Chapter 35
Walker
As she drives away, I replace the anger on her face yesterday with the grin in place when she backs out and drives away.
I knew she”d notice the heat coming from the vents because Boone told me it was something he had to fix. Actually, he suggested that I sell the whole damn car to the junkyard because everything that could go wrong with it had already happened. He was surprised that the damn thing was still running sometimes.
I knew she”d never accept a new car, so I asked that he fix what he could. He grumbled about wasting time, but he got it done. The man might be cranky on his best days, but he”s not a swindler. He charged me a lot less than he should”ve with the amount of work listed on the invoice, but I think that had more to do with helping Claire than helping me.
There were wires and wire harnesses that had to be replaced. He changed the battery and the alternator was going bad, causing her cranking issue. The list was endless.
Boone drove the car to her house this morning because as much as I wanted to spend time with Claire, I didn”t want to put her in a position where she was forced to offer me a ride. I knew it would make her late for work, and although Corbin probably wouldn”t have minded, I knew it would stress her out.
I climb into my truck and head to The Brew and Chew for breakfast, a genuine smile on my face when I place my order with Ruth. When I ask for coffee, I realize I missed an opportunity by not bringing her one from the house.
I pull out my phone while waiting for my food to arrive, reading an article on the current economic crisis.
As always, my food arrives quickly and, after thanking Ruth, I dig in.
I”m a quarter of the way through a fantastic omelet and halfway through an article on the expectations of being a stepdad when a shadow blocks out some of the light directed at my table.
I look up, expecting to see Ruth there, but I lock eyes with Nora and Leo Kennedy instead.
I sit back in the booth, chewing my bite of food and taking a sip of coffee, waiting for them to speak. Nora glares at me like I”m the most distasteful person she”s ever laid eyes on, and Leo looks like he wants to escape but the punishment that he”d get from his wife isn”t worth it.
”Good morning,” I say, knowing it”s only going to make her madder. ”Would you like to join me?”
I sweep my hand, indicating the other side of the booth I”m occupying. Nora looks like I just cussed her in church, but Leo looks like he”s battling between taking the seat and standing.
”You need to stop poisoning Claire against us,” Nora snaps. ”It”s your fault we haven”t seen our granddaughter in several days.”
The shit hit the fan at their house yesterday morning, so it really hasn”t been days. Nora isn”t rational on the best of days, so there”s no real point in arguing with her.
I know she”s gearing up for more when she looks over her shoulder in order to determine who might be paying attention. It must be my lucky day when she smiles, realizing there”s no one worth worrying about within hearing distance of us.
”We offered that girl so much when she first came to town,” Nora says, her voice a whisper. ”She was ungrateful then, and she has continued to be that way since.”
I know people have different viewpoints of how a situation went down, but Nora is delusional if she”s expecting me to believe they welcomed a pregnant Claire with open arms. I know better, having gotten that information straight from Claire rather than relying on the biased whispers I”d heard around town after she stepped foot in Lindell for the first time.
I continue to stay quiet. Arguing with them would serve no purpose, and I know without even asking that Claire wouldn”t be impressed if I attempted to put Nora in her place. I can”t include Leo in it because it”s obvious the man doesn”t even want to be here.
”She goes around town just raking up the kindness and good graces from everyone in this community. She”s a professional at getting people to feel sorry for her when I know she”s either sitting on that huge sum of money she got when our precious boy died or she squandered it all away. Either way, she doesn”t deserve all the attention and empathy she”s getting. I heard what you arranged yesterday. The woman doesn”t need a tree. She”s manipulating you just as much as she”s exploiting your kindness.”
I pull in a deep breath, not sure where I need to jump into the argument, knowing I shouldn”t jump in at all. The contradiction of blaming me for Claire not letting Larkin stay at their house and then speaking out the other side of her mouth in the same breath, claiming I”m one of her victims, is just wild to me.
”She knows you lost Jason, God rest his soul. That”s why you were such an easy target.”
When I say I can literally hear the straw she just placed on the camel”s back that caused him to stumble and all, I mean it.
Arguing about their lives and loss and how they feel about Claire is one thing. Bringing up my dead brother in an attempt to win me to their side against Claire is another thing altogether.
”Claire doesn”t have any money, and she never did,” I growl, leaning forward and taking very little pride in the way Nora steps back as if she”s afraid I”d physically hurt her. It says a lot about how this woman views me. ”Your precious boy was so bitter about you making him grow up after treating him like an infant for so many years that he willed his SGLI benefits to a wombat rescue in Australia. He left her loaded down with the debt he created, and she”s worked her tail off ever since, trying to pay it off. And while we”re on the topic, don”t try and pretend that you”ve gone above and beyond for her. You made that girl stay in a hotel while waiting for the paternity results even though she had a legal marriage license to your son. How do you think Hux would feel looking down and watching how you treated his pregnant wife?”
Nora swallows, and Leo darts his eyes away before walking off.
Nora huffs when he walks clear out of the diner and climbs into their car that”s parked within view of where we are. He doesn”t leave without her, but he”s also standing his ground. I wonder how many times the man tried to step in while Hux was growing up? How many times he warned Nora to back down and let the guy grow up? If I had to predict what went down in their house, I imagine that he put his foot down not long before the guy was told to join the military.
”See what you”ve done?” she snaps, drawing the attention of others in the diner as she waves a hand in Leo”s direction. ”We had no idea about the money being donated. When we called about it, we were told that we weren”t privileged to that information because we weren”t considered next of kin.”
I”m not surprised they called, but I also know that they love their son and would much rather have him here than being gone with a few hundred thousand dollars in their bank account. Nora is a hateful woman on a good day, but I know she loved Hux with every ounce of her being.
”You treated her poorly from day one,” I continue. ”I know you were grieving, but she was too, and she had to do it alone.”
I know I”m pushing it, but it”s none of their business, the details of Claire and Hux”s real relationship. They might not have been very close, but I know it hurt her when he died.
Nora swallows, her eyes darting everywhere but making contact with mine.
”And just to clear the air, I”ve never said one negative thing to Claire about you. I don”t have to poison her where you”re concerned. You”re hateful and mean, and you”ve been treating her like crap since she arrived in Lindell. Did you really think she was going to let it go on forever?”
Nora continues to remain quiet, and I know I should probably be done. Telling her off feels really good right now, but I know it”s going to bring hellfire my way from Claire when she hears about it. I know she”s going to hear about it because the elderly couple in the corner are Corbin”s parents and they know exactly who Claire is. They”re paying so much attention to what”s being said, I”m surprised they aren”t taking handwritten notes.
”Claire made a decision yesterday for her own happiness. Although I don”t know exactly how she feels about it, I can only guess that if you continue to treat her the way you have been, then she”s only going stay away. No one readily walks up to someone when they know they”re going to be kicked, and the woman is tired of being kicked. If you don”t mind I”d like to finish my now cold omelet. Have a good day, Mrs. Kennedy.”
I drop my eyes to my plate, dismissing her completely. Despite her walking off in a huff, I know it won”t be the last time I have to have words with Nora.