Page 24 of Thick and Thin

As we walked up to the restaurant, he asked, “What’s your dad’s favorite dish here?”

“He loves the sesame chicken.”

“And what about you?”

“I like chicken chow mein. What’s your favorite?”

“I’ve never eaten here—but I like anything kung pao—the spicier, the better.”

I wasn’t going to say it, but Sinclair seemed more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. Not only did his tone have a playful quality, but his eyes and jaw looked as if he was no longer tense.

Sinclair ordered and paid for our food. He asked the woman at the counter, “How long?”

“Ten minutes.”

With a nod, he placed his hand on my back and led me through the door. Outside there were two concrete tables and benches where people could dine when the weather was nice, but I’d never actually seen anyone sit out there—until we did. Like usual in the autumn in Winchester, the day was growing warm, thanks to the sun shining down on us.

Sinclair straddled the bench, so I did as well, facing him. Taking my hands in his, he scanned my face with his earnest blue eyes, and I sensed he had a lot to say. I’d planned on asking questions, but I knew now that I wouldn’t have to.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you about the repairs at the college, Lise. I didn’t want you to be distracted. The repairs didn’t quite cost a million, but they cost more than they should have. Leona wanted the lab ready for fall—and I agreed. Students were already scared and disappointed, and I didn’t want the terrorists to think they’d won.”

“Terrorists?”

“I’m using that word figuratively—but it’s the principle. You don’t negotiate with terrorists. Anyway, the lab was ready on time, and we spent more than we would have if we hadn’t rushed the repairs.”

Nodding, I said, “I guess that makes sense. If I’d been a nursing student who’d signed up in the spring for classes that relied on the lab, I would have been upset at having to wait.”

“You probably won’t believe this now, but I’d planned to release you from your contract once you were done with the dungeon…and I’m sorry I kept that from you. I just wanted you focused on finishing.”

Had I heard him right? It was as if he were affirming right there everything I’d said to Mr. Sherwood less than half an hour earlier—that Sinclair’s character was far more upstanding and forthright than Sherwood’s, slinking in the shadows and having students do his dirty work.

Sinclair squeezed my hands. “And, I’ll admit, I didn’t want to let you go. But after this past week, I knew it was the right thing to do.”

I smiled at him, feeling as if I were basking in his glow as much as the rays of the sun overhead. “I can’t thank you enough. Dad needed me here.”

“It looks like he still does.” He ran a finger along my cheek, pushing back the tiny wisp of hair that had escaped my ponytail. “Do you know when you’ll be able to come back?”

“I’m not sure. I just want him to get to the point where he can move around without feeling exhausted.”

“Can I send a nurse—or get him different care?”

“No. I don’t know how dad would feel about someone else in the house fussing over him. And he won’t say it out loud, but I know he wouldn’t have gone to his first treatment if I hadn’t been there. This treatment is top of the line. He and I did a lot of research about a year ago and he and his doctor finally decided it was his best chance of fighting the disease. Then, of course, he was on a waiting list to get in.”

“That says a lot. What about help with paying for it?”

“Well, that was another battle we had…getting it paid for, but everything finally fell into place with this appointment. That’s why I didn’t want him to miss it.”

Sinclair’s hands squeezed mine. “He’s lucky he has you.”

“I feel the same way about him.”

“Well…we’ll have you return to the mansion when you feel like your father can handle being alone. And once you finish your work in the dungeon, I’ll let you return home.”

Had I heard him right?

He continued. “If you focus on cataloging what’s left and stop wasting your time assessing value of the items, you should be done in a week or so.”

My brain finally caught up. “Are you sure about that?

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