Page 43 of The Kings of Kearny

Jakob went to get them, and I went to steal Jennifer away from Gran for a minute. It turned out Jakob’s mother had trained as a nurse, and I assumed that was part of why he’d brought us here, knowing Gran would need some special care while we hid out.

The glass slider looked like it weighed a ton, but it whispered open from the slightest touch of my hand. Must be nice to have money.

“Jennifer, can I talk to you?” I called.

She looked at Gran.

Gran waved her away. “Go right ahead, Jen. I’ll be fine out here with this view for company.”

Jennifer smiled and squeezed Gran’s hand as she got up. She had the kind of steady focus and calm demeanor that lent well to the nursing profession, and after seeing her interact with Gran this afternoon, I felt a little less nervous about leaving Gran in the Larsons’ care for an hour or two while we drove back to Kearny.

Jennifer came inside and closed the door behind her. She was younger than Jakob’s father by about a decade, in her late forties or early fifties. Not a single strand of gray was visible in her wild red hair. Her face was still youthful, like Gran’s, either thanks to genetics or a healthy appreciation for sunscreen. Intelligence shone through her bright green eyes as she met my gaze.

“What’s up?” she asked, the lilt in her voice hinting at her Irish homeland.

“I don’t know how much Jakob told you, but Gran has Alzheimer’s.”

“Yes, he said.”

“Well, with a lot of Alzheimer’s patients, upheaval like this can throw them a bit. She’s had a good week so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if after the chaos of today she goes downhill. You might need to repeat yourself a lot. Or she might get confused or upset as to who you are or why she’s here.”

Jennifer looked past me to where Liam stood in the kitchen. “Okay,” she said slowly.

“I just wanted to warn you because right now I’m her only familiar face, and after I leave, she might immediately start slipping,” I said.

Jennifer frowned. “Didn’t Jakob tell you why I got my nursing degree?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t even know he was bringing us here, let alone that you were a nurse.”

Her frown deepened, and she looked to her husband. “You need to go talk to your son.”

Uh-oh, she’d goneyour sonon him. I’d just landed Jakob in some shit with his parents somehow.

Behind me, Liam sighed and wandered off into the house.

Jennifer turned back to me. “My mother had Alzheimer’s. She passed away two years ago.”

I blinked at her.

“I got my degree so I could bring her over here and be her full-time caregiver,” Jennifer said. “She lived with us here while Jakob was growing up.”

Heat crept into my cheeks. “He didn’t say anything. Yesterday when I gave him a rundown on Alzheimer’s symptoms, he just stood there like a stone.”

She put her hands on my shoulders. “I’m sorry. I love that boy more than life itself, but sometimes I just want to shake him until his teeth rattle in his head.”

She gave me a little shake in demonstration, and despite myself, I grinned.

“I feel like such an idiot,” I said.

She squeezed my shoulders. “Don’t. Jakob plays his cards close to his chest, even with us. Growing up with parents in an outlaw club can instill a certain healthy level of paranoia in a child. And after his time in the service...” She let go of me and shrugged.

“How long was he in for?”

“Eight years.”

“Did he go in right out of high school?”

She nodded.

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