Читать книгу The Soldier And The Single Mom - Lee McClain Tobin - Страница 13

Chapter Four

Later that night, Gina had just closed her eyes when her phone buzzed. She grabbed it, not wanting to risk waking Bobby.

When she saw it was her friend Haley, back in California, she sat upright. “Hang on,” she whispered and slipped a robe over her lightweight tank top and shorts.

Grabbing her phone, she hurried down to the small alcove on the landing of the stairs. It was one of the few public areas in the guesthouse that was finished, with lace curtains and a braided rug. She settled into the window seat, pulled her feet up underneath her and leaned back against comfortable cushions. She could see the half-open door of her room at the top of the stairs, so she’d notice if Bobby stirred.

“Okay, I can talk,” she said quietly. “How are you? I miss you so much!” Ever since she and Haley had shared a room on the maternity floor, their babies born within hours of one another, they’d been close friends. Haley was the only person in whom Gina had confided about her plans to leave town.

“I miss you, too, but that’s not why I called.”

“Are the dogs okay?”

Haley laughed. “They’re bad, and spoiled, but you know I love them. No, that’s not the problem.”

“Did you find anything out?” She was hoping, though not expecting, that Haley had figured out a way she could gain access to some of the money she should have inherited as Hank’s widow.

“It’s not good news.” Haley cleared her throat and went into business mode, not a problem for her since she worked in a bank. “I’ve been nosing around, and it sounds like assets in probate can be tangled up for a year, eighteen months if the estate is complicated.”

“Which it is.” Hank’s parents, seeing the mess Hank had made of his life after Bobby was born, had put most of his inheritance in trust. Gina even suspected that they’d gotten Hank to sign some CDs over to them when he was high.

“I talked to my manager—in confidence, didn’t identify you—and she said that because there wasn’t a will, there’s no way around this long process. I’m so mad Hank didn’t protect you and Bobby!”

“I know.” Gina’s chest ached, as it always did when she thought of Hank. He’d been so much fun when they’d first met; he’d swept her off her feet, had loved her madly. In the first two years of their marriage she’d realized his partying went further than it should—sometimes much further—but they’d still had a base of love and care for each other.

Bobby’s arrival had changed everything. The responsibility of fatherhood had overwhelmed Hank, and Gina, sleep deprived and cranky, hadn’t been as understanding as before. He’d gone off the deep end, dug into his bad habits and made the leap from recreational drug user to addict.

“He wasn’t thinking straight,” she said to Haley and left it at that.

“The good news is, within a few years, when it’s all straightened out, you and Bobby should be okay.” Haley’s voice didn’t sound all that reassuring, though.

“It sounds like there’s a but in there somewhere.”

“There is.” Haley’s voice sounded shaky. “Gina, there’s a big problem.”

“What? Tell me.” Gina’s heart felt like a stone. She wanted to start a new life, for herself but even more, for Bobby. But right now, it seemed like she’d never get free.

“It’s your in-laws. When I saw Hank’s cousin this morning, she told me they’re going to report your car as stolen.”

“What?” From the downstairs kitchen, Gina heard what sounded like an argument and lowered her voice. “That car’s mine! Hank gave it to me!”

“But is the title in your name?”

Gina squeezed her eyes shut as if she could block out this unwelcome news. “No. It was in Hank’s name.”

“And since the estate’s stuck in probate...”

Gina leaned her head back against the window, staring up at the ceiling. If they’d reported the car stolen, she was essentially a common criminal.

“Gina? Honey?”

Gina blew out a breath. “I’ll be tracked down for sure, then, because the police department here has my vehicle information. What am I going to do?” Her voice broke on the last couple of words, and she swallowed hard, determined to maintain control.

“I’ve already thought about that. You’ve got to give it back, that’s all.”

“Give it back? When I’m here and they’re in California?”

“Yep, and I’ve figured out how. You use one of those driving services. They load your vehicle on a truck and drive it across the country. It’s done all the time.”

Gina was still wrapping her mind around the facts: that her car wasn’t her car, and that she was a wanted criminal. “It’s got to be expensive,” she said finally. “I’m almost out of money.”

“Didn’t you say you had a debit card?”

She did. “But it’s not safe to use it.” It wasn’t as if there was a lot of money in the old joint account—Hank had drained most of it away in the months before his death—but there was something. Something for Bobby’s future, if they could make it through the first couple of months.

Haley sighed audibly. “No. No, it’s not safe, especially now that you’re a wanted person. The police could track you to where you are.”

Gina felt a sharp rush of shame that she had no savings of her own. If only she hadn’t acquiesced to staying home with Bobby... She glanced up toward her room. No, she couldn’t regret that decision. They’d both agreed that since they had the means, it would be best for her to spend Bobby’s early years at home with him.

She shoved open the window, letting the rain-soaked breeze soothe her hot face.

“We’ve got to hire you a transportation service, have you send back the car. The way I see it, you don’t have a choice.” Haley cleared her throat. “I talked to Josh. We...we can pay for it.”

“No.” Gina couldn’t let her friend do that. She and her husband had tons of student debt and no family money. Although they both worked, the high cost of living in their part of the state made it so that they barely scraped by every month.

And yet Haley was right. Staying out of trouble with the law was a bigger priority even than a financial safety net.

“Look, what if I mail you my ATM card? That way you can take the money out of my account, and if it’s traced, it’ll be local, not here.” Gina couldn’t believe how quickly she was able to flip into criminal mode when it was Bobby’s safety in question. “If I do that, can you set it up for me? Do we just send the SUV to them? I’m afraid they’ll find out where it came from and track us down.”

“Nope. Overnight the card to me, and I’ll get it all set up right away. As soon as the SUV arrives, I’ll drive it over to your in-laws’ place and leave it.”

“How? In the middle of the night?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’ll figure out some explanation.” She paused. “I really want this to work for you, Gina. I miss you, but you did the right thing. Bobby comes first.”

“Thank you so much. You’re an amazing friend.” Her throat tight, she chatted for a couple more minutes and then ended the call.

How was she going to manage without a vehicle? And yet, what choice did she have?

She looked out the window at the streetlights of Rescue River. The main street glistened with today’s rain. She could see the market, the diner, the library.

She could see them, which meant she could walk to them. She looked up at the stars. “You knew what You were doing when You put me here, Father,” she murmured in a low voice.

She let out a sigh and slid her feet down to the floor...only to shriek at the sight of a large figure standing a couple of steps down from the landing. When she recognized Buck, her heart rate settled a little.

He flicked on the hall light. “Sorry to startle you. I was talking to Lacey about your situation. Coming upstairs to my room.” Unnecessarily, he gestured toward the upper floor. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

She remembered the raised voices she’d heard. “Let me guess,” she said. “Your talk with Lacey didn’t go well.”

“I’m afraid not.” He sat on the other end of the curved window seat, his face barely visible in the glow of a streetlight. “She’s just not comfortable having you here. She said you could stay for a couple more days, through Monday, Tuesday if you really need to, but that’s all.”

The weight of her responsibilities pressed down on Gina. She couldn’t stay, then, not unless she found another job. But she couldn’t go, not with her transportation being taken out from under her.

“Hey, I’m sorry.” He reached out a hand and patted her shoulder.

Surely he meant it as a friendly touch, but to Gina, the warmth of his large hand made her want to hurl herself into his arms. He seemed so strong and competent and kind.

And she couldn’t give in to that desire to be rescued. “Thanks for trying. With God’s help, I’ll figure out something.”

Rather than nodding and moving away, he gave her shoulder another pat and looked into her eyes. “When I met you, I thought you were one of those ladies who lunch, someone who never had a problem. But that’s far from the truth, isn’t it?”

“Miles away.” She couldn’t handle the compassion in his eyes, but she couldn’t look away, either.

“If I wasn’t knee-deep in problems of my own, problems of my own creation, I’d try to help you more.” He squeezed her shoulder once and then pulled his hand away.

“Thanks.” She actually believed him.

“One thing I can offer,” he said, “is an invitation to church tomorrow. Nine o’clock. It’s a great community church, the one we stopped by before, and who knows, maybe someone is hiring or can put you up.” He sounded doubtful. And she couldn’t tell whether he wanted her to stay or not. Probably not.

He was offering her solace, and shamefully, church didn’t seem like a lot of help right now. But it was what she had, and she knew, intellectually at least, that God was big enough to handle any problem.

And she also knew that staying here in the dim moonlight, talking to a very handsome and compassionate man, wasn’t the solution to anything. She stood and turned toward the stairs. “I’d love to go. Thanks for asking.”

* * *

Minutes after Gina went into her room and closed the door, Buck trotted downstairs. He was putting on his coat when Lacey came out of the kitchen, holding her orange cat in her arms.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “It’s late.”

“Need some air.” The conversation with Gina had thrown him off balance in more ways than one, and he knew he wouldn’t sleep anytime soon.

Not to mention he was worried about the baby. Earlier tonight, when Gina had gone inside to fetch his binky, Buck had snapped a photo of Bobby’s bruise to show Dion.

His sister cuddled the cat closer and studied him, her forehead wrinkled.

“It’s just a walk, Lace.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes!” Then, ashamed of his sharp tone, he put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. He shouldn’t be mad at her when she’d bailed him out of so many problems. Between her own tragedies and his bad behavior, his waiflike younger sister had been forced to grow stronger than any woman should have to be. “I won’t be out long and I won’t do...what I used to do.”

“I know.” She leaned into his side. “I just got in the habit of worrying about you, know what I mean?”

“I know. But I’m fine.”

At least, he hoped he was fine, he thought as he stepped out the door. In the past, he’d have for sure gone on a bender just because he felt mixed up about that encounter with Gina.

He was worried about what he’d overheard, but that wasn’t all of it.

Turned out God had a sense of humor. He was attracted to the pretty, maternal stranger.

Buck blew out a sigh and strode through Rescue River’s small business district. A farming community to the core, the town shut down early. The diner and the shops all had doors closed and lights off.