Chapter 14 #2
He parked across the street, half of the car edged up on the curb so traffic could still pass. He was about to get out when the door to the house opened.
He recognized that small figure. Minnie Rivas. His nemesis.
He swiftly pivoted, pretending to get a call as he faced away. So much for being a brave hockey player…
But if Minnie was here, then maybe this was where Gen lived too.
Gen had mentioned numbers of times just how indebted she was to her mother.
The way she’d talked, using words like “sacrifice” had made him think that maybe Minnie had done something extreme, like donate a kidney.
But if so, then surely his own kidney troubles would be enough to open that conversation. So it couldn’t be that.
He checked the side mirror and saw she’d hopped in a beat-up car, similar to the one he’d seen Gen drive off in yesterday. Huh. Maybe it was the same one. Was that what she’d meant? That she and Minnie shared a car? Still, that didn’t quite fit with the word sacrifice.
“Hey.”
He startled and turned to face a man with dyed black hair wearing tatts and a scowl.
“Can I help you, buddy?”
How to explain what he was doing loitering around the place like some weirdo? “I, uh, was wondering if you knew which house was Genevieve’s.”
“Who’s asking?”
“Kyle. Her boyfriend.” That was true, wasn’t it? Kisses like they had shared last night had to be boyfriend worthy.
“Her boyfriend, huh?” The man eyed Kyle skeptically.
“Yeah.” Although it must look strange to not be the type of boyfriend who knew where she lived.
The man’s expression cleared. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like that hockey player?”
“Hmm, which one? Sidney Crosby? Brent Karlsson?” He knew he looked nothing like them, but he’d take it.
“No, not them. It’ll come to me. I can’t remember his name.”
Ouch. That was good for his pride. “Are you a hockey fan?”
“I like it okay. Prefer baseball.”
“Many do.” Still, this was a conversation fraught with difficulties, so probably best to shut it down. “Anyway, I wanted to leave her a gift but needed to make sure I got the right house.”
“Yeah, well you got it.” He pointed across the street. “She lives there. Along with her mom. And Bella.”
“Bella?”
“She’s the daughter.” The man’s face softened. “Sweet kid.”
His pulse picked up. No. Minnie had to be too old to be the mother of a child the young girl’s age. He’d figured she was probably nine or ten. Under twelve, for sure.
So if she wasn’t Minnie’s child, that left only one explanation.
His heart spasmed. Gen had a daughter.
* * *
“Look what came for you!” Nancy crowed, thrusting a large bouquet of pastel blooms in Gen’s face.
“Wow.” She smiled. One guess who that was from. Sure enough, a quick check of the note revealed it was from Kyle. Her heart fluttered. He’d signed it Love from Kyle.
Did he actually mean that word? More importantly, would he actually mean it once she confessed the truth about Bella? Oh, she hoped he would.
“Here.” Nancy found a large plastic vase and filled it with water, then helped arrange the bouquet. “You’ve still got a few more hours on duty, so this should help keep it looking nice until you go home.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s good to have a spot of color in here. Makes a nice change.”
“Sure does.” A spot of hope, of joy, in an otherwise challenging day. Her weariness of earlier was banished. Maybe she would agree to having another meal with him tonight. These flowers were beautiful, but seeing him, kissing him, would be the highlight of her day.
She busied herself by multi-tasking by eating yogurt while writing up notes on her cases, but her mind soon flicked back to earlier today.
It had started with Mom’s horror at seeing Gen’s inflamed chin at breakfast, and her whispered demand as soon as Bella was out of earshot, “Who were you kissing?”
Gen could lie, or tell the truth. And she knew it was way past time for that particular truth to be told, so she’d finally admitted it. “Kyle Tinker.”
“What?”
Bella had immediately trotted in. “Grandma, are you okay?”
Mom had shaken her head, her death glare piercing Gen. “Tell me you are joking.”
She’d sighed. “I can’t.”
“Kyle Tinker?” There was no stopping Mom now, she was in fine voice.
“Who’s he?” Bella asked, peeling a banana.
Oh dear. This had the potential to go really bad really quick. She had never really explained to Bella the precise nature of Bella’s fatherless state. It was enough that she wasn’t the only one in her classes being raised by a single mom. “Kyle is, uh, a former boyfriend.”
“Where did you meet?” Mom demanded.
“At the hospital two months ago,” she’d mumbled.
“Two months ago?” Mom roared.
“Mom, keep your voice down. The neighbors will hear.”
“I don’t care if the whole world hears. I forbid you from having anything more to do with that man.”
“Why? What did he do?” Bella asked.
“That man ruined this family,” Mom began.
“Mom, not here,” Gen pleaded. Bella didn’t need to hear this. Didn’t need to know that Mom’s anger at Kyle implied that Bella was a mistake.
Her mother had taken an audible breath, then visibly calmed herself. “I am not okay with this.”
No kidding. “Mom, surely it’s better that we try to patch things up. Just think about what some of the good things might be.” The way he’d been talking yesterday, he’d implied a future together, marriage, the works.
“Have you lost your mind? There are no good things. That man ruined you, ruined me.”
“Mommy?” Bella turned to Gen, alarm on her face. “What’s going on? Why does Grandma hate this man so much?”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to worry. You’re okay.”
“She is now. But what if those people find out? Do you think they will sit mildly by without trying to take her away?”
“Who’s trying to take who away? Do you mean me?” Bella demanded. “Mom? What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Oh, why hadn’t she kept her big mouth shut? “Look, Grandma is just a little concerned that some things are going to change. And maybe they are. But not in a bad way.”
There was a way to make this work. Kyle would come to love Bella. How could he not? She was everything smart and witty and fun. He had to love her. He’d have to want them both.
Gen had soon needed to leave, but not without giving Bella a big hug first. “Bella, I want you to promise me not to worry. Okay? Everything is gonna be fine.”
It had taken a moment, then Bella nodded.
“I’ll see you when I get back from work.” And maybe she could explain a few more things then.
Her shift had passed with hard cases, two preventable deaths, thanks to Goran’s ineptitude, a man high on drugs, and a terminal cancer case with an infection.
She’d been spat on by a schizophrenic patient, been sworn at by several others, so Kyle’s flowers were an unexpected bonus, even if they had provided a reminder of the unpleasant episode at home before.
She’d treated patients, dealt with hospital administrivia, ignored Goran’s rudeness, phoned for consults, and worked to keep her emotional equilibrium as part of her danced at the thought that Kyle really was serious about prioritizing her at last.
She pressed submit on the last report, discarded her empty yogurt pot in the trash, smiled at the flowers, then worked through the next hours until finally, finally, she could finish her shift, only staying twenty-five minutes over.
Thirty minutes later she was hopping off the bus on the corner, flowers in hand. Her bouquet had raised answering smiles in patients and bus passengers alike.
Now to somehow explain who Kyle was to Bella. And figure out the same for him.
This would be a hard conversation, she knew that. But she’d been raised to cope with hard things. Even if a tiny part of her was glad that her mom’s work schedule meant she’d be absent today.
She smiled, and retrieved her key. Plugged it into the lock of the door.
“Gen?”
She stilled. Her smile dropped. And she turned. “Kyle?” Her heart sank to her stomach as he approached. Oh no. He knew where she lived? How? Why? What else did he know? “What… what are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood.”
“Why?”
“I, uh, was passing by a while ago and thought I saw you here, and…”
Then the door opened. Bella. Oh no, no, no.
Kyle glanced at Bella, then at Gen, then back at Bella, no doubt wondering who she was. But who was she kidding? Of course he’d recognize Bella’s hair, those unusual eyes. Her gaze flicked back to him. This wasn’t the loving man of last night. His eyes were wide, like he was in shock.
She needed to quiet Bella, before she could spill—
But before she could hush her, Bella glanced up at her. “Mommy?”