stood shivering slightly in the cool night air.
“Here.” He dropped a jacket around her shoulders. It was several sizes too big for her of course, but it warmed her instantly. “You should come inside.”
“I can’t be inside right now,” she said. Instead she sat down on the porch steps, looking at the dimly lit neighborhood and the bright pin-prick sky which rose above it all.
“Okay.” He sat down nearby, not too close. He was giving her space, but he was also staying nearby. She appreciated that. Jasper’s people could be looking for her. Or maybe Jasper would be satisfied with having destroyed everything she owned. It was hard to tell. He tended to take a Genghis Khan attitude to business. He was probably busy salting the earth under the bar as they spoke. Clutching her arms to her chest and her knees to her arms, she gazed skyward where the stars were suddenly blurry due to the tears in her eyes.
“I’m going to have to tell Gammy she can’t stay in her home,” she sniffed. “I’ve failed her.”
“You haven’t failed anyone,” Gareth said, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Bad people do bad things. It’s not your fault.”
“It is, because I am one of the bad people. I knew the rules,” Lily sniffed. “But I fell for a cop, and now Gammy is going to have to live in a basement or something.”
“I’m sorry,” Gareth said, holding her close. “I’m sorry this happened.” He pulled her practically onto his lap and cradled her as if she were much smaller than she really was. “I’m going to look after you, Brannigan,” he reminded her. “Now come inside and get some rest. We can start putting things to rights in the morning.”
Sleep sounded good, if only because it would be a release from her misery.
Chapter Eight
The next day, Gareth was kind enough to take her to Gammy’s home to break the bad news. It took Lily a good hour to work up the courage to tell Gammy what had happened, largely because Gammy wanted to know why she was wearing such a short dress, which then took her onto the tangent of communists, which finally circled around to the tragedy of the decline of lama yarn and back to Lily’s inappropriate dress. When Lily finally did manage to get the truth out, it all tumbled out in one awful sentence.
“Gammy, I’m sorry. The bar burned down. I don’t have the money to keep you here anymore.”
“Oh my dear,” Gammy said, patting her hand. “I don’t need your money.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” she said. “A woman should always have her own money.”
“But I’ve been paying for all these years…”
“That was very nice of you, dear. Cookie?”
That seemed to be it as far as Gammy went. There was no offer of help in return. There was just a cookie, an oatmeal one at that.
Lily’s confusion grew as she accepted the cookie. “Do you think you could help, in that case?” What the heck had Gammy been doing with her money all these years? That was the question Lily really wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare.
“You lost the bar, dear. I don’t think giving you money is going to solve your problem. You’re careless, that’s the thing,” Gammy lectured. “I always knew you were careless. Remember when you were small and…”
Lily couldn’t listen to the time she flushed her doll down the toilet all over again, especially considering it was being brought up in the context of why Gammy wasn’t going to help her out. She bit her tongue to stop a harsh retort, but it was impossible to hold back her tears. “I have to go, Gammy,” she said, giving the old woman a quick hug. “I will see you next weekend.”
“So soon?”
“Yes, Gammy, I’m sorry.”
“I hope I live ‘til next weekend,” Gammy said, tucking her hands into her blanket and looking deliberately frail.
* * *
“Everything alright?” There was no mistaking Lily’s red-rimmed eyes as she got back into the car. She was clearly upset.
“I love
“Here.” He dropped a jacket around her shoulders. It was several sizes too big for her of course, but it warmed her instantly. “You should come inside.”
“I can’t be inside right now,” she said. Instead she sat down on the porch steps, looking at the dimly lit neighborhood and the bright pin-prick sky which rose above it all.
“Okay.” He sat down nearby, not too close. He was giving her space, but he was also staying nearby. She appreciated that. Jasper’s people could be looking for her. Or maybe Jasper would be satisfied with having destroyed everything she owned. It was hard to tell. He tended to take a Genghis Khan attitude to business. He was probably busy salting the earth under the bar as they spoke. Clutching her arms to her chest and her knees to her arms, she gazed skyward where the stars were suddenly blurry due to the tears in her eyes.
“I’m going to have to tell Gammy she can’t stay in her home,” she sniffed. “I’ve failed her.”
“You haven’t failed anyone,” Gareth said, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Bad people do bad things. It’s not your fault.”
“It is, because I am one of the bad people. I knew the rules,” Lily sniffed. “But I fell for a cop, and now Gammy is going to have to live in a basement or something.”
“I’m sorry,” Gareth said, holding her close. “I’m sorry this happened.” He pulled her practically onto his lap and cradled her as if she were much smaller than she really was. “I’m going to look after you, Brannigan,” he reminded her. “Now come inside and get some rest. We can start putting things to rights in the morning.”
Sleep sounded good, if only because it would be a release from her misery.
Chapter Eight
The next day, Gareth was kind enough to take her to Gammy’s home to break the bad news. It took Lily a good hour to work up the courage to tell Gammy what had happened, largely because Gammy wanted to know why she was wearing such a short dress, which then took her onto the tangent of communists, which finally circled around to the tragedy of the decline of lama yarn and back to Lily’s inappropriate dress. When Lily finally did manage to get the truth out, it all tumbled out in one awful sentence.
“Gammy, I’m sorry. The bar burned down. I don’t have the money to keep you here anymore.”
“Oh my dear,” Gammy said, patting her hand. “I don’t need your money.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” she said. “A woman should always have her own money.”
“But I’ve been paying for all these years…”
“That was very nice of you, dear. Cookie?”
That seemed to be it as far as Gammy went. There was no offer of help in return. There was just a cookie, an oatmeal one at that.
Lily’s confusion grew as she accepted the cookie. “Do you think you could help, in that case?” What the heck had Gammy been doing with her money all these years? That was the question Lily really wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare.
“You lost the bar, dear. I don’t think giving you money is going to solve your problem. You’re careless, that’s the thing,” Gammy lectured. “I always knew you were careless. Remember when you were small and…”
Lily couldn’t listen to the time she flushed her doll down the toilet all over again, especially considering it was being brought up in the context of why Gammy wasn’t going to help her out. She bit her tongue to stop a harsh retort, but it was impossible to hold back her tears. “I have to go, Gammy,” she said, giving the old woman a quick hug. “I will see you next weekend.”
“So soon?”
“Yes, Gammy, I’m sorry.”
“I hope I live ‘til next weekend,” Gammy said, tucking her hands into her blanket and looking deliberately frail.
* * *
“Everything alright?” There was no mistaking Lily’s red-rimmed eyes as she got back into the car. She was clearly upset.
“I love
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