Page 48 of Turn

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I didn’t know why Cord had come to work over an hour early but the reason didn’t matter. This was his business. He had a right to arrive any time he pleased and not find an employee sleeping in the parking lot.

Brecken rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. “Who’s that?”

I groaned and sat up. I felt like I’d been sleeping in a rock pile. “My boss.”

There was really no way to make yourself seem more presentable after your boss has just discovered you sound asleep in the parking lot. So I didn’t waste any time trying. I got out of the car and faced him.

“Sorry about this, Cord. I swear I was planning to be gone by the time anyone showed up today.”

He didn’t look angry. Just perplexed. “What’s going on, Curtis?”

I hesitated. Then I told the truth. “We needed a place to crash for a few hours. There was an incident at the motel we’ve been staying in. Gunshots, a man dead. I promise I won’t do this every night and I’ll get something else figured out today.”

Cord’s eyes went from me to the car and then to Brecken, who was just emerging.

“Cord?” said a woman’s voice.

I didn’t know how I missed seeing her before. She was standing right beside him, touching his elbow. She had long brown hair and a kind face that was still beautiful. There was sympathy in her expression. Then her eyes landed on Brecken and the sympathetic look deepened.

“Saylor,” Cord said. “This is Curtis Mulligan, the new employee I was telling you about.”

The woman smiled and I knew immediately that she was Cassie’s mother. Cassie had her father’s light hair and blue eyes but her smile, that brilliant smile, had come from this woman.

“Hello,” she said and gently shook my hand. “I’m Saylor Gentry, Cord’s wife. And who’s this guy over here?” She nodded to Brecken.

I pulled him over to my side. “My little brother.”

“Don’t you have two brothers?” Cord asked.

I swallowed, ignoring the lump in my throat. “I do have two brothers. Brecken over here is thirteen. Tristan is seventeen but I don’t know where he is. He ran off.”

Cord’s wife made a sad ‘Oh no’ sound and she looked up at her husband, nudging him slightly.

“I really am sorry about being here like this,” I said. “If you don’t mind letting us use the restroom real quick we’ll be on our way and I’ll be here for work later.”

“What about Brecken?” Cord asked. “And where are you guys going to stay tonight?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. I didn’t have an answer for anything. I felt like I was falling in slow motion.

“I don’t know,” I choked out.

Saylor smiled down at Brecken. “Do you like bacon?”

He smiled back. “Doesn’t everyone?”

Saylor laughed. “Probably. So how about we all take a walk down the street and get breakfast?”

I had to give her credit. She sounded positively euphoric over the idea, as if there was nothing on earth she’d rather be doing than entertaining her husband’s temporarily homeless employee and his little brother. It was impossible to say no, especially after I saw the way Brecken’s face lit up. He went right to Saylor and she started asking him questions about school and what grade he was in. They started to walk down the street together so Cord and I had to follow right behind them.

“Cord, I really am sorry,” I said. The thought occurred to me that I might be willing to part with the shirt off my back in exchange for a cup of coffee right now.

“Stop saying that,” he told me and patted my shoulder in a friendly, fatherly way.

In between stuffing his face full of food my brother talked more in that hour at breakfast than he had over the past three months. Saylor seemed genuinely delighted by him and I didn’t miss the way he kept staring at her with awed happiness. Brecken was still very much a child and I never really had time to think about how much he must miss having a mother. I tried to fill that role as best I could but I was also busy trying to earn enough money for us to live on and keep Tristan in line.

Throughout breakfast Cord had been listening quietly for the most part and sipping his coffee while I devoured my food and watched Brecken talk to Saylor.

---