Page 26 of Zane

She couldn’t afford a lot, especially if she wasn’t working. Her savings were going to dwindle pretty quickly.

“You aren’t, but if you feel strongly about it, speak with Lee. As soon as we got married, I told him he could take care of the finances. I never liked doing that.”

“So you combine your money?”

“Yep. I know a lot of people don’t like to do that, but it works for us. Everything goes into one account, and Lee takes care of paying all the bills from that.”

“You don’t mind not having control of your money?”

“I do have control over it,” Rori said. “Lee doesn’t tell me I can’t buy things I want or need. We have some guidelines in place, but they apply to both of us. We decided on a dollar amount that would require discussion, but anything below that, we’re free to buy on our own. I completely trust Lee to take care of us, but he wants me to know what’s going on, so at the end of each month, he goes over the finances with me.”

Kelsey hadn’t thought much about the fact that she and Zane hadn’t combined their finances. Was it a big deal? She didn’t think it was, especially since he had made an effort to make things fair, taking into account the differences in their incomes.

Now, because she had no access to or knowledge of any accounts that belonged to Zane, she was on her own once again when it came to finances.

Rori gave her a smile. “Every couple has to figure out what works for them. I wouldn’t presume to say what works for Lee and I would work for anyone else. It’s what we’ve discussed and decided on based on our own needs and desires.”

Kelsey hoped that she and Zane would have another chance to set up a life together. But with her husband loving someone else, her hopes weren’t too high for that.

A couple of hours into the flight, the attendant once again came around offering food. Kelsey thought they might get sandwiches or something, but no, apparently on a private jet, you got a full-fledged meal with dessert.

“I just need to move around, Mom,” Zane said, his voice raised.

Kelsey noticed that, while both her and Rori’s attention went to Zane, the attendant didn’t turn around. She was truly a professional.

“Uh, sure, I’ll have the chicken.”

“Me, too,” Rori said, giving the woman a smile.

“I’ll have that out in a few minutes.”

The woman turned, keeping to the side so that Zane had space to move toward the bathroom at the rear of the plane. Kelsey tracked his progress, but he never looked in her direction. Slowly, he made his way past where she and Rori sat, and as he did, Kelsey could see the tension and pain on his face.

She wanted to go to him, to see if there was anything she could do. However, if he was rejecting his mom’s help, he would surely reject hers. At some point, she might not be able to keep from offering her help. Her heart longed to help her husband through this rough time.

Kelsey’s gaze went to her mother-in-law, and her sympathy was triggered by the pain she saw on the woman’s face as she stared at where her son had disappeared. Even from her seat, Kelsey could see the deep breath Cathy took as she leaned her head against her husband’s arm.

Dan lifted his hand and cupped his wife’s cheek, his lips moving, forming words that Kelsey wasn’t privy to. Beingsurrounded by loving couples was going to be a hard part of being in Serenity.

When Zane came out of the bathroom, rather than going back to his seat near his parents, he went to a couch on the opposite side of the plane to the cluster of seats where Kelsey and Rori sat. With an audible sigh, he laid down, lifting his leg to elevate it on the armrest.

He crooked his arm over his eyes, then went still. Kelsey doubted he was asleep, however. On a good day, Zane needed time to fall asleep, and that day definitely wasn’t a good day.

After their wedding, they’d fallen into the habit of reading together, then talking a bit to help wind down enough to sleep. Though there were times that Kelsey fell asleep mid-conversation, it was rare that Zane did.

Zane didn’t eat anything when the attendant brought the rest of them their meals. He stayed on the couch until the announcement was made that they were preparing to land in Coeur d’Alene. Then he sat up and buckled himself in without moving back to his original seat.

“How are we going to get to Serenity?” Kelsey asked, then yawned, trying to relieve the pressure in her ears.

“Blake is going to come get us,” Rori said. “Since he and Charli have four kids, they’ve got a van, which is what we need.”

“That was nice of him to agree to do that for us.”

“Blake is always good at helping out. They all are, actually.”

“Do you have family in Serenity?”

Rori grimaced. “Yes. My mom lives here with her husband, but I hardly ever see her.”

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