Page 34 of Love In The Spotlight

He was going to chip a tooth if he clenched his jaw any tighter.

Why the hell did he subject himself to this willingly?

His mother had reached out and gently let it drop that they hadn’t seen him in a while and missed him. That they’d like to see Penelope.

He decided to come and all they’d done was complain about the way he was going about it.

Just like everything else in his life.

“I’ve sinned a lot in my life,” he said. “I’m not sure why Dad would want me at church with Penelope anyway. Then people would know I had a child out of wedlock.”

Forget about the fact he got a stripper pregnant and didn’t even know or remember.

“God forgives,” his mother said.

But his father obviously didn’t.

He got up and helped himself to a glass of water. No bottled water here. That would be wasteful for his mother. And bringing things that he was used to having would only cause them to fight and his father to accuse him of being embarrassed or thinking he was better than what he came from.

He wasn’t, but his parents were sure embarrassed of him. He knew that.

They’d even said it a time or two.

“I’m going to check on Penelope,” he said and walked to his old room. The floors were squeaking under his feet, the throw rugs old and worn in several places.

It killed him to see this, but if he sent them things without asking, they returned them.

The first time that happened he’d thought it was a joke.

It wasn’t. The new furniture he’d sent, the furniture store called him confused and didn’t know what to do. At that point he’d paid for it and told them to bring it back to the church and put it in the rectory and his father could donate it if he wanted to.

He’d been hurt beyond words that his parents wouldn’t even accept something as simple as that.

The only thing he knew was that the furniture was still there at the church. A place where people could sit comfortably while having activities.

It wasn’t what he wanted for it, but if it was the best he could do then he’d take it.

He’d even made several large donations to the church each year hoping that the money could go toward something in his parents’ house.

It hadn’t that he could see.

Deanna had told him where the money went, as she was still active in the church. His sister told him that their father was thankful.

His father never once thanked him though. He got the same form letter that any other donor got, he was sure.

Nothing warm and fuzzy in it.

He pushed the door open and saw his daughter sound asleep hugging her lamb. They only brought one animal with her on this trip. Those were the rules and Penelope agreed because she didn’t want to lose one of them. At least he wasn’t home for the debate to see who made the cut this time.

Janelle had filled him in last night while they had their nightly tea and Janelle looked for things to do on her days off.

He’d offered for Janelle to spend Christmas with him and his family. He’d actually begged her.

She laughed and said he was on his own.

She knew more than most about his relationship with his parents.

Janelle was a year older than his mother. There were times he wished she were his mother.

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