Page 6 of Tangled Up In You

When they finished eating, Drew took off on the pretense of checking out some jobs.

As he left, Chelsea slid into the booth across from him.

"What is going on?" she asked curiously. "Why is Gina's brother here?"

"He's going to live with me until Christmas."

Her brows shot up in surprise. "Seriously? How did that happen?"

"Drew got into trouble at school. He's suspended for the quarter. His father wants him away from his party friends. He asked me if I'd take him in for a few months, try to get him on the right path."

"I didn't realize you still had a relationship with Gina's parents and brother."

"We reconnected after Gina's mother passed away a few months ago," he said. "I went to the funeral."

She gave him a surprised look. "Seriously? I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it wasn't any of your business."

"I just thought…well, I thought they didn't like you."

"They didn't, but when Teresa was dying, she asked Steven to contact me. She wanted to breach the distance between us. She said she felt like Gina would have wanted us to apologize to each other and she didn't think that would happen if she didn't force the issue. I talked to her on the phone a week before she passed away and then I went to the funeral. Since then, Steven and I have kept in touch. He's concerned about Drew. I think losing his sister and now his mother has messed him up."

"So, you offered to take him in. When did he arrive?"

"Last night."

"How's it going so far?"

"About as bad as you'd expect," he admitted. "Drew doesn’t want to be here. He doesn't know if he should like me or hate me. We'll see how it goes."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "You still blame yourself for Gina's death, don't you?"

"This isn't about Gina; it's about Drew. I'd appreciate it if you and Lizzie could get on board." He knew that Chelsea would share the news with their younger sister as soon as she left the table, if she hadn't already.

"We'll always support you, Adam. I just hate to see you getting dragged back into the past."

"I'm not in the past. I'm in the present. And on that note, I have to go." He put some cash on the table and got to his feet.

"Why do you have to leave in such a hurry?" she asked dryly, as she slid out of the booth. "Do you have a busy day of sitting ahead of you?"

He gave her an annoyed frown. "As a matter of fact, I have a case to look into."

"I thought you weren't working yet."

"This is a minor case, nothing the department would have time for, but I might as well do something instead of nothing."

"What's the case?"

"Possible shoplifting at the wellness store—A Better You."

"Really? I didn't know the shop was open again."

"It's in the process of reopening. A woman named Molly Trent is taking over for Phoebe. I was walking by when she ran out of the store, looking for whoever knocked over a display case."

"Well, it doesn't sound like a crime that will get you into too much trouble. I hate worrying about you."

"You never have to worry about me. I can take care of myself." He gave her a hug, then hobbled out the door, knowing that the crime he was about to solve wasn't going to get him into trouble, but the woman he was trying to help just might.

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