Part 11 (2/2)
She folded her arms and leaned her hip against the railing, facing him. She'dchanged from the tank top into a tidy knit s.h.i.+rt for the trip to McDonald's,and the soft yellow cotton gleamed in the semidarkness, outlining her b.r.e.a.s.t.sjust enough to make his mouth water.
”I hate feeling so helpless,” she said in a tight voice. ”It was awful whenhe was gone, but I always had hope to hang on to. Whenever I felt that blackpit opening up, I'd tell myself I had to be strong for my son when he camehome. Now he's here, close enough for me to touch, and I don't feel strong atall.”
”Honey, you're too hard on yourself. You're human. You've been through a h.e.l.lmost moms can only imagine. It's only natural to feel a little shaken untilyou get your footing again.”
She drew a breath. ”I want my little boy back, Grady.”
”It can't happen,Ree ,” he said, feeling regret grind in his gut.
”I know.” She s.h.i.+fted her gaze toward the sky. The moon was waning, shutting down its light a little more each night.”He needs so much love.”
”What he needs is the flat of his dad's hand on his backside.”
She jerked her gaze to his, her expression changing in an instant from the tight sadness that he flat-out couldn't stand to a mother's fierce outrage.
”Don't youdare!”she declared on a little huff of air.
He knew better than to laugh. But d.a.m.n, she was cute when she got riled up.
”I don't intend to beat him, honey. Just get his thinking reordered a little.”
”He was just a little upset. It happens.”
”Ree, the kid pitched a fit in a crowded restaurant overa d.a.m.ned milk shake.”
”What wouldit have hurt to let him have another one?”
”If he'd asked nicely instead of ordering you around, I would have bought him as many as he wanted.”
”He was just being a little boy.”
”A little boy who called his mother a gutter name. If that had been me, I'd be soaking my b.u.t.t in Epsom salts for a week.”
”That's different. You always knew your parents loved you, no matter what youdid. Jimmy doesn't know us at all.”
Grady smiled a little to himself. His mom had always claimed the Lordprovided opportunities. It was up to him how he used them.
”Ree, I talked to that child psychologist this afternoon.”
Her eyebrows drifted up. ”The one in California?”
He nodded. ”Dr. Roth. I thought she might give us some direction.”
Hope leaped into her eyes. ”And did she?”
He nodded. ”Why don't I pour you a gla.s.s of wine and tell you what she had tosay?”
Chapter 8.
Atleast she hadn't handed him his head on a plate.
Grady considered that a positive sign. On the other hand, she hadn't exactlysmothered him with grat.i.tude for coming up with a plan.
Rank coward that he was, he leaned forward to nudge the long-stemmed winegoblet a few inches closer to her reach. Coiled like a wary cat in one cornerof the wimpy love seat, with her legs tucked up beneath her and her spineschool-teacher straight, she shot him a look he'd seen before-almost always inthe mean hours of the night and right before all h.e.l.l broke loose.
”Now I know why you suggested the wine,” she muttered, taking a sip.
He let out the air he'd been holding, and some of the tension eased from hismuscles. Since at least one of her hands was occupied, he figured it was safeto reach for the gla.s.s of milk. Not because he wanted the d.a.m.n stuff. h.e.l.l,he'd never even liked it as a kid. But the department medic had ordered him todrink it. His stomach lining was inflamed, the guy had claimed. Too muchcoffee and stress and not enough sleep. The smug b.a.s.t.a.r.d had told him to venthis feelings, instead of swallowing them.
Well, he was trying, wasn't he?
”Dr. Roth promised to use her juice withMcCurry , but even if he agrees toslide us into his schedule, it's probably not going to happen immediately.More like a couple of days. Maybe a week.”
She rested the goblet on her thigh while she gnawed at the corner of her lip,her brow knit into a frown. He knew the signs. She was working through thepositives and negatives in her head.
”Maybe Dr.McCurry has a different approach,” she said with a hopeful notethat tore at his already-sore gut. ”Hypnosis, for example.”
He pulled up one leg. Just being in the same room with her made him edgy. ”Idon't know,Ree . Seems like Jim is pretty young for a shrink to go digginginto his mind.”
”It's obvious we need to do more research.”
Well, h.e.l.l, what did she think he'd been doing? ”That's your department.Jimmy and I will do our research in Dad's boat.” He risked a grin. ”There'snothing like pulling in the big one to settle the mind.”
Her smile was a little sad. Still, it was a smile, and he was a desperateman. ”I checked with Mom and Dad. They're fine with letting us have the placefor as long as we need it.”
”So that we can pretend we're still married?”
”For Jimmy's sake, honey.” He cleared his throat. ”You should have heard Dr.Roth's voice perk right up. She thought it was a great idea.”
”Okay, maybe it does make sense. In fact, it makes a lot of sense. Jimmyloved the lake.” She took a quick breath. ”And I think it's a good idea thatwe both spend a lot of time with him. I can even see the logic in waiting totell him about the divorce.” He opened his mouth, but she forestalled him byraising a hand.”And the logic of needing isolation so that someone doesn'tinadvertently slip and reveal the truth,” she concluded, echoing the argumenthe was about to make. But then,Ree was always way ahead of him in the brainsdepartment.
”So you agree?” He was d.a.m.n proud of his restraint.
”With some modifications, yes.”
h.e.l.l. ”Like what?”
”Jimmy and I will stay at the lake. We can tell him you're on a case. Nightstakeouts, which is why you can only come to visit him during the day.”
”Except I'mnot on a case, because I don't work cases anymore. And until I canmake arrangements to have someone cover for me, I have to work during the day.At least mornings, anyway. And a couple of afternoons a week when I'm lockedinto meetings.”
She frowned, calculated. Made her decision-and pounced. ”You could be therefor dinner and stay to tuck Jimmy in. After he's asleep, you can drive back totown.”
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