Page 29 of Drawing Home
Kyle, sitting next to her, said, “Are you sure this is the best place to talk?”
“I will not be driven to substandard accommodations because of that woman,” Bea replied, sipping her iced tea. “Besides, she won’t be here for much longer. I already have a call in to Jack, the owner. I’m sure he won’t be too happy to hear he’s employing a con artist who’s preying on his customers.”
Kyle sighed. “Bea, that’s what I wanted to discuss with you. I ran into Emma’s daughter and ended up talking to her for a few minutes. She seemed to know and genuinely care about Henry Wyatt.”
“I’m sure a lot of people in this town knew and cared about Henry. But few are as attractive as that Emma Mapson. I shudder to think of how she leveraged that. Can you imagine?” She glanced over at the beautiful young woman, her heart suddenly beating fast.
“Bea, I think this whole thing might be legit.”
“You’re taking their side? That’s disappointing, to say the least.” She waved for the bartender.
“No, I’m on your side. That’s why I’m warning you that this situation might not be what you think it is. When we lose something, when things go badly, we want to blame someone, but it’s not always that person’s fault.”
“What do you know about loss? The only things you seem to lose are the phone numbers of the women you date.”
Kyle shook his head.
“I haven’t had much time for dating, Bea. Let’s leave my personal life out of this.”
“Fine. Then spare me the condescending advice.”
“Bea, do you think I grew up thinking,God, I hope someday I can spend my life running around doing the bidding for a demanding old lady? That I thought,If only I could figure out how to achieve that dream job!” The bartender appeared. “Shot of whiskey, please.”
So now everything was her fault? “I was unaware you had a problem with this job, Kyle. At least, not until you left me in the lurch.”
“I never had a problem with this job. I’ve always been grateful for this job and grateful to you for showing up in my life at a time when I was pretty lost. Remember when you asked me if I was an aspiring actor and I told you no, I was happy to be a handyman?”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. After all these years, he was going to confess his dreams of being a star. Had it taken all this time for him to get up the nerve to ask her to pull some strings for him?
“I make art careers, Kyle. Not acting careers.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to be an actor.”
Bea sighed impatiently. “So what, then?”
“Ever hear of the condition osteochondritis dissecans?”
“No. But now you’re making me nervous. Are you trying to tell me you are ill? Truly, I cannot take any more drama!”
“I’m not ill. This is something I dealt with years ago. Osteochondritis dissecans is a condition where the bone just under the cartilage of a joint starts to die. In my case, it was the left knee. Ruined my soccer career.”
“You were a professional soccer player?”
“No, I never got that far. I was forced to stop playing halfway through college. Lost my scholarship. Dropped out and had no idea what to do. I didn’t have a degree, had no interest in anything. I went from a life of competition and world travel to, well, something far from that. I worked as a handyman. And then you offered me a job. I took it, and not just for the money. Like you said the other day at the house, my life became running your life. It was a welcome distraction for a time.”
“And suddenly it’s not anymore? Do you understand how incredibly selfish of you that is? I would like to know, just out of curiosity, why you would choose this moment to quit. I think you owe me that after all these years.”
The bartender arrived with the whiskey. Kyle fidgeted with the shot glass, turning it around a few times.
“Sneaking around with all of this house stuff made me realize I need to move on. I’ve been avoiding dealing with my own life long enough. If this is what you want to do, I can’t stop you. But I don’t want to be a part of it.”
“Then why are you sitting here right now?”
He shook his head. “Talking to that girl earlier…I know this is not going to end well for you, Bea. And I don’t want to ditch you when you need someone. You were there when I needed someone even though you didn’t realize it.” He downed his drink.
“I don’t want your pity, Kyle.” Unbelievable. This conversation was going to driveherto afternoon whiskey.
“It’s not pity. I know how much doing things the right way means to you. I didn’t handle leaving this job in the right way, so I came back to apologize and offer two weeks’ notice. I’ll help you wrap things up around here.”
