Chapter Eight
Brody
Istare at Jenny in sheer disbelief as she walks away from me. Rachel saved Jenny’s life … and she didn’t tell anyone.
How could she keep this a secret from Raffe … from Jackson?
Jenny busies herself in the kitchen. She’s fixing supper. She said she needed a break.
Me fucking too. This shit is nuts.
My phone rings. It’s Jackson. Of course it is.
Jenny’s head turns my direction as I answer it.
“Hey, brother. What’s up?”
She slowly inches closer to me.
“Dad’s staying over at the house again tonight. I was wondering if you could stop by and check on him.”
“Oh shit, yeah. I mean, no.” My eyes meet Jenny’s as she lowers herself beside me. Her head leans close to me so she can hear his voice. “I’m out of town helping the in-laws. I won’t be back till late, but I can drive by and see if any lights are on when I get back to town.”
“That would make me feel a little better. Thanks, man,” he says.
Jenny places her hand over her chest. I pull the phone away from my ear and hit speaker.
“Why hasn’t he been staying at the warehouse?” I ask.
“Grandma gave him an old shoebox last night. They didn’t tell me what it was, but they brought it down from the attic, so I’m assuming it was my angel mom’s.”
Jenny let’s out a painful sound.
“Is Daisy with you?” Jackson asks.
“Naw. That was just one of her mom’s cats.” I give Jenny a look in warning.
“The old man was already up in his feels yesterday. Willow found him out at the cemetery again. I don’t know why Grandma thought it was wise to stir his emotions even more.” He sighs. “But yeah, if you could just drive by and check on him.”
“Will do.”
Aspen squeals on the other end, and Jenny’s brows pull together.
“What, baby girl? Do you want to talk to Uncle Brody?” Jackson asks her.
I smile because Aspen always wants to talk to me. Willow says she even talks to me on her play phone.
She begins to rattle the minute he puts her on the line. I catch something about a rock and bird, but other than that, I have no idea what she’s telling me.
“Are you going to play with Jack tomorrow?” I ask when she finally gives me a chance to talk.
“Yeah, Jack.” The phone sounds like it falls to the ground, and I laugh.
“Gosh darn it, you little squirrel,” Jackson teases his daughter. It sounds like he’s chasing her around the room. Her little laugh fades as she runs away from him. A few seconds later, he picks up the phone. “Hey, sorry about that. I can’t get that child to sit still for two minutes.”
“Wonder where she gets that from?”
“No idea,” he says laughing. “Anyway, I better get her in the tub. She’s head to toe covered in dirt.”
“That girl would live outside if you’d let her,” I joke, watching Jenny’s eyes fill with tears.
“Just like her mother,” he agrees. “Anyway, ride safe, brother. And thanks again.”
“Always. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When the call ends, Jenny lets out the sob she’s been struggling to keep in. “I … I need some air,” she says, rushing out the door.
I watch her out the kitchen window as she paces in her garden. When she pauses to talk to a tree, I shake my head. Fuck, what the hell am I supposed to do now? Convince her to come to town with me? I can’t leave her here; she might disappear. Maybe that would be for the best.
She swipes at her eyes angrily.
My gaze roams over the landscape. The woman has a damn green thumb. Just like her mother and Willow.
My head falls. Fuck. Why me, Rachel? Why do this to me?
When my attention goes back to the window, I notice Jackson’s mom has little trinkets and rocks sitting on the windowsill. I pick up a little ceramic frog and bounce it in the palm of my hand. Rachel sent me here for a reason. I just need to figure out what that is.
Jenny comes inside as I’m placing dinner on the table.
“Oh, you didn’t have to finish. I’m so sorry.” She rushes to my side to help.
“Just sit down. I’ve got this,” I tell her.
“Did your mom teach you to cook?” she asks, reluctantly letting me serve her.
“Sure did. Rachel taught me everything I know.”
Her eyes soften around the corners. “She was definitely the very definition of a mother, wasn’t she?”
I nod, lowering myself beside her. “My grandmother took me in, but it was Rachel who mothered me.”
“I’m sorry about my reaction to the phone call. I promise I do have some control over my emotions. All of this has just caught me off guard.”
“You never worried about anyone showing up at your door?”
“Yes and no. The only two people who knew I was alive are gone.” Her brows pull together at the irony of the situation. She shakes her head. “I’m not sure why she would have led you here.”
“I think she thought it might be time for the secret to come out.”
“Why now?”
“Well, this is just a guess … because she’s gone.”
“That’s not what we agreed to.”
I tip my head. “What did you agree on?”
She stands and walks over to a roll top desk in the corner of the room. When she drops a document on the table, I chuckle sadly. “Wow. You two really took this to another level, didn’t you?”
“I figured she was a woman of her word, but I wanted it on paper.”
My gaze roams over the agreement. “So, you made her sign this knowing she’d never break it.” I’ll admit I’m not sure what to think of this woman right now.
“I didn’t make her. I asked her to. It was a mutual agreement. We planned with our son’s best interest in mind.”
“What about Raffe? Did he get a choice in this agreement? Jackson is his son too.”
Her head falls. “You don’t understand.”
“I’ll admit that I don’t. Explain it to me.”