Page 40 of Ultimate Freedom

Whit took another huge bite from his big Mac and snickered. “Right about now, I’d eat dog food, dude.” He took a swallow of his coke and again began to ask questions. “How’re the old guys doing at the house?”

Glen sobered and lowered his own milkshake. “Got a bit of a problem coming up there. Don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

“What makes you say that?” Whit knew that the oldies were important to Demi. Though it had been years since he’d seen Harold, he remembered him.

Keeping his voice low, Glen explained. “Lefty, the fellow who brought Harold here is getting pretty antsy. He owns a restaurant back in Vancouver and is getting reports that the workers are slacking off. Not surprising with him being away. You know what it’s like nowadays to get decent help. Guess he’s gone through his share of employees these last few years.”

Taking Glen’s hint, Whit spoke in a quiet tone too. “You seem to know a lot about it. Have you been talking to him?”

“Yeah. He comes into the café every so often. Rudy and I spend a lot of time there. I figure he’s casing the joint… studying all Libby’s recipes.”

“Like the gourmet grilled cheese special?” Whit chuckled. Everyone in town knew about that crazy sandwich.

“Yeah. He came over to the table last time we were there, and Rudy asked him about his plans. I saw the worry the old man couldn’t hide. When I questioned him about it, he admitted that he needed to get home, but Harold had settled in like a delicate bloom in rare soil. Lefty’s words. He didn’t know how hecould pull him away from Hyder and Demi. Now with Charlie in the picture too, Harold’s more than happy. He’s loving life.”

“I take that to mean he’s feeling better physically too. I understood the old guy was pretty sick… on his way out.”

“Guess he still is but not at death’s door like we were led to believe when they first arrived.”

Whit grinned. “That’s good news, right? Demi will be thrilled.”

“Not if she realizes that Harold wants to stay, and Lefty has to leave. You know her, she’ll keep Harold here even if it means he has to live at the cabin.” Glen checked the back seat to see both the boys with earphones on, listening to the same movie. Still keeping his voice down, he declared, “With Charlie already using my bedroom, I don’t know where Harold would sleep.”

Whit’s mind reeled. He’d accepted that he and Demi would be parenting Charlie, making room for him in their lives. But a sick old man? That was a whole different thing. He began thinking out loud. “I guess Charlie could sleep on the couch, but that’s not really a good answer. I mean… the kid’s finally just gotten settled, and it would be cruel to make changes in his world again.”

“Yeah.”

“Not that he wouldn’t understand and do whatever Demi wanted.”

“True. But I know what it meant to me to have that funny little room. It meant a home. And Charlie’s never had that.”

“Christ, Glen. Why does the world have to be so complicated?”

“Beats me, man. If we could find some way to keep Harold at your house, and in town, that might be the best choice.”

“He’d be welcome to stay there, but I understood he couldn’t live alone anymore.”

“That’s my understanding too. Don’t know how long we can keep Lefty here.”

“Okay, leave it with me. If I have to hire a nurse to come and stay at the house, I will. No one has to know, right? It could be our secret.”

“Yeah. Like an undercover nurse. Wouldn’t it be a bit uncomfortable for Harold rooming with a chick?”

“Who said anything about a female. There are plenty of male nurses nowadays, my friend.”

“Oh, right. Jesus, Whit. You think of everything.”

Whit grinned at Glen as if he agreed, but it was all a fake… a put on. He’d never been so insecure in all his life. He’d made up his mind that he and Demi had to have the big talk about their future, and the very thought made him feel like upchucking first.

With a fucking fist clenching his stomach, he hoped to swallow the fear when he staked his claim. She had to love him. She just had to. He could tell. He knew when a woman wanted him, and he’d gamble every piece of gold in his safe on Demi being that woman.

Right?

Sweet Jesus… right?

Chapter Twenty-four

Demi waited for Whit, Glen, and the boys at the cafe where they were told to meet. Clive and his family were in a booth by the window while Dawson was waiting at her table and helped pass the time. She asked the sheriff for an explanation. “Tell me again how Whit knew about the car.”

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