Page 158 of Fiery Romance

“Of course.”

Mr. P opens the door for me and I give him a grateful nod. After laying Regan gently down on the sofa in my office, I gesture for Abe to have a seat.

He does.

Rather than sit behind the desk, I take one of the fold-up chairs and set it up beside him.

“Go ahead and tell me what’s bothering you,” I say softly.

Abe slips his hands together. His voice shakes. “Dad got rid of everything.”

“What do you mean? What did he get rid of?”

“Mom’s pictures.”

The world stops turning. Guilt grabs me by the shirt collar and smacks me in the face.

“H-he did?”

“He put everything in a safe. And he wants me and Regan to try to guess the digital password.”

I blink, trying to make sense of that. “Why does he want you to guess?”

“I don’t know.” Abe throws his hands up. “I always knew he didn’t like thinking about mom, but now he wants to take everything away. It’s like he doesn’t want us to remember her.”

My fingers tremble. A big bulk of responsibility for what Clay’s done rests on me. I’m the one who went ballistic when I saw the picture of his wife. I’m the one who pushed him into a corner.

If I hadn’t said anything, Abe wouldn’t be on the verge of tears right now.

“Abe, I can imagine how difficult this is for you. When I lost my parents, all I wanted to do was keep their stuff around. But,” I choose my words carefully, “if your dad was throwing it all away, why would he want you to guess the combination so you could have it?”

Abe’s a smart kid. I see his mind churning behind his sweet blue eyes.

Quietly, I add, “Is your dad trying to throw away everything or is he preserving it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly. You won’t know until you open the safe.”

“How am I supposed to do that? He didn’t make the password easy.”

“Even more reason to beat him at his own game.” I scoot to the edge of my seat. “Take it as a challenge. Beat the combination and prove whether or not your dad will keep his word.”

He bows his head and stares at his hands.

“I’ll help you,” I assure him.

His head whips up and his eyes fill with hope. “Really?”

“Pinkie promise.” I extend my little finger to him.

Abe hooks our fingers together and we seal it by pressing our thumbs.

“What if there’s nothing inside the safe?” Abe asks.

“If he tricks you, I’ll go after him. He’s going to wish he never messed with us.”

Finally, Abe smiles.

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