Page 126 of A Lesson for Laurel

“Okay,” his father said. “I’ll leave. Let me go.”

“No,” he said.

“Easton,” he heard yelled. “Where are you?”

“In your office, Abe.”

His cousin came running and then stopped in the doorway. “Uncle Justin? What are you doing here? What the hell?” Abe’s eyes landed on the floor.

“He thinks there is money in your floor,” Easton said. “And he’s come to steal it. As if he thinks I’m letting him leave now.”

Abe laughed. “There’s no money in there. My father used to do that. Or so my mother told me and she made him stop. You broke into my house for that?”

“Just let me go,” his father said. “No one needs to know.”

“Too late,” Abe said when he heard a car door. “That’s the police. I called them.”

Abe moved to the front door and opened it. Easton turned his head and saw Luke Remington coming in the door. He remembered him from Ivy’s wedding.

“Abe Cooke?” Luke asked. “You reported a break-in?”

“Yes,” Abe said.

Luke turned to him. “Easton, right?”

“That’s me,” he said.

His cousin asked, “How do you want to handle this?”

“What’s going on?” Luke asked.

“Can I speak to you in the other room?” Easton asked Luke. “Abe stay here.”

He handed the bat over but knew his father wasn’t going anywhere and took a seat. He looked as if he could barely walk down the back porch stairs without falling let alone take off down the street running.

“Did someone break into the house?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. My father. I was next door at Laurel’s house. I noticed the back door was open and came over to close it and called Abe. He told me he shut it and then I saw the other door open. He called you and came over.”

“You didn’t think to wait until we got here?” Luke asked.

“Sorry,” he said. “This is my childhood home. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

“No,” Luke said.

“He said he has a key,” he said. “Nothing is broken so he probably did but admitted he stole it and made a copy forhimself years ago. I know my uncle wouldn’t have given it to him. He’s looking for money.”

“Does Abe want to press charges or are you going to handle this on your own?” Luke asked. “I know you’re an attorney, but this is Abe’s house.”

He sighed. “I know. My father hasn’t been in my life in over twenty years. He’s an addict. I don’t know the right thing to do. I want to say lock him up, but it’s Abe’s decision. I also know he will defer to me.”

“I’ll keep an eye on your father if you want to talk this out with Abe.”

“Thanks,” he said. “It’s a tricky situation. I don’t know the right thing to do. Or the moral thing to do that I could live with.”

Twenty years ago, even two years ago, he wouldn’t give two shits what happened to his father and would have said to take him away.

But now he had a woman in his life that he loved and he worried she’d judge him for whatever decision he made.

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