Page 88 of Last Chance

“You’re nuts.”

“Nuts about you,” he countered.

“Where were you when I was a teenager, anxious about my appearance?”

“Working to keep food on the table and help my mom with as much of her responsibility as possible. She was always too thin. For several months, Mom said she was too tired to eat much. When we finally caught on to the fact that she was giving us boys her food so we’d have enough, my brothers and I made it our mission to work part-time jobs wherever we could find them and make sure we had enough food in the house so Mom would eat too.”

“Did it work?”

He walked to the spice cabinet, pulled out several bottles, and carried them to the counter. “Took a few months, but Mom eventually regained the weight she lost and was better able to handle the workload and stress.”

“Does she still work?”

Sawyer smiled as he laid the steaks on four plates and sprinkled each with the various spices. “Her job now is a full-time grandmother, mother, and mother-in-law. She also volunteers at a few organizations that are important to her.”

“You and your brothers are taking care of her financial obligations.”

He inclined his head. “We owe her everything. My brothers and I bought her a car and a house. We also deposit money into her account every month for expenses and fun money. Most of the time, we have to beg her to spend money. She still has a hard time letting go of dollars for herself. Now, if you ask her to spend money for one of the grandkids or one of us boys, she’s all over it. Can’t get to the store fast enough.”

Sawyer smiled. “We love spoiling her. Lately, though, someone else has been stepping into that role.”

Oh, now, this was interesting. “Who?”

“Her new beau.”

Her mouth dropped. “Your mother has a boyfriend?”

He flinched. “Please, let’s not call Luke that. We prefer the term friend. Mom is the one who called him her beau.”

How sweet was that? “I think that’s wonderful. Good for your mom.”

Sawyer flipped the steaks over and liberally applied spices to that side as well. “Yeah, she deserves every bit of happiness she can find. My brothers and I give her grief over it, but we’re happy for her.”

“Can I help with dinner? I feel guilty being the straw boss.”

He nodded at the potatoes. “Scrub those, cut them in half, and slather butter on them before wrapping them in aluminum foil.”

Perfect. Keeping herself busy occupied her mind with something other than worry for her brother.

Janie slid from the stool, gathered the potatoes, and got to work. As she finished wrapping the last potato in foil, Sawyer went outside to heat the grill.

When he returned, his expression was grim.

Janie’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong? Is it David?” Had something happened to her brother? She should have stayed at the hospital despite the doctor’s encouragement to rest.

“The surgeon is taking David to surgery. Brain bleed.”

“I have to go back to the hospital.” Her voice broke. What if David died? She didn’t want him to die alone.

“Give me a minute to tell Brody and we’ll go.”

Within five minutes, Max was driving the SUV to the hospital with Janie and Sawyer in the backseat. Brody had agreed to stay at the safe house to finish dinner and wait for Logan to relieve him for a watch shift.

They drove to the hospital in silence, making the journey in less than fifteen minutes. Although Max pushed the speed limit, he didn’t take detours this time.

During the drive, Sawyer kept his hand wrapped around Janie’s. As soon as the SUV stopped at the entrance to the emergency room, he climbed out and reached back to help her down.

The two of them hurried to the ICU floor and the desk where a nurse told Janie that David’s surgery had just begun and not to expect an update for a while on his condition. Once again, they were directed to the family waiting room.

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