Chapter 4
JAMES SHOULD have known that asking about Lyle’s parents was going to lead to questions about his own.
“Let me see. My mother has been married three times. My biological father was her first husband, so I’ve had two stepfathers.
The first one was a real piece of work. I hated Henry with a passion and stayed away from him.
The guy was nice enough, I suppose, but he wasn’t my father.
After my dad died, Mom remarried within a year, so I don’t know if she really loved him or what.
The thing was, my dad had passed away, I was still dealing with it, and Mom moved on right away.
That stank. But then, Henry had money, and when Mom found out that he had this thing for strip clubs and hookers, she made sure she had solid grounds and divorced him, taking a good share of his money with her.
Then she married Grant. He’s a nice man, he’s good to my mom, and they live in Oregon, just outside Portland. ”
“Is he rich like Henry?”
James shook his head. “No. He works in technology and did very well. They live a good life. Mom is happy and I’m happy for her. But I’m not really part of their lives anymore. If you know what I mean?” He bit his lower lip.
“Grant lost his first wife to cancer, so he brought two younger kids into the relationship. Roddy is twelve and Violet is nine. Mom and Grant spent a lot of their time with the kids because they’re still raising them.
I know Mom adores both of them, and they have their own life that centers on the four of them…
and I’m here.” He set down his fork. “The dinner is really good.” He realized he had eaten most of it and not said anything.
“Thank you for this. I eat way too much warmed-up food and frozen dinners.”
“I’m glad you like it. I’m not a fancy cook or anything.” Lyle looked down at the table. “Mom taught me what she thought I needed to know. She always said that I’d never starve if I knew how to cook, at least in a basic way.” He finished his dinner and set the plate aside. “Do you see your family?”
“About once a year, usually at the holidays. I fly out and spend the winter break with them. It all depends on the break schedule like that. Since I left home for college, I’ve pretty much been on my own, sort of.
When Mom divorced Henry, she took part of her settlement and put it in a college fund for me.
I got scholarships for a lot of my undergraduate work, so I’m using the funds she put aside to pay for law school.
Hopefully I can graduate without too much debt.
I work to try to feed myself and have some spending money…
.” He shrugged. “I suppose we’ll have to see how things work out. ”
“How are things at the shelter?”
“It’s always… difficult for Mitchell. He does a lot with the dogs, and he works full-time at his practice.
His partner helps, and Daniel has worked there off and on, but he goes to vet school, so he’s really busy too.
Sometimes we get volunteers who help out.
I work a few days a week. He doesn’t have a lot of resources for paid help.
Last year, Mitchell was able to get a grant to help with some of the expenses. ”
“Maybe I could volunteer to help sometime,” Lyle said with a smile.
A dash of excitement ran through James. “That would be great. Mitchell always needs the help, and if you came in when I was working, I could show you around.”
Lyle nodded and seemed kind of excited about the idea. “Don’t people pay to adopt the dogs?”
“They do to a degree. Mitchell’s goal is to find the dogs good homes.
Sometimes people can easily afford to help out, while other families aren’t able to.
So he’s waived the fees more than once. Mitchell has taken in snakes, turtles, tortoises, and even a tiger once, because they needed a place.
We don’t have any large, exotic animals right now, but Mitchell has the facilities should the need arise. ”
“That’s cool. I know Corky trusted him and was a supporter of the shelter.
She always said that I should get a dog and told me that the shelter would be a good place to find one.
But I always thought I was too busy.” He got up from the table and put some food in each of the dog dishes.
They hurried over and began eating. “Corky said to feed the dogs after you ate. She said that way they thought they were getting what you had. I’m not sure if that’s true, but she told me that her dogs didn’t get people food. ”
James snickered. “I don’t know about that—maybe they didn’t get much people food.” They all turned to watch the dogs, their tails wagging as they ate.
“I keep wondering and worrying what I’m going to do if Debbie gets the dogs. These four have been together for quite a while, with the younger ones living with the others all their lives. Separating them just seems cruel.”
“I don’t think she cares,” James said. “She was way more concerned about how much she could get for them. I suppose Corky didn’t leave a lot in the way of an estate, and now Debbie is trying to get whatever she can.”
“Maybe.” They watched the dogs as they ate and then came back, settling near their feet. “I just think they’ll be happier together. I know the law sees dogs as property.. So there’s nothing I can do if Corky wasn’t specific about her wishes.”
“Yeah. But a letter from the lawyer must give you hope. I doubt he’d send one if Corky hadn’t mentioned you in the will or done something to make her wishes known.”
“I just don’t want to get my hopes up,” Lyle told him. The dogs all began running through the room and up to the front door. “Do you mind if we take them for a walk? They need to go out.”
“Of course not,” James said. Lyle cleared the table and put everything away.
“I have ice cream for dessert. We can have it when we get back if that’s all right.” Lyle started the dishwasher running and then put leashes on the dogs. They each took two and headed out for the trail to the park running behind Lyle’s building.
“I love this time of day,” he said. “As soon as we get under the trees, the air seems cooler.” Lyle led them to the back of the parking lot and down along a path that intersected with the trail to the park.
The dogs all seemed to know where they were going and pranced as they moved.
They were so cute, but it was Lyle that held James’s attention. “They love the park.”
“What about the ducks and geese?”
Lyle chuckled, his eyes lighting. “Daisy will go after them with a vengeance. The others will ignore them until Daisy gets going, and then it will be full-on doggie pandemonium. So I walk them on the other side of the road.” They crossed the bridge at the back of the park, and all the dogs took some time to watch the water.
Lyle leaned on the railing, and James did the same.
He lightly bumped Lyle’s shoulder and got a bump in return. Then Lyle turned toward him, and his smile was warm and bright. Lyle sighed as though he were releasing tension. The dogs lingered around their feet as James leaned a little closer.
Lyle’s smile slipped away and his eyes grew darker. He leaned in as well, and James took that as permission. He drew closer and was just about to kiss Lyle when the dogs began barking. He groaned and turned as a man approached with a large poodle.
“Calm down,” Lyle told them, and they moved off the bridge and farther down the path before heading onto the grass so the dogs would stop their noise.
“I think they want to play,” James said.
“Maybe. But they do that with almost every dog, and I’m not sure how they’d react, especially if one of them feels threatened.
They’d close ranks and would probably all attack.
” He snickered. “Can you imagine the news story? An incident in LeTort park where a pack of King Charles Spaniels attacked a standard poodle.”
Having calmed down, the dogs sniffed around the grass.
They continued down the path and then along the drive, staying away from the ducks.
Daisy tried to pull Lyle over, wanting to chase them, but he kept hold, and eventually they moved on and down the way.
“I usually take this walk every night. We can take the other bridge, but the dogs don’t like that one because of the metal grate they have to walk over. ”
“We can go the long way. I’m not in a hurry.” The truth was, James liked spending time with Lyle. They continued along the side of the park road. The dogs seemed happy, and every now and then he and James would share one of those glances that made James’s heart skip a beat.
They continued their walk on the sidewalks once they left the park. Lyle seemed happy, and so did the dogs until they began barking. A woman walked toward them, and the closer she got, the more agitated the dogs became, growling and clustering near their feet.
“Taking Mom’s dogs for a walk,” Debbie said, smart enough to stay far enough away that the dogs couldn’t get close to her. They were not happy at all.
“Of course. They like it and it’s good for them.” Lyle looked at her like she was a little nuts. “I got a letter from your mom’s lawyer asking to meet on Thursday. I don’t know what it’s about, but….” James liked how Lyle let the implication just sit there.
“I don’t know what Mom was thinking, but I’m not going to just let her give those dogs away to anyone. They were the only thing she had of any value, and she’s just going to give them to you?” Debbie shrugged. “What I want to know is how you’re going to pay the estate taxes on them.”
James cleared his throat. “That’s the thing. The estate pays the taxes. So if there are taxes to be paid, it will come out of the estate. Usually the state takes that right off the top, before any bequests are made.”
Debbie’s mouth opened and closed like some kind of fish. “You mean I’d still have to pay the taxes if she gave them to you?” she snapped.