6.
Z ANE
Courtney’s house surprised me. I knew from the address that her home was in the historic district, but I hadn’t imagined that she’d live in a fairy cottage like one you’d see in a children’s movie. The exterior was made of stone, and the windows were arched, giving it a whimsical look.
I was surprised to see that it was after midnight and the exterior was lit up so brightly that I could make out buds on the climbing rose vines that covered one wall, especially in this neighborhood that had such an old-world feel.
“I know the lights are a little much, but there’s a reason behind them that I just don’t have the energy to explain right now.”
“I’ll ask when you’re less stressed. Your house is beautiful.”
“Thanks. It’s a soul-sucking money pit that’s going to be the death of me, but I agree that it is cute.”
“Sounds like you love it.”
“I love the memories it holds. It was my great-grandmother’s house, and we came here a lot when I was young and in Grandma’s custody. When my great-grandmother passed away, Grandma inherited it. It needed a lot of work then and needs even more now.”
“I’ll get your door,” I said before I hopped out. I hurried around to the passenger side where I opened the door for her and held out my hand to help her down. Once she was standing on the curb in front of me, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“What was that?” Courtney asked.
“What?”
“You ran around and opened my door for me. It was . . . very . . . I don’t know the word.” Courtney laughed before she said, “You helped me into the truck too!”
“Because that’s what a gentleman does for a lady.”
“Huh.That’s cool.”
“What kind of men have you dated that you’ve never had a man open your door for you?”
“Obviously, the wrong kind.”
“I agree,” I said as I put my hand on her lower back and walked her up the sidewalk. “The only time my mom has ever had to open a door herself was when my father or my brothers and I weren’t around.”
Courtney stared up at me for a second before she said, “I liked it.”
“Good, because it will happen over and over when we’re together.”
The look of stunned surprise on her face was almost comical. It got even funnier when we got to the top of the steps and I opened the glass door for her so she could unlock the heavy one.
Now that we were closer, I saw that the door was painted bright turquoise, which was another unexpected surprise. From the way she dressed to the way she carried herself, Courtney seemed like the kind of woman who had her act together and might be a little uptight.
Bright colors didn’t fit that persona in any way, but they definitely made me wonder what else she was hiding with that prim facade.
“I wonder if everything’s okay with Dayton and your friend. Shouldn’t they be here by now?”
“They went to the Whataburger drive-thru in the middle of the night. They’re probably still third in line from the window at this point.”
“True. The only time I’ve ever been there this late was when the boys were colicky, and I had to drive them around to soothe them. I used to treat myself to a shake when I was out like that.”
“Did that make up for having a sick kid?”
“Two. Leo and Beau aren’t twins, but they act like it. They’re so much alike that they share every damn thing. Leo got colic, and Beau followed right behind. Beau started having ear infections and needed to get tubes put in. Leo had the same procedure six months later.”
“Mom said that was hard as hell.”
“What was?” Courtney asked as she pushed the door open and walked inside.
“Raising twins. When one of us was sick, we were always nice enough to share with the other.”
“You’re a twin?”
“Zoey’s my twin sister. We have two younger brothers, Xavier and Paxton.”
“That sounds fun. You grew up with a built-in best friend.” Courtney hung her purse on the hook behind the door before she asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
“Would it be too much to ask for a cup of coffee?”
“After all you’ve done for me at this point, I’d put on my apron and cook you a five-course meal if you asked me to.”
As Courtney readied the coffeemaker, I replied, “I’m more of a meat and potatoes guy, but you don’t owe me anything. It’s been a hell of an adventure, and I’m glad we were there when you needed us.”
“And it’s not even close to over . . . well, for me, at least. You and your friend can leave when he gets back. I’ll handle Dayton and . . .” With the coffee brewing, Courtney spun around and asked, “Is Dr. Hamilton really coming to my house?”
“I’m sure she will.”
“Why?”
“Two reasons. The most important one is because she is a very caring person who is also a great doctor and wants what’s best for her patients.”
“What’s the second reason?”
“She’s an evil demon sent straight from hell to torture mortals until they scream for mercy, of which she has none, by the way. When she does a favor for someone, she holds that marker until the most inconvenient time possible and then calls it in.”
“What?” Courtney asked in shock.
“It’s a family thing,” I said as I nudged her aside and poured coffee into the mugs she'd gotten out for us.
As she took a mug from me, she asked, “You’re related to her?”
“Not directly, no. Our dads grew up together, and that’s all it takes.” I looked around the kitchen and smiled before I said, “I like your place. Why don’t you?”
“Mainly because there’s not enough room. They kids have the bedrooms, so I . . .”
“You what?”
“Why am I telling you where I sleep?”
“I don’t know. It’s just conversation, Slugger. It happens to the best of us.” I took a sip of my coffee before I asked, “So, where do you sleep?”
“On the couch in the sunroom.”
“Every night?” I asked.
“Yeah. Not that I get much sleep, but when I do, it’s on the couch.”
“Why?”
“Since it’s an old house, the rooms are small.
Alana needs her own room since she’s the only girl, Beau and Leo share a room, Dayton has the main bedroom, and Dawson is in the attic.
” Her smile was sad when she explained, “Dawson will be leaving soon after he graduates, so I’ll probably give the attic to the boys and move into their bedroom. ”
“He’s going to college?”
“I think he’s decided to follow our other brothers into the army. Ben and Liam enrolled as soon as they graduated from high school, and I think Dawson is going to do the same thing.”
“And then there will be four.”
“Unless I can’t get a handle on Dayton’s behavior or they don’t revoke my mom and end up sending her back.”
“What will you do then?”
“Dayton will go to either Liam or Ben. They’re both married and have families of their own, but they’ve offered to take Dayton time and time again since I started having so many problems with him.”
“And how long has that been?”
“I moved here when he was ten. Our grandmother had her first heart attack, and before she could recover, she had another. Jill was gone again by then, and since Grandma had custody of Alana and the boys, I took over their care.”
“How old were they when you moved in and started raising them?”
“Dawson was thirteen, Dayton was ten, Alana was six, and Leo was less than a month old.”
“How old was your son?”
“Two months old.”
“No wonder they seem like twins.” I thought about the other kids for a minute and said, “There’s quite an age gap there.”
“And it coincides with when she was out and when she was locked up, although Alana was conceived while she was locked up, which was quite a surprise and probably why she got out early that time.”
“And she’s been gone now since the youngest was an infant?”
“He was born in prison and left the hospital with our grandma.”
“Damn. She’s a frequent flyer, isn’t she?”
“She’s a cat that always lands on her feet.” There was a tap on the front door, and Courtney jumped when she heard it. “That must be your sister or Dr. Hamilton because Dayton would have just walked in.”
“I’ll let you get it while I pour them some coffee.”
◆◆◆
COURTNEY
I took a sip of my coffee and watched through the window as Dr. Hamilton moved closer to Dayton on the couch and then put her arm around his shoulders to soothe him.
The poor guy had gone from crying to pacing the floor in anger and then back to crying again.
He had to be exhausted, but I trusted that Dr. Hamilton knew what she was doing and would take care of him.
God knew I couldn’t seem to do it.
“He’s gonna be okay, mama,” Jonas said as he reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “We had a long chat while we were waiting for our food. He seems like a good kid who is just really fucking confused.”
“I hate that I can’t help him.”
“You’re too close to the situation,” Garvey said sadly. “You’ve been where he is and know where it led you. It blocks your ability to be objective because you feel like you already know the outcome.”
“I do know it. The same scenario has played out repeatedly.”
“Some people can turn their life around, while others don’t seem to want to bother. I have a feeling your mom falls into the second category.”
“I hate her so fucking much that just hearing her name fills me with rage, but hearing how hopeful he sounded when he was talking about her made me want to go back and choke the life out of that bitch.” I laughed bitterly before I said, “I’ve been there and done that on the roller coaster of hope and disappointment.
I just can’t stand to see him lose it like I did. ”
“You know who she should talk to?” Zoey asked. Before the men could answer her, she said, “Aunt Izzy and Aunt Ella. I’ve heard them talk about their mother now and then, and she sounds horrible. I bet they’d understand how you’re feeling better than any of us.”
“What was their mom like?” I asked.
“I don’t know. She left town when we were little, and they haven’t seen her since. I’ve never heard any of their kids mention grandparents other than the ones we all share,” Zoey explained.
“You all share grandparents, but you’re not all related?”
“Yes.”