Rason & Eliza - Cee Bowerman Page 0,47
him?”
“No, I guess I haven’t.”
“He’s a good guy. Funny. He owns a towing company and they bring cars to the shop all the time. He’s Rowdy’s boss. Do you remember Rowdy - Hank’s neighbor?”
“I do! I saw him this evening when he had his daughters out riding horses. I waved at them from the porch.”
“Yeah, so anyway, I’ll just stick around here and watch tv or read a book. I can probably find one on the shelves in the living room I’ve never read before.”
“I’ll send the stuff for you with them.”
“All this cloak and dagger shit we’re going through now is going to make our future really boring.” Rason laughed. “You’ll leave me for someone who’s more exciting when you figure out how tame my life is regularly.”
“I’m not going to leave you, Rason. If we can make it through this, we can make it through anything.”
“Baby, I’m beat. I’ve got to go to sleep. Can I call you when I wake up in the morning?”
“Of course! Get some rest and try to think positively, okay?”
“You do the same, sweetheart.”
I hung the phone up and leaned my head back to look at the night sky. The deck behind my brother’s house was beautiful, and the chairs he had were perfect for laying out under the stars. They had a menagerie of animals I’d fallen in love with, and I’d have to be content with loving on them since my cats were now staying at my mom’s house for the duration of this shitshow.
Hank had assured me that Mom was safe and said he had someone checking in on her at both her house and the bookstore often. I’d rearranged the employee schedule to make sure that she was never alone. All of my dear employees had jumped at the opportunity to work more hours to cover my shifts.
Nicole had mentioned putting me to work at the animal shelter she ran that was across the field from her house. I thought it might be fun for a while, but I’d miss the bookstore terribly.
I heard the door open behind me and then Hank’s dog County trotted up beside my chair. He put his big head down on my leg and looked up at me sweetly, begging for some pets.
“Can’t sleep, little sister?” Hank asked softly as he sat down in the chair next to mine.
“I just got off the phone with Rason. He’s staying at Sonny’s cousin’s house.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Her kids are at Grunt’s for a while.”
“Really? She has to be away from her kids?”
“It’s for their own safety. She wants them as far away from her as they can be so this fool they’re worried about can’t get to them.”
“That really puts being away from Rason into perspective,” I lamented. “I can’t imagine having to be away from your kids.”
“I couldn’t do it. I mean, I guess I could if I knew it was for Janis’s own good, but that’s gotta hurt. I’d think she’s crying buckets missing them.”
“I’d imagine so.”
“This situation sucks, but I see a silver lining. At least for me.”
“What’s that?”
“We can get to know each other since we’ll be hanging out more.”
“You’re right. I always wondered if I had any siblings, and now I actually get to live with one.”
“You lived with me for a weekend when you were a baby.”
I laughed. “I don't think it counts if I don’t remember it.”
“You were so tiny, it was scary. She took you out of the hospital when she shouldn’t have, and I still have no idea why. It’s not like our mother was the maternal type, so it probably had something to do with our father.”
“You’ve avoided talking about him. Every time I ask, you change the subject.”
“I’m not exactly his biggest fan.”
“But you knew him? You still know him.”
“I did and I do. He came around pretty regularly. He saw you once before they took you away. I’m not sure how you got adopted out, but I’m happy you did. I couldn’t take care of you. I tried, but you were just so small.”
“You were 12, Hank. It wasn’t your job to take care of me.”
“Someone had to do it, kid.” Hank laughed. “It’s not like our parents were up to the task.”
“What was our mother like?”
“Selfish. Mean. Neglectful.”
“Were you sad when she died?”
“No, I was not.” Hank’s firm tone left nothing to question.
“Why won’t you tell me about him? He lives here in Rojo, doesn’t he? Do you think I’ve ever