CHAPTER 35
Johnny was back to work the next day, and afterward he spent several hours on the phone with his insurance company so he could determine what the hell he was going to do with whatever was left of his house.
He and Victor picked over the bones a bit more, trying to gather what they could, finding photos, clothes, bills several years old, and even one boot a couple of properties over.
Even if the home was a goner, the property remained, so it was up to Johnny on what he wanted to do with it.
He could have the mess cleaned up and put a new trailer on it, but it sounded to Victor like Johnny was thinking about selling it and washing his hands of it entirely.
It wasn’t the piece of land he’d grown up on, so it wasn’t something he was attached to, and after losing one trailer to the forces of nature, he didn’t seem keen on tempting fate again.
This left Johnny at Victor’s house without much of a plan, but Victor figured that would come later, because of all Johnny’s faults, sitting on his hands and doing nothing was not in his nature.
Hard work and emotional repression were baked into his blood; if anyone could grit their teeth and push through grief through sheer force of will, it was Johnny.
Unfortunately the desire to take care of others was baked into Victor, and in this way they clashed—Victor wanted to nurture and Johnny resisted nurturing.
Victor knew that every inch he gained on Johnny would be won only through sweat and suffering.
Still, Victor had already wormed his way into a few of Johnny’s cracks.
With enough wiggling, Victor could probably pry him open.
Johnny was so occupied with his obliterated house and Victor with repairing his barn’s roof that neither of them had any time or headspace to dedicate to the Taylor Problem until later that week, which is when Johnny suggested out of nowhere that Victor come with him to dinner at a local diner to have a conversation with his sister about it.
“Why me?” Victor asked. “Isn’t this something you and your sister should hash out?”
“Why are you so hesitant to get involved? That girl ran away from home to come here, not my house.”
“I don’t want to stop on your sister’s toes. People don’t like thirty-year-one-old single men getting too involved with their children.”
Johnny gave Victor a heavy-lidded look, as if asking him not to be so stupid.
“I just think that if I get too involved people are going to wonder why. I care about her, obviously, but I want to be professional.”
Johnny reached over and placed a hand on top of Victor’s head, which was sadly much too easy for him because of their height difference. “I’ll tell her I invited you. She came here. That means you’re involved, whether you wanna be or not.”
“Okay.” Victor still didn’t like it, and it must have been obvious in his voice because Johnny faced him more fully and grasped both of his arms.
“Trust me, okay? I know my sister. She knows how much Taylor cares about this place and that horse you got her ridin’. If you did Taylor any harm, she wouldn’t be runnin’ here to get away from Mike, would she?”
Victor pressed his lips together and nodded, no less uncertain.
Johnny moved his hands to straighten the lapels of Victor’s work coat as if they’d been crooked. The touch was small and casual, but it made Victor’s chest clench with affection. Before he could hope for a kiss, Johnny was out the door, expecting Victor to follow.
* * *
One thing about Johnny’s sister was that she had all of Johnny’s looming presence with very little of his warmth.
She also stood around five-ten, which meant that Victor had to look up at her when he greeted her in the lobby area of the restaurant where they’d been waiting for her arrival.
She wore old sneakers, jeans with stains on the thighs, a faded T-shirt with the silhouette of a buck across the chest, and a camouflage baseball cap with her red-tinted blond ponytail pulled through the hole in the back.
Victor realized he’d never seen her in make-up, or anything more formal than her manager uniform at Wal-Mart.
Taylor also didn’t like anything frilly, so they had that in common with one another.
She didn’t seem shocked to find Victor there, so Johnny must have told her he was coming. A waitress showed them to their booth, so Victor followed the Stearns siblings toward the back of the restaurant. Once they were situated with their drinks ordered, Johnny wasted no time.
“We need to talk about Taylor.”
“Yeah, that’s what you said in your text.” Kayla stretched out an arm and slumped in her seat, frowning slightly. “With you losing your house an’ all, there’s been too much chaos for me to properly punish her for what she did.”
“Do you need to?” Johnny asked.
“She stole our damn dirt bike and put her life in danger multiple times over. Fuck yes she needs to be punished.”
“She was runnin’ away for a reason.”
“She’s a wild child with wild child ideas.”
“Yeah, and? How’re you plannin’ on dealin’ with that?” Johnny asked.
“You tell me, since you seem to know so much.”
“Listen.” Johnny sucked in a sharp breath before continuing. “I know I ain’t always been the most responsible—”
Kayla snorted. “That’s puttin’ it lightly.”
“But I’m tryin’ to do better, and I been better. I been sober for months, and this tornado has really fuckin’ tested me, but I’m still holdin’ my ground.”
“Great for you. What’s this got to do with Taylor?”
“You know how much we get along. Not that I don’t love your other kids, but Taylor and I have always been thick as thieves. Maybe it’s cuz I see myself in her. I dunno. But I’m wonderin’ if maybe she might be happy spendin’ more time with me.”
“At what house?” Kayla asked.
“I’m stayin’ with Vic right now. He’s put me up. And Taylor was headin’ for Vic’s place cuz she loves it, so it might work out for everyone if I get Taylor a few days of the week. You get a break from her, she gets to be with me, and she gets to be somewhere she clearly loves.”
Kayla looked very skeptical, which Victor didn’t think was a good sign. “Why would Vic wanna put up with your dumb ass and some smart mouth 10-year-old? What’s in it for him?”
“Taylor’s been a great help around the farm,” Victor said, feeling obligated to defend Taylor. “I don’t mind having her around. She’s good with the horses and it’s something she applies herself to. Her calling seems to be in the barn.”
“I don’t see how it’d be worth it for you. You really want some stranger’s kid runnin’ round your house?”
“I have an apartment next to the barn,” Victor said, figuring it could be a useful lie. “My barn manager’s lease is nearly up. Johnny could move in there and that way he and Taylor could have their own space.”
“And he’d be payin’ you rent?”
“Sure.”
Kayla leveled Victor with such an intense searching look that Victor squirmed in his seat, wondering if she saw right through him.
No wonder Johnny said that Kayla took after their father; she could nail you to a wall with that stare.
“Seems you’re always doin’ Johnny some kinda favor. What the hell does he do for you?”
“I’m great company,” Johnny joked half-heartedly.
“Listen, this ain’t some kinda inquisition of Vic.
This is about Taylor. Can I take her a few days of the week?
I can tweak my work schedule so I could pick her up from school if I had to.
Or, you know, just be at home for her when she gets off the bus. ”
“You don’t know the first thing about takin’ care of a ten-year-old. When was the last time you cooked? You gonna do her laundry?”
“I ain’t helpless. I know how to do those things.”
“Your house begged to differ.”
“I’m doin’ better now. I ain’t drinkin’ anymore.”
“It wasn’t just drinkin’ that got your house looking like that. What’s gonna keep you from turnin’ Vic’s place into yours?”
“Most of it was drinkin’.”
“And what about if she misbehaves? What’re you gonna do? You ain’t got the spine to discipline her.”
“I can give a ten-year-old timeout. It can’t be that hard.”
Kayla laughed so loudly and so suddenly that Victor jumped.
“Alright,” she said, giggling. “You think you can keep that girl in line, be my fuckin’ guest.”
A waitress chose that moment to show up, all smiles and perky attitude to take their order.
None of them had really looked at the menu, but Victor didn’t need any time.
He chose the cheapest thing and handed the menu back.
The other two both ordered burgers, and then the waitress was off with a flounce of her ponytail.
“Johnny doesn’t think he can do a better job,” Victor attempted to explain. “You’re doing the best you can. But Taylor needs a certain environment to thrive, and clearly she’s happy on the farm, so I think it could be good for her.”
“You two gonna be parentin’ this girl together?” Kayla joked, clearly amused by the idea. “That why you’re both here?”
Victor tried not to sound too defensive. “I’m involved in this whether I like it not. I want a solution that makes everyone happy.”
“Has Johnny told you I’m a terrible mother?”
“What? No, of course not!”
“You’re gonna take his side, though.”
“I’m not taking sides. The only side I’m taking is Taylor’s. She wants to be at my place. She’s made that clear. I want what’s best for her.”
“I’m her mama. I know what’s best for her.”
“And that’s why she ran away in the middle of a thunderstorm?” Johnny shot back.
“Kids do stupid shit. If I let her go with you, it’ll mean lettin’ her get away with whatever she wants.”
“What she wants is a safe place away from your shithead boyfriend.”
“Don’t you drag Mike into this,” Kayla snapped.
“I’ll drag him in when he’s the reason Taylor don’t wanna be at your place.”
“The other kids can get along with him. The only reason he and Taylor fight so much is cuz you’re always talkin’ shit about him to her.”
“I don’t say fuck all about your damn boyfriend to Taylor. She comes to her own conclusions.”