those secrets nearly got me killed. He knows this, yet he still refuses to trust me.” I shook my head. “I’m done playin’ the fool. I’m done beggin’ and pleadin’ with him. I’m just done.”
He limped over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s never a good idea to make a decision when you’re tired and upset. You need to sleep on it.”
I nodded, but I knew I wasn’t going to change my mind. Unless Wyatt came clean—with all of it—we were done.
Chapter Seven
We got an early start the next morning. I was worried about the road conditions, but most of the snow had melted, leaving behind only a few slippery patches. Hank’s appointment was at ten, and the appointment went well, although Hank seemed resistant to the doctor’s suggestion that he get an artificial leg.
“I ain’t got the money for somethin’ like that,” Hank said after we left the office an hour later and got into the car.
“You’re on Medicare, Hank. Surely they’ll pay for part of it. At least find out how much it would cost you out of pocket before you decide against it.”
“If I get a fake leg, I’ll have to come down here to Greeneville several times a week,” he said, refusing to look at me. “It’s too much trouble.”
“You know I’ll bring you.”
“I ain’t gonna ask you to do that,” he scoffed. “You’re working at the tavern most days.”
“Not anymore,” I said. “Lula came back.”
He turned to me in surprise. “You lost your job?”
“No, Max wants me to keep working part-time.”
He frowned. “And you’re just now tellin’ me this?”
“It doesn’t matter. Max thinks Lula will take off sooner rather than later,” I said with hesitation.
“Sounds like you disagree with that.”
“I took her home last night. That’s why I was late getting back. Sounds like she’s not planning on going anywhere, at least not until her mother gets out of prison this spring.”
“Louise is gettin’ out?” he asked, sitting up in his seat.
I shot him a glance. “You know her?”
“I know most people in this town. The good and the bad.”
“Are you saying Lula’s mother is a bad person?”
He made a sour face. “She killed her husband.”
“Because he was drowning Lula.”
He snorted. “Is that what you heard?”
“Yeah, from Jerry and from Lula herself. Jerry said Lula’s mother had to do CPR on her until the ambulance arrived.” I turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Are you saying it didn’t happen that way?”
“I’m saying I’m sure there’s more to the story than most people know. Now take me to Popeyes Chicken for lunch. I’m starvin’.”
“Popeyes isn’t good for your diabetes, Hank.”
“If I can’t have fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits, then life ain’t worth livin’.”
He had a point. I loved those things too, and I supposed everything was okay in moderation, so I headed to Popeyes. We sat inside and ate more greasy food than either of us had a right to. I tried to get him to tell me more about Lula and her parents, but he just gave me a pointed look and said, “The past is better left where it belongs. You of all people know that.”
The way he said it made me think he knew more about me than he let on, but then he quickly changed the subject by complaining about the temperature in the doctor’s waiting room.
When we finished eating, we headed to Target. Hank sat in the Starbucks seating area while I shopped for some warmer clothes, a coat for Jerry (I decided he deserved a new one for what he’d done), socks and new underwear for Hank (his were so old and ratty, I planned on throwing them away as soon as we got home), some toiletries for both of us, and a box of hair dye to cover my blonde roots. Ruth had asked me to pick up a few items for her, so I got those as well as Lula’s vitamins. After I checked out—cringing at the total—I found Hank in his chair, dozing against the window.
It made me consider giving up my grocery store stop, but fresh fruits and vegetables were hard to find in Drum, and Hank’s next appointment wasn’t for another two weeks. So Hank stayed in the car and napped some more while I shopped, which I decided was a good thing. I’d been sneaking increasingly healthier food into his diet, and I didn’t want him figuring it out during my shopping excursion.
By the time I finished, it was around one