Baby, It's You by Jane Graves Page B

then left the café. He went to where his truck was parked in front of the wineshop and got in, telling himself he’d done the right thing. Kari was doing what she needed to do. She was going back to face the music. Then maybe she’d finally get her life in order. Yes, it was a very good thing.
    He started his truck and headed back down Rainbow Way toward the highway. He’d already spent too much time in town today when there were a hundred things he needed to do back at the vineyard. But as he drove, his mind began to wander.
    Who would pick Kari up at the bus station in Houston? Her friend, Jill, who thought she and the asshole were just perfect for each other? Her father who ran her life like a prison guard? The asshole himself who wanted her name on a marriage license so he could enjoy that nice big inheritance coming Kari’s way when her father finally kicked the bucket?
    Marc shook away those thoughts. It didn’t matter. She needed to face up to the challenge. Sometimes people needed to have their backs shoved against the wall until they came out fighting.
    But would Kari come out fighting? Or would she give in and be stuck in a marriage with a man who saw her only as a means to a very lucrative end?
    She needs your help.
    No. Go home. She’s not your problem.
    But if she goes to Houston, she may be miserable for the rest of her life.
    Butt out. She has to learn to stand on her own two feet.
    He slowed his truck and pulled to the side of the road. He put it in park and gripped the steering wheel, listening to the voices parry inside his head until he was so confused he didn’t know which way to turn, and confusion was a state he didn’t like dealing with.
    Shake it off. You don’t even know her. And you’re certainly not responsible for her.
    Finally he put his truck in gear, hit the gas, and headed for home.

Chapter 6
    A n hour later, Marc was trimming the bushes that surrounded his back deck when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and was happy to see Angela’s name on the caller ID.
    “Angela! Hey! How are things going?”
    “Great! I’m having a blast.”
    Oh, thank God. He loved hearing that happy lilt in her voice. “No! School is serious business. Why am I paying all that tuition if you’re not miserable? I want my money’s worth.”
    Angela laughed. “Too late. I love this place. How are things at home?”
    Marc thought about Kari. No need to bring that up. “It’s only been a day, so…just about the same as when you left.”
    “Yeah, I guess nothing much has had time to happen, huh?”
    If only she knew. “How are you and your roommate getting along?”
    “Great. We’ve got the room all set up. And we found out we have two of the big freshmen lecture classes together.”
    Then Marc heard something in the background he didn’t like. “Is that a boy’s voice I hear?”
    “Yeah. It’s a friend of Kim’s. He brought his roommate along. We’re going to a movie this afternoon. Classes don’t start for a few days, so we thought we’d play around a little.”
    Marc cringed. He remembered Kim and her tattoos and piercings and that hair that looked as if she’d dyed it jet-black and then stuck her finger in an electrical socket. What were the chances that she hung out with guys who were drug-free virgins heading for the dean’s list?
    “Sorry, Dad. I just called to say hi, but I gotta go now. Everybody’s waiting for me.”
    No. He wanted to keep talking. To what end, he didn’t know. He hated this. As soon as the connection was gone, she could be anywhere. He wouldn’t know if bad things happened, and the worry would begin all over again.
    “Dad? Are you there?”
    “Okay,” he said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
    Marc hit the button to disconnect the call and stuck his phone back into his pocket. So this was what it was going to be like for the next four years? Short little phone calls that made him worry until she called again for another two-minute conversation