Page 88 of The Love Shack

“Last I heard.” But he knew it was dicey, understandably so.

“Who’d you hear it from?”

“My sister-in-law, but she was still dazed and hurting. Her parents are terrific. She was going to stay with them for a while.” It was a relief to him to know his niece would have others looking out for her. “Once he finally got out of rehab, Gordon was going to stay with Mom.” Closing his eyes, Oliver said, “At least Mom started seeing and feeling again.”

“She’d had to, to take care of Gordon.”

It had given her a new purpose. “She insisted he’d be fine, that they’d work through things together.”

Gently, Lark said, “I hope that’s true.”

“At that point, I knew I needed a change. I wasn’t going to be a help to anyone.” A sad truth. “So I walked away.”

She rubbed his shoulder. “What else could you do?”

“I don’t know. That was the problem. I had no idea what to do. Still don’t.”

“So you decided to live.” She said it decisively, and with admiration. “This isyourway, Oliver. Here, you can help people without the family strife. You’re offering physical fitness for an outlet, for others, and for yourself.”

Exactly what he’d told himself. “Or maybe that’s just a cop-out so I don’t have to go back and do the hard work for my family.”

Lark heaved a sigh, then rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s not a cop-out. It’s reality. I think Gordon needs professional help.”

“Me, too.” He’d suggested it, but the idea wasn’t well received.

“You’re here, a wonderful, smart, talented man with so much to give to the community and a lot of life ahead of you. Making yourself miserable won’t help anyone.” She went quiet, then straightened again to ask, “What did you say to them all when you left?”

“That I wouldn’t be far, I loved them, and if I could help, if they needed anything at all, to let me know.”

Soft understanding filled her eyes. “That’s wonderful, Oliver. A generous offer and the perfect way to leave things.” She brushed a quick kiss to his mouth. “Now that a little time has passed, if you’re feeling like you need to connect with them again, I vote for a plan of action. If you wouldn’t mind my input—”

“I would love your input.” He drew her hand from his jaw to his mouth, pressing his lips to her palm. “Got a marketing plan for me? A way to salvage my family ties?”

“I’m positive your family ties are as strong as ever. You don’t need any help with that.” Lower, she muttered, “And I wouldn’t be the one to give that advice anyway.”

What was that? Was Lark also at odds with her family? He wanted to ask, but then she continued.

“How about some objective thoughts from an outsider instead?”

“Objective is good.”

“Sometimes family is the best of us, and the worst of us.”

Coming from experience, no doubt. Cradling her hand in his own, Oliver teased the pad of his thumb over her delicate knuckles. She was small in stature, but he had a feeling Lark was strong where it mattered, in her loyalty, her convictions, her honesty and her pride.

“Invite your mother here to visit. Cemetery—the name alone, right?—is a topic starter. Make it a casual, open-ended invite and tell her you’ve missed her.”

“I have.” A lot. “She might be intrigued by the town.”

Cautioning him, Lark added, “She’ll either agree to come or not, but you’re connecting either way. Then get hold of your brother, tell him you’ve been thinking of him and you hope he’s doing well.”

“Also true, but the last time I tried that, he blew up on me.”

“Last time, he hadn’t yet hit rock bottom.” A wealth of sincerity darkened her eyes, showing her vulnerability. “He hadn’t yet lost you.”

Oliver frowned. Who had Lark lost? Hopefully there wasn’t a guy he didn’t know about. “Have you—”

She cut him off. “If he loves his wife, and I assume he does, hopefully he took rehab seriously and is trying to get his life in order. It won’t be easy, but it’s on him, not anyone else. You said he was a great guy before sorrow and drugs got the better of him, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. By now, I’m sure he has a lot of regrets.”

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