firms in New York. The family was worth millions, and they were connected six ways from Sunday. One of the guys who hurt Frankie, Darren Haskell, he broke down like a baby at Frankie’s funeral and cried his eyes out. People thought it was strange, but when he showed up with his parents and a lawyer at the sheriff’s office the next day, word started to get out maybe something was not as it appeared. But then, predictably, Ned’s father was somehow best friends with the DA, and the bizarre confession of Darren Haskell never saw the light of day.”

“The only reason I know the story is because I caught Darren giving me weird looks when I was at the mall later that summer. I walked right up to him and asked if he had a problem. He just wanted to talk. He spilled the beans and apologized. I remember thinking Ned had effectively ruined his life, too. The guilt was killing him. I never saw him again after that.”

“And you never told anyone what Ned did to you?” said Sam.

“Nope. I almost told Mom and Dad, but when I saw how quickly Darren’s story was squashed, I knew there was no chance in hell anyone would believe me. A week had gone by, and the only person who knew the truth was dead. The prosecutors never even questioned me. I decided I couldn’t put our family through the nightmare of a trial and an innocent verdict, so Ned got away with it. Or so he thought.”

“Why? What happened to him?” I asked.

Kat grinned. “His second wife caught him in bed with one of the maids and shot them both dead. Left ‘em laying there, packed a suitcase, emptied some bank accounts, and disappeared forever. Wherever she is, I owe her one.”

“So he’s dead,” said Sam.

“Yes, Sam. He’s gone. He can’t hurt me anymore.” She sat up straighter and looked me directly in the eye.

“And I can’t let what he did to me be an excuse for me hurting anyone else.” She reached for my hands. I let go of Sam and gave them to her. 

“Jack…I know you are nothing like Ned Whitney. You are a thousand times the man he could ever be. I judged you unfairly, and irrationally, and I’m very sorry. David was right. He helped me see that how I was treating you was the same way Aunt Myra treated Sam. Maybe that’s the root of all bigotry – some kind of irrational fear? Whatever it is, I promise you this, Jack Schaeffer – you are most welcome in this family, and I know you are the best possible man for my brother.” 

She leaned toward me and kissed my cheek. Sitting back again, she said, “David told me what you did for him, and his partner, Harry. Thank you. And what you did for Cam? How can I ever repay you?”

“You just did,” I whispered, choking back tears. Sam’s eyes glistened in the sunlight. Kat briefly teared up again. She brushed her fingers across her cheeks.

“Ugh. I hate this crying shit.” She stood up, took a deep breath, and smoothed her clothing. “I’m hungry. Did you guys eat?” Sam smiled. Now she was talking his language.

Cam and Carter proved to be excellent little pancake makers. Sam was in his glory seated before a tall stack, floating in a pool of maple syrup. My stomach was still a bit uneasy after Kat’s revelations, so I settled on some orange juice and a piece of buttered toast.

David was particularly attentive to his wife, making sure she had everything she needed. They did a lot of touching. His hand on her shoulder. Her hand reaching for his as he passed by. Twice he kissed the top of her head as he brought things to the table. 

I couldn’t begin to imagine how David felt, learning his wife had endured such a horror, but I applauded him for pressing in and staying close. Kat was a tough, independent woman, there was no doubt. Her feisty, determined personality would repel many men, but David knew she needed him. And he would be there for her, always.

“Uncle Jack, don’t you want any of our pancakes?” asked Carter, standing next to me holding a plate full of the oddest shaped pancakes I’d ever seen.

“We been slavin’ away all morning in the kitchen,” said Cam, wiping his brow like he was exhausted. He gave me the cutest sad puppy eyes, and my heart melted. I could risk indigestion for my nephews.

I laughed. “Well…since you slaved and everything, sure, I’ll eat a couple.”

Carter grinned and Cam carefully transferred four pancakes to my plate.

“Hey! I said a couple.”

“That is a couple – two from each of us,” said Cam with a grin. 

Curtis dropped his paper. “It’s twin math, Jack. Don’t try to figure it out. Just eat,” he said with a smile.

They were tasty pancakes, though I used much less syrup on mine than Sam. By the time I pushed the last bite in, I was stuffed and wishing I could unbutton my shorts. Sam finished his plateful and asked for more.

“That’s all there is, Uncle Sam. You ate them all,” said Carter.

I saw Caroline whisper in Cam’s ear. He giggled and said, “Kitchen’s closed, Uncle Sam.” David chuckled, watching from the kitchen island. Caroline continued putting dishes in the dishwasher.

“Aw, man, too bad. Those were the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted,” said Sam, rubbing his stomach.

“Think that will hold you until lunch, Sam?” asked Curtis, folding his newspaper.

“Depends on what we do between now and then,” said Sam.

“Cleaning. That’s what we’re doing. We need to clean this place from top to bottom before we all leave,” said Kat.

“Your mother and I decided to stay the weekend,” said Curtis. “The Bertrands will be back tomorrow afternoon, and we haven’t seen them in a while.”

“But we still need to clean up, Daddy. The upstairs is a disaster, and you know Kelly Bertrand likes things just so.”

“I don’t have to clean,” said Cam. “I’m supposed to take it easy. Doctor’s orders.”

David laughed loudly. “Is that so?” 

“That’s not fair. If Cam doesn’t have to clean, I shouldn’t have to, either,” said Carter. He was grinning, knowing he didn’t stand a chance to make that stick.

“You both will clean that pigsty of a bedroom upstairs,” said Kat. “Your father can clean the bathroom, but you two will make the beds and vacuum, after you finish packing. And you aren’t slopping through it, either.”

“Yippee,” said David, spinning a finger in the air. 

“Oh man, that bites,” said Sam. Kat gave him a look, and the twins giggled.

“I wouldn’t be talking so much, big man. You and Jack have your own room and bathroom to clean. And the two of you are gonna help down here, too,” said Kat.

“Too bad we don’t have Maggie with us,” said Sam. Everybody froze.

“What are you doing?” I said, looking at him across the table. He looked up sheepishly.

“Oops,” he said.

“Who’s Maggie?” asked Caroline.

I sighed. “Our housekeeper.”

“What? Sam, you have a housekeeper? Are you kidding me?” said Kat.

“What can I say, Kat? She came with the house,” said Sam.

“Give it a rest, Sam,” I said, but he was grinning ear to ear, goading Kat. Oh boy, here we go.

“So…what? Our Jack here has never cleaned a bathroom?” asked Kat. Thankfully she was smiling, not sneering.

“I’ve cleaned plenty of bathrooms, thank you very much. I haven’t had a housekeeper any longer than Sam,” I said.

“What did he mean, she came with the house?” asked Curtis.

I sighed. “I inherited the house in Denver only a few months ago. Before that I lived in a shabby one bedroom apartment in a suburb of Chicago.”

“You inherited it?” said Caroline.

“Yes. I have money now, but it’s very recent. Until this past March, I was an office manager in a small company, barely making ends meet. I had a rusty old car I had just paid off, and school loans that took everything I had left at the end of a paycheck. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, by any means.”

“But I thought…” said Kat, looking confused.

“You might as well start at the beginning,” said Sam.

“Start at what beginning?” asked Carter.

“Yeah. What are you guys talking about?” asked Cam.

“Boring grown up stuff,” said Sam. “Why don’t we play XBox and let the adults talk. What do say?”

“Yes!” yelled two excited little boys. Sam winked at me, and I smiled. Deftly done.

He stood up and walked around to my chair, bent down, and kissed my forehead.”

“Have fun,” he whispered.

“Thanks a lot,” I said.

“Love you,” said Sam, walking into the living room.

David suggested we adults move outside to the table on the deck where it would be quieter. Sam and the boys were already yelling at the TV as they raced their imaginary cars across the screen.

Sitting down, I opened a fresh water bottle while I decided just how much of my story to tell. I waited for everyone to settle in, ruling out any mention of psychopathic bankers hell bent on murder.

“Jack…you really don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to,” said Caroline, sensing I was uncomfortable.

“Yes, he does. I want to know everything,” said Kat, sitting next to me and fixing her concentration on my face.

“Honey…” said David.

“It’s okay. I’m fine, I promise. I’m not mad, I just want to know the real Jack. So spill it, Schaeffer.” Her eyes smiled at me.

I laughed. “Fine, I will. It all started with a phone call…”

I told them about my adoption, my surprise inheritance, and my decision to leave Chicago for Denver. And my decision to visit Hawaii and the path that led me to them.

“You fell in love with the pool boy?” said Kat. “For real?”

“Yes! Why is that so hard to believe?” I asked.

“It’s so…Hollywood. I mean…that’s all there was to it?”

“Kat, for the tenth time…yes. Sam was the guy who showed up to clean the pool. He looked at me, I looked at him, and we both knew. Well…he did. I was too scared to know anything, but after we spent a little time together, I started to think…maybe.”

“It’s so romantic,” said Caroline. David and Curtis rolled their eyes and I laughed.

“It does sound a little corny, doesn’t it?” I said. David smiled.

“No it doesn’t,” said Kat, turning serious. “I think it’s wonderful. I always wanted Sam to find true love. And now he has.” Her eyes glistened as she looked into mine.

“I do love him, Kat.”

“I know you do. And he’s clearly gaga for you, too.”

Caroline looked sad all of sudden.

“Mom…what’s wrong?” asked Kat.

“Nothing. I was just thinking about Jack’s birth mother,” she said, looking at me with pain-filled eyes. “How sad to keep such a secret for all those years and never get to see her child. I can’t imagine. You said she gave you a letter?”

“Yes. When they told me about the adoption, I was handed a letter she wrote the day before she died. She told me the story of my beginning, and why she gave me up for adoption. It really was the best thing she could have done at the time. And then she told me why she was giving the family trust to me.”

“How did you feel about that?” asked Caroline.

“I was in shock, mostly. But she explained how it could be a tool to change the world, to make things better for other people. That I could do good things with it. I needed that.”

“Why?” asked Kat.

I sighed and looked away for a second. “Because my whole life, I had believed a lie. I told myself I could never do anything good or worthwhile, because I’m gay. I disqualified myself from ever thinking I could matter.”

“Oh, Jack. That could never be true,” said Caroline.

“No way, Jack,” said David.

“I understand,” said Kat. I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes. I reached for her hand and she grabbed mine. I barely held back my own tears.

“But surely you don’t feel that way now,” said Caroline. 

“No, not anymore, thanks to Sam. And Amanda.”

“Amanda?” said Kat.

“My birth mother.”

“Amanda….Denver…how do I know that name?” said Curtis. He was staring at me in the same strange way he had been for days.

“What?” I asked, tingles sprouting along my spine. I saw him swallow as he studied my face.

“Yes…what are you babbling about?” asked Caroline. He glanced at his wife, then back at me.

“I met an Amanda…in Denver…years ago. Your birth mother’s last name – what was it, Jack?”

“Uh…Franklin.”

“That’s it! I knew it,” said Curtis, all grins.

“Knew what, dear?” asked Caroline.

Curtis smiled at me. “Ever since dinner the other night, I kept thinking you looked familiar. Have you seen a picture of her? You look just like her,” said Curtis. I was too stunned to even nod.

“Looks like who?” asked Caroline, flustered.

“Amanda Franklin, Jack’s birth mother. And her husband, if memory serves, was Phillip Franklin, with Franklin Pharmaceuticals.”

I gasped. “Yes! How did you know?” I sat back in my chair, my mouth hanging open.

“Daddy? What are you talking about? How do you know Jack’s birth parents?” asked Kat.

“I don’t. That is, not directly. But Jack has a very strong resemblance to a woman I met in Denver a few years ago.”

My hands started to tremble. I felt the color drain from my face, and the deck sort of swooshed sideways. I closed my eyes, willing my stomach to settle. David saw it and he jumped up, headed for the house.

“You met her? How?” asked Caroline.

“I was counsel of record for a big merger deal. My client, Merck & Company, was negotiating to buy Franklin Pharmaceuticals out in Denver.”

Sam came running out of the house and scooted around the table to kneel by my side. Kat stood up to give him room.

“Jack, honey, are you alright?” I heard Caroline say. My eyes were riveted on Curtis.

“Jack…talk to me. What’s wrong? What’s happening?” asked Sam. I turned to him.

“Your father knew the Franklins,” I whispered.

Sam inhaled sharply and looked at his father. “For real?”

Curtis swallowed. “I met them a couple of times. I wouldn’t say I knew them.”

“How, then?” asked Sam.

Curtis sighed, trying to remember details. “It was a long time ago, but I remember Phillip being totally out of his league in the boardroom. No offense, Jack.” I shook my head.

“My lawyer, Clyde, was his best friend. He told me the same thing. Said he never wanted to be the CEO after his father died,” I replied. My hands finally stopped shaking.

“He was a genuine lab rat. That’s what my co-counsel called him. Did amazing things with research. Merck wanted him to stay and run their entire research division, but he wanted out. I felt bad when they forced him to stay on for a continuity year.”

“What was he like?” I asked.

“Like?” asked Curtis. I nodded.

“Well…he was totally devoted to his wife, I can tell you that much. Amanda was everything to him. She was all he talked about, when he talked at all. That’s probably why I remember the name. If ever there was a man who did not belong in an office environment, it was Phillip Franklin.”

“How did you meet her?” I asked.

“At a party out at their house.”

Sam and I both gasped.

“What’d I say?” said Curtis. 

“You’ve been to their house?” asked Sam.

“Yes. After the merger went through, the Franklins had a get together for their staff and invited a few of us from the Merck team to break the ice. It was somewhere outside the city, up in the mountains, I think. Had this huge, floor-to-ceiling rock wall fireplace in the living room. Magnificent.”

Sam and I looked at each other and grinned.

“What are you two smiling about?” asked Caroline.

Sam looked at his mother. “Um…the Franklins’ house? The one Dad visited? Jack inherited it. That’s where we live now.”

“Are you kidding me? You live in a house in the mountains?” asked Kat.

“On a mountain. We call it Phillip’s Mountain,” said Sam.

“And this Maggie person is your housekeeper?” asked Kat. I nodded, and she sighed.

“What’s it like?” asked Caroline, leaning forward.

“Oh, mom, it’s amazing,” said Sam, smiling. I had to smile, too. It made me so happy that Sam loved our home. “It’s like a lodge, only more…homey. It sits on the side of the mountain, and it’s got an amazing pool. In the back, the trees come right up to the deck. There’s a huge fireplace in the living room, and a bunch of bedrooms. And it even has a brick pizza oven in the kitchen.”

Curtis laughed. “That’s all you need, your own pizza oven. Do you ever leave the kitchen?”

“You can have the pizza oven. I want to know what it’s like to have a housekeeper,” said Kat, sitting on David’s lap. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

“I’ll get you a housekeeper, but we’ll have to give one of the twins back,” said David, grinning.

“Never mind,” said Kat with a heavy sigh.

“You have a lovely home, dear,” said Caroline.

Kat looked up at David. “Yes, I do.” She put a hand on his cheek, and as their eyes connected, I saw their deep love for one another. It was beautiful.

“It’s been a while, but that house seemed pretty big to me,” said Curtis.

“It’s definitely more than we need for just the two of us,” I said. “But we fell in love with it the first time we saw it. And it’s a connection to Amanda…and the Franklins. It’s weird, but…I need that.”

“Of course you do,” said Caroline.

“Tell me something,” said Curtis. “If you two are living in Denver now, what happens when you start school in the fall?”

“We have a place in St. Louis near the university,” said Sam.

“An apartment?” asked Caroline.

“Um…we looked at that as an option,” I said. “But I have a real estate guru on staff at my company. He found a house he considers a great investment, so my company bought it. We’ll live there until we graduate, and then probably sell it.”

“What about the house in Denver?” asked Curtis.

“Maggie and Charles will keep it running,” said Sam.

“Charles?” asked Caroline.

“Maggie’s husband. They were with the Franklins for years. Charles takes care of the house and grounds, and Maggie does everything else. They live in an apartment over the  garage,” I said.

“Where did I go wrong?” said Kat throwing her hands up in mock despair. “I’m drowning in laundry and my brother has live-in help. Do you not all see how unfair this is?” She smiled at Sam, and he shrugged with a big grin. David tried not to laugh. Kat pushed his shoulder.

“It’s not funny. I hate doing laundry,” she said.

“The sooner you teach the boys to do it, you won’t have so much to do,” said Caroline. 

Kat rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Who’s going to take care of the house in St. Louis while the two of you are in school?” she asked.

“We will,” I said. Sam nodded. 

“All this talk about house cleaning is fascinating, but I’m curious about something,” said Curtis. Sam shot his father a look. I grabbed his hand and smiled. 

“What?” I said. 

“Well, I’m not trying to pry into your personal affairs, but if I’m remembering correctly, when I was working with Merck on the merger, the only company involved was Franklin Pharmaceuticals. Did Phillip Franklin have other businesses we didn’t know about?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “I inherited the family trust, which was the whole estate, as I understand it.”

“But you mentioned you have a company.”

“Yes. After the merger, the trust was managed by a private bank in Denver, and they did very well for the Franklins. When I inherited it, the man in charge there suggested we start a financial services company and continue things that way. Several of the bank staff joined us, and that’s where we are today.”

“So you don’t just work for this company, you own it?” said David. I nodded. He smiled.

Curtis looked at me, his expression very different than before. 

“What is it, Dad?” asked Sam, also curious.

“I’m just…surprised, I guess. It’s quite a leap to go from being an office manager to running an entire company.”

“You’re telling me,” I said.

“He’s a natural,” said Sam. 

“Sam…” I started.

“No…Jack…you are. Ask anybody on the team. Dad, you should see him in action. Whenever the guys aren’t sure what to do about something, they call in Jack, and he just…knows.” Sam looked at me with fire in his eyes. “You are an amazing leader, Jack.”

“Only because I have you,” I whispered.

“Is running a company something you always wanted to do?” asked Curtis.

I shook my head. “No. I mean…I never thought about it. I was too busy trying to just get through everyday life. I never saw myself as a leader. That’s all Sam’s doing.”

“How is that?” asked Kat.

I looked at him and smiled. “The first time I told him about my team at the bank and how lost I felt, he started explaining my role as the coach. I didn’t know what he was talking about, at first. But he kept showing me I didn’t have to know how to do all the detailed tasks. My job was to get all the players to work together to win the game. Or something like that. I guess it sort of works, so far.”

Curtis looked at Sam and smiled wide. Their eyes connected, and something nearly lost was instantly restored – respect. Only now it wasn’t just a son for his father. It was mutual.

“Well done, Sam,” said Curtis. “A lesser man would have been intimidated by Jack’s wealth and stumbled under the weight of it. Instead, you helped Jack stand up and shoulder the burden. I’m impressed.”

Sam stood up and walked around me, as Curtis also rose to his feet. “Dad…I’m sorry if I disrespected you yesterday. I know you were only trying to protect me. I just wanted you to trust me.”

“Sam…say no more. You stood up for yourself and for Jack, something a man has to do when he must. I’m proud of you, Son. Very, very proud of you.”

Sam put out his hand to shake with Curtis, but his father had other ideas, and pulled him into a hug. A week’s worth of tension and anxiety floated away on the breeze with that embrace.

The sliding glass door opened and two bored, whiny little boys popped out onto the deck.

“Uncle Sam? Are you coming back to play?” asked Cam.

“Yeah! You said you’d only be a minute. It’s been like forever,” whined Carter.

Sam let go of his father and stepped back. “Five minutes, buddy. You guys want to play Clue with Uncle Jack and me?”

“Yes!” they yelled in unison. Sam looked at me and I nodded.

“Hold up, Sam. This place isn’t going to clean itself, and unless you have Maggie hiding in the bushes somewhere, you guys have to help,” said Kat.

“I have an idea,” I said. 

“What’s that, Jack?” asked Caroline.

“Well…I don’t know for sure we can pull it off, but what if I was able to get a cleaning service in here tomorrow morning?”

“Oh, Jack, we can do it. It’s not that big a place,” said Caroline.

“Hold up, Mother. I like the sound of this. Keep talking, Jack,” said Kat, grinning at me.

I smiled. “I was just thinking, today’s our last day, and while I don’t mind cleaning at all, it would be nice to have the time together. The boys don’t get to see Sam very often.”

I turned to Caroline and Curtis. “What do you think? I can make a few calls and see if there’s a service available. You’d be here tomorrow to supervise, but you wouldn’t have to do all the work yourselves.”

“Jack, we would never ask you to spend that kind of money,” said Curtis.

“I know you wouldn’t. And I will never push you to do something you’re not comfortable with. But please understand. This isn’t about money, it’s about family. Money, to me, is just a tool, nothing more. It’s a way to solve problems and make life better for people. If I can’t do that for family, what’s the point?” I said.

Sam hugged me from behind, looking at his parents over my shoulder. “Say yes,” he said.

Curtis smiled, and looked down at Caroline. She looked into his eyes, and he nodded. She turned to me.

“I guess we can try it,” she said.

“Yes!” said Kat and Sam in unison. David laughed.

“Can we please play now?” said the twins.

Sam and David sat down with the twins to play Clue while I arranged a cleaning service with Ben. As usual, he worked his magic and we had a team of four scheduled to arrive the next morning in plenty of time to clean the house before the Bertrands returned. I went to find Caroline and Curtis and give them the good news.

I found Caroline in the kitchen, putting together leftovers for lunch.

“Oh, Jack, there you are,” said Caroline. “I’m so sorry I never made a special meal for you. With everything that happened last night…”

“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it. I appreciate the thought. The cleaning service is all set up for tomorrow at nine. Will that be okay for you?” I asked.

“Oh…yes…I suppose that will be fine. What do I do?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve never used a cleaning service before,” said Caroline.

“I think you just tell them what you want done, and they do it,” I said.

“It’s seems so…I don’t know.”

“Lazy?”

“Decadent,” said Caroline, smiling at me.

“Thank you for doing it this way. It means a lot to me that Sam can spend more time with his nephews. He misses them so much.”

She put a hand on my forearm. “Jack, can I ask a huge favor?” 

“Of course, anything,” I said.

“I know the two of you need time and space to be together, but…I miss Sam so much. This week has been so hard.” She teared up and her voice broke.

“It’s okay,” I said, patting her hand. “I promise we’ll visit as often as we can. Maybe we’ll have the whole family out to Denver before we move to St. Louis. Sam would love to show off the mountain. And the twins will have a blast.”

She smiled. “That would be lovely. Thank you. If I know where Sam’s living, I’ll worry about him less. Jack, I’m sorry if we were too hard on you. As you can see, we are a rather intense bunch around here.”

I smiled. “Not at all. I understand. I think we survived it just fine. I know I’m probably more than you all bargained for. Sorry about that. Security and all the rest. It takes some getting used to.”

“Stop it, right now,” she said, her eyes getting serious. “Don’t you ever apologize for being who you are. My son loves you, and you love him. Nothing matters more to me than that. Keep my son safe, that’s all I ask. And love him. Love him as only you can, Jack.”

“I will. I promise,” I said, fighting back tears yet again. 

Caroline’s eyes were suddenly moist, as well. “I have to get lunch ready. Can you find Curtis and let him know we’ll be ready in a few minutes. I think he’s out by the pool.”

I found him looking through the mechanical closet for the pool.

“Hey, Curtis,” I said. He was studying the dials and filters.

“Do you have any idea what all this stuff does?”

“Some. Sam taught me in Hawaii.”

“He did? Why?”

I shrugged. “I think because it was something he could share with me. He’s a great teacher. Our second date was me tagging along with him, cleaning pools. It was fun.”

Curtis smiled. “That sounds like Sam.”

“He loves you very much. He talks about you all the time, the different things you’ve taught him. He tries to teach them to me, but I’m a slow learner sometimes,” I said.

He looked at me, eyes moist. “He does?”

I nodded. “All the time. I know he wants more than anything to be a man of character like his father.”

“A father with flaws, you mean,” said Curtis, frowning.

“Sure,” I said. He looked at me, surprised I would agree. “But you’re here. You love him, You stand by him. You have his back. Not every father does that. You didn’t have to be perfect. You were present. It makes all the difference.”

Curtis nodded. “What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who’s looking out for you? You didn’t mention family at all today.”

I looked down at my feet. “I have Sam now,” I said softly.

“Jack, look at me.” I lifted my head.

“You also have me.” 

I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but genuine kindness.

“Thank you, sir,” I whispered, past the huge lump in my throat.

“You know, Jack, you and Sam are young and in love, and all is good for the moment. I wish it would always be that way for you…but it won’t be. Life’s gonna throw curve balls when you least expect them. The world can be a cruel place. Money can’t solve every problem. It’s not a weakness to ask for help.”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He smiled at me and looked over my shoulder. “Uh oh, my wife’s waving us inside. Better get a move on.”

As we walked side by side across the deck, Sam’s father and me, I realized I didn’t feel so alone anymore.

After lunch, Sam and I volunteered to clean up the kitchen. Kat took her family upstairs to pack, the twins grumbling all the way up the stairs. Caroline tried to help us, but Sam begged his father to take her for a walk so we could do it, and give her a break. 

“Mom…go with Dad. Get some sun.”

“I can do that tomorrow. Let me help,” she said.

Sam looked at me, then turned puppy dog eyes on his mother. “Mom…please, have a heart. I need me some Jack time. Just a few minutes. You’ve hogged him all day.”

She grinned. “Well, why didn’t you just say so. Come on, Curtis. I need a few things from the store for dinner tonight.” He grunted something and moved toward the front door.

“You boys need anything?” she asked.

“Just a little space, mother,” said Sam, smiling. She walked over and kissed his cheek, then winked at me. 

“Behave yourselves,” she said, then followed Curtis out the front door.

Sam watched her close the door, then turned toward me. His eyes slanted sideways and I felt tingles all up and down my spine. He took slow, deliberate steps toward me and I backed up against the pantry door.

He grabbed my wrists and raised them shoulder high. He pushed them back against the door, then leaned in and kissed me. Hard. I forgot about breathing and welcomed his invading tongue. He was soon writhing up against me, grinding his bulging crotch against mine. The hinges on the pantry door started to squeak.

He pulled back, sucking in air, his eyes on fire. He pounced again, sliding his tongue down and around the side of my neck, probing and stroking under my jaw. Involuntary moans escaped. I felt him smile against my skin as he enjoyed driving me crazy with lust. 

“Sam,” I whispered. He put a finger to my lips, then listened carefully for noises upstairs. It sounded like they were all busy up there.

Sam grabbed the front of my t-shirt, dragged me around the corner, and more or less pushed me into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind us.

He leaned me backwards over the pedestal sink and buried his tongue in my mouth again. I was starting to sweat a little, my dick rock hard and throbbing in my tight shorts.

“Drop ‘em,” he hissed, leaning back for air.

“Sam, we can’t,” I said.

“Do it,” he insisted. His eyes were filled with lust, and something else. Playful love. He was having fun. And I wanted in on it.

So I reached down and unfastened the button on my shorts, and slowly unzipped, letting them fall down my legs in a heap on the floor. Sam turned me around, and looked at my face in the mirror.

“You ready?” he asked. 

“Do it, please!” I whispered, my eyes fixed on his. I heard him fumble with his own shorts, then he pulled my underwear down to my knees. His hot, rigid cock pushed between my ass cheeks, probing for entrance.

I leaned over and rested my elbows on the sides of the sink as his dick found its target. Sam spit on his hand and rubbed it against my hole, pushing one finger inside briefly. I moaned and felt my eyes roll up in my head as Sam slowly sank his cock into my hole. When he was balls deep, he stopped.

“Look at me,” he whispered. I tried to focus on his face in the mirror. The love in his eyes overwhelmed me and tears welled up. Then he started to thrust, slowly at first, then faster. Then faster still. I concentrated on his face. His eyes never left mine, even as his breath became more ragged and he struggled to maintain a steady rhythm. 

He reached up and stroked my nipples and I swore softly. He shook his head, telling me to be quiet. He quickened the pace in my hole, and the sensations against my prostate and the assault on my nipples had me on the brink in seconds. 

He reached down and stroked my dick rapidly, at the same time he started unloading in my ass. With a vice-like grip on the sink, I bit my lip as I came, squeezing my eyes shut and shooting cum all over the floor.

I stayed hunched over the sink until Sam’s dick softened and popped out of my ass. I felt a few drops of his cum slide down my inner thigh. I sighed.

“You okay?” Sam whispered.

“Never better,” I said softly, a huge grin on my face in the mirror.

“I needed that,” he said.

“Me, too. Thank you.”

We heard a commotion over head. It sounded like feet scurrying for the staircase.

I kissed him quickly. “Go. I’ll clean up,” I said.

He smiled.

“You are so fucking fun, Jack.”

I kissed him again. “Go! Get out of here, before we get caught,” I said, laughing and pushing him out the door.

Sam somehow conned our nephews into helping us pack.

“You’re doing it wrong, Uncle Sam,” said Carter.

“What? Why?” asked Sam, as he threw dirty clothes willy-nilly into his suitcase.

“You have to fold everything,” said Cam.

“Why? It’s just going in the laundry as soon as we get home. It’s all dirty.”

“Better not let mom catch you doing it that way,” said Carter.

“Yeah…she’ll dump it out and make you start over,” said Cam.

“So we won’t tell her. It’ll be our secret. Right, Jack?” 

“Don’t look at me, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. I dropped a huge pile of unfolded dirty clothes into my suitcase and started stuffing it down and inside.

The twins giggled.

“So when are you going to school again?” asked Cam.

“End of August, same as you, I would think,” said Sam. He gathered all our shoes in a pile on the bed.

“So when can we go camping?” said Cam.

“Yeah. We want to go before school starts. Can we? Please?” asked Carter.

“I think we can probably make that happen. What do you think, Jack?”

“Sure. Would you guys want to come out and see where we live? We can go camping in the woods out behind our house. There’s a big lake up there and Sam makes up stories about animals he sees in the forest.”

Sam laughed. “You mean like the moose that chased you for miles.”

I dropped the shirts in my hand, along with my jaw. “They didn’t need to know that.” Carter rolled off the bed with a thud, laughing. Cam grinned at me.

“Mooses are big,” he said.

“Yes, they are. Thank you,” I said.

“Are there any bears, Uncle Sam?” asked Cam.

“I saw one early this summer, eating berries. Not too big, but I didn’t get close.”

“So when can we come?” asked Carter. Sam smiled at me.

“We’ll check our calendars when we get home. I’ll call your mother this weekend, and we’ll set a date. How’s that?”

“Yes! But please make it fast. She always has us doing projects around the house right before school starts.”

“Yeah. Last year we had to clean the whole basement. It took weeks and weeks.” 

Sam smiled at me. We had everything pretty well packed up. 

“Jack, if you get all the bathroom stuff put together, I’ll get these bags downstairs. Carter, can you carry that small bag over there? Cam, grab this one and roll it to the top of the stairs. I’ll carry it down. It’s heavy.”

The three of them extracted the luggage from the room, and I was left by myself to pack up our toiletries. I hung up the towels, wiped off the sink, and zipped up the final bag. I turned to see Kat watching me from the bed. She stood up.

I stepped out of the bathroom and she walked up to me, putting her arms out. I hugged her and she rested her head against my chest. We stood like that for a moment. It felt strangely comfortable.

She leaned back and let go. “Quite a week, huh,” she said.

“I’ll say,” I replied.

“I hope I wasn’t too horrible on you.”

“Kat…stop. You were fine. It’s a huge adjustment for everyone, and we didn’t exactly make it easy.”

“You’re way too nice for this family.”

“I have my moments, I’m sure.”

“Sam’s lucky to have you, Jack. And not because you’re rich as Midas, either.”

“Thank you…I think.”

“You know what I mean. You get him. Not many people do. He’s needed you for a long time. I’m glad you need him, too. Sam is great for making you feel safe. He always has for me.”

I flashed to earlier in the day. “Are you sure you’re okay, Kat? Is there anything you need?”

She smiled. “I’m really fine, I promise. David suggested I see a therapist or something, and maybe I will, if I feel like it. Right now I’m just glad I didn’t run you off. That would have been very bad.”

I smiled. “I don’t think Sam would let me get away, even if I wanted to, which I don’t. Now that I’m officially a member of the family, with nephews and everything, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. Because I kind of like having another brother.”

We both teared up.

“We have to stop this, Jack. It’s embarrassing,” she said, wiping at the corners of her eyes.

“You started it.”

“I did not. You did.”

“No, I didn’t. You did.” She laughed and hugged me again.

“What time do you have to leave?” asked David. We were all sitting around the living room, delaying our departure until the last minute. The sunlight was beginning to wane out on the deck.

“We can leave anytime,” said Sam. He was laying on the floor, playing checkers with Cam.

“Don’t you have a flight to catch?” asked Kat.

I looked at Sam and he grinned at me.

“Oops,” he said.

“Like you didn’t plan that,” I said.

“I didn’t, I swear,” said Sam.

“What are you talking about?” said Kat.

Sam looked at me. “Un huh. Not this time. You said it, you tell her,” I said.

“Somebody tell me right this minute,” said Kat.

“Uh, oh. Uncle Sam’s in trouble,” said Carter.

“I’m waiting, Sam.”

“Well…we aren’t exactly on what you’d call a scheduled flight,” he said.

“What does that mean?” asked Caroline.

“Sam! Tell me,” said Kat.

“Okay, okay. We flew out here on a private jet,” said Sam.

“You what!” shouted Kat. Caroline smiled at her.

“Cool!” said Cam, sitting up and ignoring the checkers game.

“Can we see it?” asked Carter.

Kat stood up, her hands raised in the air. “Wait a minute. Just…hold up.” Everyone got quiet. “You’re telling us that you and Jack flew out here on a private jet? How? Why?”

“Why not? If we don’t use it, it just sits in the hangar, collecting dust,” said Sam, grinning ear to ear.

“You have to be joking,” said Kat. She looked at me and I shrugged.

“Oh my god, you own your own plane,” said Kat, flopping down on the couch again.

“Woah! Uncle Jack owns his own plane?” said Cam.

“Please, please, please! Can we see it, Uncle Jack? Please?” said Carter.

Kat looked at me, trying to be mad, but she kept smiling at the edges. “You’re killing me, Schaeffer,” she said with a grin. David and Sam laughed.

The twins climbed into my lap, begging to see the plane.

“You’ll have to ask your Uncle Sam. It’s really his thing.”

“Uncle Sam, will you take us to see your plane?” asked Carter.

“Pretty please? With sugar on top?” said Cam.

“Well…I suppose we might be able to arrange it,” said Sam. Two little boys started screaming with excitement and jumping around the room. 

“Boys! Stop that!” said Kat. It didn’t make a dent in their enthusiasm. Only when David started counting did they settle down. Even then, their little bodies fairly vibrated with excitement.

Sam motioned me toward the hallway. “What do you think, Jack? Can we do it?” he whispered.

“I don’t see why not. I’ll call Ben and give him a heads up. Hopefully the crew is back by now.”

“Cool,” he said, then reached over and pulled me to him with both hands on my waist. I smiled at him and he kissed me in full view of the family. 

“Do you think we could see the plane, too?” asked Caroline.

“Of course, Mom. We wouldn’t leave you guys out,” said Sam. “Give us a minute to set it up, and then we can load up the cars and head over to the airport. David, what do you think? You guys can just leave from there for home?”

He nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s do it.”

Cam and Carter started shouting again, and Kat sent them upstairs to bring down their suitcases.

Four vehicles pulled up to the Providence Jet Center a little over an hour later. Ben had joined our procession as we passed the house where he had set up the security base. Thankfully he was totally cool with letting us show off the plane to the family.

As soon as we got out of the SUV, a man dressed in black approached Sam with his hand out. Sam gave him the keys and the man pointed to the lobby. As we walked toward the entrance, two other men retrieved our bags from the back of the SUV and carried them toward us. I recognized one of them as the EMT who had jumped into the pool to help Cam.

“Here you are, gentlemen. Have a safe flight home,” he said, very professionally.

“Thank you,” said Sam.

“And thank you for all your help with Cam. We really appreciate it,” I said.

“All part of the job. Glad he’s doing well. Is that him over there?” he asked, pointing to the twins standing on the sidewalk with their parents.

“The one on the left,” said Sam.

“Cute kids,” said the agent with a smile. “Ben asked that you all wait in the lobby for a few minutes, until he gives the all clear.”

I nodded, and the agent turned and rejoined the other men in black gathered around the SUV. They all got in, and drove out of sight. Sam and I grabbed our bags and joined the family.

The reception lobby was empty at the moment. David excused himself to use the restroom, and Kat and Caroline did likewise. The boys saw our plane through the windows in the back and ran over to press their noses against the glass. Sam was right with them. I stood back a little and watched them, with Curtis at my side.

“Is that it, Uncle Sam?” asked Carter.

“Yep. Isn’t she a beauty?”

“So cool. I can’t believe it. You have your very own jet.” said Cam. “Can we fly on it?”

Sam laughed. “Not today. But when you guys come out to go camping, Jack and I will pick you up and fly you back to Denver in it. How about that?”

“Yes!” they shouted.

“Impressive plane, Jack,” said Curtis.

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

“Let me guess – I’m looking at the infamous Franklin boondoggle.”

“The what?”

Curtis laughed. “I remember it all now. We were in a meeting, hashing out the asset transfers to finalize the merger, and nobody wanted that plane. Merck already had a small fleet and their maintenance people wanted no part of whatever model aircraft it is. Phillip Franklin had only flown with his father once, and thought it too extravagant for words. I guess he kept it after all.”

“From what I was told, he got over his reluctance to use it. He and Amanda travelled quite a bit in their last years together.”

“Whatever happened to him? I know you said Amanda died of cancer, but how did he die?”

“Skiing accident.”

Curtis frowned. “Too bad. I liked him. He and Amanda did some amazing things together.” Sam was pointing out something about the plane and the twins were pressing even tighter to the window to see. David returned and stood by us, hands in his pockets.

Curtis turned to look at me. “Something tells me, you and my son are going to do some amazing things together, too.”

I swallowed, a little stunned by his confidence in us. “I hope so, sir. I certainly want to try.”

He laughed. “Well, one thing’s for certain. You’ve made two little boys the happiest kids on the planet tonight.”

“Thanks a lot, Jack. How am I supposed to top a jet plane?” said David, grinning.

“By being their father,” said Curtis. “Just by being present.” He winked at me.

Kat and Caroline came back just as Ben walked in from the tarmac, pulling his sports coat over his shoulders. I walked up to him and he looked past me to Sam’s family.

“You sure about this?” he asked.

“Yes. They want to meet the man who saved Cam.”

“Okay, it’s your show.”

“Maybe don’t pull your gun.”

“Then don’t give me a reason to, Schaeffer,” he said. I rolled my eyes and he grinned. “Come on, introduce me to your family.”

Sam and the boys peeled themselves from the windows and joined us. I made introductions, and the boys made a show of shaking Ben’s hand.

“Thank you, sir, for helping me when I bumped my head,” said Cam.

“You’re welcome, young man,” said Ben.

“Do you carry a gun?” asked Carter. Kat gasped, and Caroline grabbed Curtis’s arm.

Ben glanced at the adults, then squatted down to the twin’s eye level. “Yes, I do carry a gun.”

“Can we see it?” asked Cam.

Ben shook his head. “No, I’m sorry you can’t. You know why?” The twins shook their heads. “Because it’s not a toy. It’s a tool for a specific purpose, and right now, your Uncle Jack is behaving himself, so I don’t need to use it.”

For some reason Kat found that hilariously funny and practically wet herself laughing at my expense. Ben stood up and grinned at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he and Sam started laughing. I rolled my eyes again, and Carter caught me.

“Careful, Uncle Jack. You do that too much, your eyes are gonna stick.” More laughing.

When they all finally pulled themselves together, we made our way outside to the tarmac. Justin was waiting near the rear hatch for our luggage.

“Sam, why don’t you take everyone on board, and I’ll get our bags stowed,” I said. He nodded and led the way to the front stairs. Captain Ron was waiting at the top to greet them.

“Hey, Justin,” I said, pulling the last of our bags over to the plane.

“Hi, Jack. Looks like you found yourself a whole new family.”

I smiled. “It was touch and go there for a while, but yeah, it all worked out. How about you and Gary? Have a good week?”

He grinned. “Let’s just say Gary and I checked in and didn’t come up for air until this morning. He really outdid himself. I didn’t do too badly, myself.”

I laughed. “Good, I’m glad.”

“Soon as you’re ready, we’re good to fly.”

“Cool. Thanks, Justin,” I said, moving to the front stairs.

Inside the plane, it was tight quarters. Everyone was standing in the aisle, oohing and aahing. Nancy was showing Kat and her parents the galley. She already had something chocolate baking, and it smelled heavenly.

I turned and saw the cockpit door open. David stepped back so I could look inside. Carter was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, mesmerized by the instrument panel. Cam was swiveling his head up and down and all around, trying to take it all in.

“If you boys come flying with us sometime, I’ll see if I can get Justin to give up his seat for a moment or two during the flight,” said Ron.

“Really? You’d let us fly this thing?” asked Cam. David laughed and Ron smiled.

“I’ll let you help me fly it. How’s that?” said Ron.

“Cool,” said Carter. “What’s this do?” he asked, pointing to a toggle switch.

“Oh…you don’t want touch that. That’s the eject button.”

“What?!” I said, putting my hand over my heart.

Ron started laughing. “Just kidding, boss.”

“Okay, boys. It’s time to give the plane back to these nice people,” said David.

“Aww…rats,” said Cam. Carter stood up carefully so he could squeeze out of the tight seat. We all made our way back down the stairs to the tarmac outside.

I introduced Justin quickly, and he scurried up the steps to join Ron in final flight prep.

Kat went up to Ben and held out her hand. “I want to thank you for what you did for Cam. I wasn’t real clear on the details, but I’m grateful you were there.”

“I’m glad it all worked out,” said Ben.

“Can you do me a favor?” she asked.

“Uh…maybe,” he said, looking at me.

She jerked her thumb toward me and smiled. “Keep an eye on this one. I think he’s trouble.”

Ben smiled. “Don’t I know it,” he said.

“Ha ha,” I said. “Very funny. Okay, time to go.”

Nobody moved. Instead we all just stood there, looking at one another. Any second there were going to be tears, and I had had enough of those for a while.

Sam hugged Kat for a long time. When they stepped back, they just looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Then Sam nodded and she nodded back.

Caroline hugged me. “Jack, it’s been so wonderful to finally meet you. Thank you for coming, and for putting up with us all week.”

“It was my pleasure. I can’t wait till we get to do it again.” 

I looked at Curtis, and he looked into my eyes. I let him. Something transpired, but I couldn’t tell you what it was. A connection of some kind. It felt…good. We shook hands, and he squeezed my shoulder.

“See to it that Sam gets to Law School. I’m holding you to your promise, Jack.”

“Yes, sir. I will.”

I turned to David. “Call me Tuesday after you meet with Mason and let me know how it goes,” I said.

“I will. Thanks again, Jack, for everything. You’re the best, man.”

Suddenly I had two leeches attached to my legs. I managed to squat down and Carter wrapped his arms around my neck so tight I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t care. I hugged him with all I had in me. 

“I’m gonna miss you, Uncle Jack. Thanks for playing with us.”

“You bet, buddy. Can’t wait till you come out to visit.”

“You got an XBox, Uncle Jack?” asked Cam. I looked at Sam and shrugged. 

“Why’s that, Cam?” asked Sam.

“Because he needs to practice. He’s terrible,” said Cam, grinning ear to ear. I grabbed him and squeezed him in a bear hug until he squealed.

I managed to extricate myself from the twins without tears, but only barely. David and the boys started saying their goodbyes to the grandparents, and suddenly it was only me and Kat.

I opened my arms and she came in for a hug. 

“You are a remarkable woman, Kat,” I said. “I wish I had your strength.”

“I wish I had your housekeeper,” she said, and we both chuckled.

She looked at me, gazing deep into my eyes, much as she had on the first day. I don’t know what she saw in them now that was any different, but she nodded, certain of something.

“I love you, Jack Schaeffer. And don’t you forget what I told you would happen if you hurt my Sam.” She pointed two fingers at her eyes and back at me. I smiled.

“I’ll take care of him, Kat. I promise.”

She touched my arm. “I know you will. Bye, Jack.”

“Goodbye, Kat.”

We stood there at the bottom of the stairs and waved until they disappeared into the lobby. 

“Ready to go home, little man?” asked Sam, placing his hand in the small of my back.

“Yes and no,” I replied.

“Yeah…me, too.”

Once airborne, Nancy pulled out all the stops. We had ribeye steaks, twice-baked potatoes, and a sauteed zucchini casserole of some kind that was actually tasty, for a vegetable. Sam kept asking about cookies, but she held him at bay until the dinner mess was cleared.

Sam had just settled into a seat, half in a sugar coma from too many cookies, when Ben stepped up and asked us to come to the table.

Sam lurched up from his seat and I squeezed in next to him as Ben took a seat opposite us, dropping a file folder on the table. Uh oh.

“Guys, we need to talk,” he said.

“Um…okay,” said Sam, looking at me. I shrugged.

Ben opened the file folder and pulled out a fuzzy photograph of someone in profile. I knew who it was. I could never forget that face.

“Oh my god,” I said before I could stop myself.

Ben looked at me, surprised. “You know this man?”

I nodded.

“Who is it, Jack?” asked Sam.

I looked at him, afraid to say the name. “Trust me, Sam…you don’t want to know.”

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