I blow out a breath. “You know her dad died when she was thirteen?”
“Hit by a drunk driver, right?” he clarifies.
“Right. Well, his life insurance had lapsed or something. I don’t know the details. So, to cover his medical expenses and funeral costs,Sasha’s mom had to re-mortgage the house. She took on a second job to cover it, but not long after Sasha went to college, her mom fell over and hurt her back, and it never healed right. She’s in pain all the time, and she hasn’t been able to keep a job for long since, let alone two.”
He pauses a beat, and I know what he’ll say before the words even form on his lips. “So, we help her. We give them the money, and if they won’t accept that, we make it an interest-free loan.”
“I’ve tried.” I shake my head, frustration furrowing my brow. “Sasha won’t accept it, saying she doesn’t want to taint our friendship with money.”
“We’ll work on her until she does.” The way he says that is slightly threatening, and I can’t help the small smile pulling at my mouth. “If the roles were reversed, she’d hogtie you until you accepted her help, so maybe we should borrow some of her methods.”
My smile grows at the image he’s painting, especially because he isn’t wrong. “I’ll make her see sense, even if I have to hit her over the head with it.”
Declan makes a quiet noise of agreement, one that says he’s got my back without words, and then nudges my arm gently. “Come on, then. This problem will wait for later. We need to get going.” His stomach rumbles on cue, and he scowls dramatically. “If my dinner is inedible because you and Sasha made me late, we’re gonna have problems.”
I stare back at him. “You don’t scare me.”
We’re only twenty minutes late, and the food is perfect, although Julie grumbles that her roast is dry—it wasn’t—for at least another ten minutes. Once we finish eating, Julie immediately gets to her feet and starts gathering the dishes, so I stand with her, taking mine and Declan’s plates.
She eyes me. “You don’t need to help. I’ve got it. You all should go to the living room, have a drink.”
My expression is patient. “You aren’t my housekeeper, Jules. You’re family, which means you cooked, so we clean.” Dad startles at my words, eyes wide as he abruptly shoves his seat back.
“Lily’s right,” he says, looking flustered, cheekspink. “You shouldn’t be cleaning up after working so hard to cook for us.” He rushes around the table and tries to snatch the plates from Julie’s hand. There’s a brief tug of war, but she gives in, watching in bewilderment as he heads for the kitchen without another look.
Declan chuckles as he stands up. “I’ll go help. He might need a reminder on how the dishwasher works. You ladies go relax.” He takes the plates from me and disappears after my dad.
Julie turns wide eyes on me. “What have you done?” she whispers.
I walk over to her and link her arms, casually leading her to the living room. “Just reminded him that even if he’s an old dog, he can learn new tricks.”
“I don’t need him to learn new tricks.” She sits down in an armchair that has become hers over the last few months. I take the couch, sitting in the corner and folding my legs up under me. “We have a nice routine between us, both learning what it’s like to really be with someone after so many years alone.”
I hum thoughtfully. “Were you alone, though?”
Her brows dip together. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you might have been an employer and housekeeper, but it’s always been a little more than that, right?” I lift my brows, and her cheeks go hot, eyes avoiding mine.
“We never— I didn’t—” She clamps her lips shut.
“I know you guys weren’t together,” I reassure her. “But you were more, even if you didn’t see it. You’ve been looking after him for years, and now he can take a turn looking after you.”
She looks like she might argue, but something settles in her eyes and she dips her chin in a nod. “You and Declan,” she starts, and I smile at the subject change. “You seem happy.”
I let out a low dreamy sigh, ignoring her laughter. “I feel happy.” I share a smile with her. “It’s different from how it was before.He’sdifferent, lighter without the weight of Nexus and his father hanging over him.”
They were keeping Donald and Darius locked up, awaiting their respective trials. Darcy had told me they both tried to bargain for a plea deal, offering to rat out the other to get a lighter sentence,but Declan’s evidence had been so thorough and concrete that the DA hadn’t even blinked, turning them both down point blank.
“Has he read the letter Donald sent him?”
I press my lips together, shaking my head. “He ripped it up and burned it,” I admit quietly. “Abigail is still struggling with it all, but she seems to have accepted that there’ll never be any kind of reunion between Donald and his children…especially Declan.”
“Is she still seeing that therapist?”
“Once a week,” I confirm. “It’s helping, I think. She and Declan are finding some common ground, especially now she seems to have figured out that if she even breathes Donald’s name, Declan will shut down. But Lottie’s taken her under wing. Abigail’s been volunteering at Harbor of Hope, and now she’s talking about taking on a more permanent role.”
Julie’s eyebrows lift. “That’ll be good for her, it’ll give her a purpose. It’s a horrible thing that happened, but it seems like it gave her the opportunity to really find herself.” She pauses, considering her words. “Or reinvent herself.”
