I’m all alone,” he said, sounding unbelievably pathetic.
Yeah, and whose fault was that? “That’s… good,” she said.
“Don’t have a wife,” he said sadly, adding a slightly wobbly smile. “I mean, I did, but I can’t remember her.”
Words eluded her. He forgot? What he’d done? How much misery he’d inflicted? Did he forget the time he threw an encyclopedia at his wife’s head or poured her favorite cologne in the toilet or—
“If you’re ready to go in, I can make tea,” he said, clearly on a whole different wavelength than she was.
Tea? Since when did he make tea? Oh, he could certainly fling a pot of it at someone who pissed him off.
She would not forget, even if he had.
He pushed up. “Come on, then, um… what’d you say your name was again?”
“Jocelyn.” Did she really have to go in? No, she didn’t have to put herself through that. Not yet. She’d go back to the villa, make some action lists and phone calls. That would be so much better than touring her childhood home with the man who ran her out of it.
“Actually, Guy, my work here is done.”
“Done?” He laughed heartily, the strangest sound Jocelyn could ever remember hearing. A real laugh, from the gut. “I don’t think so, Missy. I kind of knew you were coming, so I started cleaning everything out for you.”
He knew she was coming? “Did Will call and tell you?”
“Nah, William would never ruin the surprise.” He pulled open the screen door, then pushed the wooden front door, which was no longer the chipped dark green stained wood she remembered from the last time she was here. This door had been refinished and painted a glossy white.
Will?
Another ribbon of guilt twisted through her, followed instantly by a squeeze of fury. How could Will be so nice to him? After what had happened?
“Come on, come on,” Guy urged, waving an age-spotted hand.
She’d have to go in sometime.
She followed him into the front entry, instantly accosted by the dark punch of miserable memories. The linoleum was the same, yellow and white blocks that covered the entry and led into the kitchen that was oddly placed in the front of the house. That weird exposed brick wall, painted white now, still stood, separating the entrance from the kitchen and living room around the corner.
Without thinking, she touched the shiny paint of the bricks, her hand slipping through one of the decorative openings. He’d thrown her mother against this wall once. She jerked her hand back and took a good look around, into the kitchen, past the dining room, down the hall to the bedrooms.
Holy, holy crap.
The entire house was one giant hot mess. Kitchen cabinets were open, vomiting dishes, glasses, cookware, and utensils. In the dining room, the buffet doors gaped wide to reveal empty shelves, but stacks of china and vases and a few tea sets covered the dining room table.
This was what Will called “taking care of him”?
“I know, I know,” Guy said, shaking his head. “I got a little ahead of myself, but it was that marathon they ran this morning.”
Jocelyn finally looked at him, trying to make sense of his words. But nothing made sense.
“Who ran a marathon?”
“On TV! I don’t remember seeing you, though.” He put a hand to his forehead, pressing hard as if he could somehow force his brain to cooperate. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now and… and…” His features softened into a smile, raw appreciation and affection filling his expression. “Oh, Missy. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re going to help me.”
“You are?” She still couldn’t believe he wasn’t going to give her an argument about moving, even if he didn’t have a clue who she was.
“Of course I am.” He reached for her again, this time snagging her hand. He squeezed it between his two fists, all the strength of those thick hands gone now, just weak, gnarled fingers that didn’t seem capable of the fury they’d unleashed so many times. “I’ve been waiting for you ever since I saw you on TV.”
She blinked, shocked. “You have?”
“Well, I think it was you.” He squirreled up his face again.
“The pictures were blurry, but it was me,” she admitted. “There’s more to it than you see on TV, believe me.”
“Oh, I bet there is.” He laughed and squeezed her hand. “But just so you know, you’re not making a mistake. I need this so much. It’s all I’ve thought about since I saw you on TV.”
A