priest and I should be a farmer.”
“He’s more than a farmer...”
“Still... I have a question for you. Did you have a good rapport with that counselor you saw on the sly?”
“Excellent, really. Why?”
“You should probably see her again. I’d be happy to talk to you anytime, I’d be honored to be your friend, I’d be pleased to be your priest, but I have a conflict. You have a conflict. We have Beau in common and now he has us in common. I just want you to have the most objective counselor you can find.”
She smiled her pitiful lopsided smile. “I plan to. Being afraid my instincts are rusty or just plain off, I wanted your endorsement of Beau. Because liking him and trusting him during this chaos is risky for me. Yet, I can’t help it.”
He transferred himself to the sofa beside her and touched her hand. “Beau would never intentionally hurt you,” he said. “And I suspect you wouldn’t knowingly hurt him. Just the same, do be careful. You are both on shaky ground, I think.”
* * *
Beau was pressing hamburger into patties when Drew came home from his job. Since it was summer landscaping, the guys started at sunup and quit in early afternoon. Beau knew he’d be starving, though it was early for dinner.
“Hey,” Drew said. “You work at home today?”
“For a couple of hours this afternoon. I ran some errands and stopped by the office to check appointments and get messages.”
Drew eyed the salad and hamburger. “We having company?”
“Just me and you.” Beau made a face. “You wanna get a shower before you touch my food?”
“Sure. Is something wrong?”
“No, but I want to talk to you. Over burgers. When you don’t smell like sod, manure and other outdoorsy things.”
“Stay tuned,” Drew said with a big smile. He ran up the stairs to his bedroom and bathroom. Beau started the grill and within ten minutes, Drew was back, looking damp but clean. He was such a handsome kid. Always happy. Beau hoped he wasn’t about to disappoint him.
“What’s up?” Drew asked.
“I just wanted to tell you about my friend who was injured. She’s a woman named Lauren. I met her several months ago. In a garden,” he said.
“Of course,” Drew said with a laugh.
“We’re not dating or anything. Remember that fund-raiser for the scholarships? She was also there. I ran into her three or four times over the past few months, then I bumped into her at Stohl’s Market and learned she lives in the neighborhood. She was buying wine, cheese and fruit and she invited me for a glass of wine. She lives a few blocks from here. Nice lady.”
“And you’re getting ready for dating now?” Drew asked.
“No. Well, I hadn’t been. Running into her was a surprise. Then I drove by her house and saw it was surrounded by emergency vehicles.”
“Right,” Drew said. “Accident?”
“Actually, no. She was assaulted. Beat up. By her husband.”
Drew whistled. “She’s married?”
“About as married as I am,” Beau said. “She’s separated, pending divorce. I didn’t know her husband was violent. He’s a doctor, for God’s sake. And apparently she never expected an attack like that. I followed the ambulance to the ER and then drove her home. I stayed in case she needed something. Later, after we eat, I’m going to text her and see how she’s doing. I’m going to offer to sleep on her couch just in case she’s scared. I guess he could come back.”
“Yeah? You could let her come here.”
“I thought of that, but I’m sure she’d turn down the offer. She might be embarrassed. She’s got a big black eye and a fat lip.”
Drew looked shocked and disgusted. “Who would do that?”
“We should have a talk.”
“You gonna tell me not to hit women?” Drew asked sarcastically.
“I believe we’ve had that talk already,” Beau said. “Here’s what I want to explain. Things are probably going to change for me. I’m not going back to the way things were, Drew. I’m not going to patch things up with your mom. As soon as this divorce is settled, I’m going to be a single father with two grown sons. Even though you don’t need me like you did when you were younger, you can always count on me. But things are bound to change. Our property, for one thing. I might be forced to give up the house in the divorce, but don’t worry—I’ll find another house. Anywhere I live will have room for you and your brother.”
“Oh, that