to twenty-three.” Her eyes flickered toward the table and then up to meet our eyes. “Until he died. He was an unbelievably loving and gentle soul.” She swallowed and bit on her bottom lip. “And then I’ve been taking care of Eleanor ever since. I know her body is deteriorating, but her mind, it’s sharp. I mean, she suffered from a stroke and lost her ability to talk, but she can beat me at Scrabble still.”
Patty laughed. “That woman and her word-building skills is amazing.”
“So, any boyfriend, husband, kids?” Mason said.
We all turned to him.
Becky’s facial features dropped. It was the first time the permanent smile on her face had slipped since she’d stepped into the house. “Well, no boyfriend, no husband …” There was a long pause, and I had seen a flash of pain flicker through her eyes, but it was gone a second later. “No kids either.”
They hadn’t noticed it because they hadn’t experienced the pain that I had. But I swore it had been there.
Brad grabbed the sheet of paper, where the questions were listed, and flipped it over to the blank side. “My turn.” He was winging his turn. “Favorite Disney film?”
As the questions continued, I watched her every reaction. I knew her nervous tells—the wringing of her hands, the biting of her bottom lip.
And with each question, that niblet of curiosity grew.
One thing I excelled at was being a good people-reader. I had to be. I was the head of the largest printing corporation in the nation. I’d guarantee that all CEOs had the same strengths, one of them being the bullshit-reader. I had to make multimillion-dollar decisions for Brisken Printing Corp., so there was no way I could mess around when my family and the multiple families that I employed depended on my sound decisions.
As I sat back and took in Becky and all that she was, there were three things I noticed that counted.
1. She was nervous.
2. She was a genuine, trusting person, like Patty had indicated.
3. She had a past. One that she wanted buried deep and kept there.
Chapter 7
Charles
Thirty minutes later, the interview was over, and Patty and Becky were outside, playing with the girls, while my brothers and I were still congregated in the dining room.
I sat down as Mason paced the room. Brad had kicked up his feet and placed them on the other chair, getting delight out of Mason freaking out.
“I don’t like it. She seems like a nice woman, but seriously, we know nothing about her. She can’t provide us with a social security number and …” He paused. “I can’t properly run a background check on her because we don’t know where she’s originally from. And do you know how many Becky Summers are out there? And is her name Becky or Rebecca?” He scratched at his temple and placed one heavy hand on his hip.
Brad threw his feet off the chair. “Why the hell did you run a background check on her when Patty specifically said that she wouldn’t be up for it?”
Mason threw both hands up like Brad was crazy. “Because it’s Mary and Sarah, and I told you, I couldn’t properly run one.”
Brad scoffed, exasperated. “What do you think is going to happen? That Becky is going to kidnap the girls and hold them for ransom?”
Mason slapped his head. “That scenario didn’t even cross my mind, but shit, it might …”
A muscle jumped at Brad’s jaw. “Listen, she took care of that disabled man for years for Patty’s best friend and then Patty’s mom after that. You can’t get a better rec than that from Patty.” Brad turned to face me. “So, big bro, ultimately, this is your decision.”
I steepled my fingers together and leaned back in my chair. I’d already made up my mind, and I sensed Brad already knew that; otherwise, he wouldn’t be giving me that victorious grin.
My decision was based on the fact that Patty trusted her, Mary liked her, and at the moment, I had no other options, given Patty was leaving.
Plus, my people radar told me that Becky was a good, kindhearted woman.
“I think we should give her a shot.”
Mason lifted both hands to the ceiling as his mouth slipped agape. His voice was almost whiny. “Charles, come on. Let’s talk about this.”
I swore my parents had spoiled him so much, being the youngest, that he’d perfected the whine, even as an adult.
Relief flooded my insides. By the look on Brad’s face, I knew he felt