“Perhaps I will,” Olivia said. “In the meantime, if you think she would enjoy something to eat, I’ll take Dakota a casserole.”
“I wish you would,” Denise said. “I know you’ll enjoy meeting Hannah. She’s wonderful. An adorable little baby girl. She was small for her age when Dakota got her, but she’s growing fast. She’s starting to eat solid food.”
“I remember what a mess that was,” Olivia said with a smile. “All right. Thank you for the information. If you see Dakota, please let her know I’ll be by later today.”
“I will,” Denise promised. She waited until the older woman had walked away, then turned to Finn. “I wasn’t sure you were going to make it,” she said.
“I respect your need to torture me.”
“A mother’s prerogative. But it really wasn’t that bad. Most everyone in town is nice, if a bit inquisitive.” The dancing humor was back in her eyes.
He found himself smiling. “People don’t go through many things alone around here.”
She took one of the bags from him, and they started walking toward his rented room.
“We don’t believe in self-sufficiency,” she told him. “But you grew up in a small town, so you under stand.”
“We were always ready to help a neighbor, but we were expected to manage pretty much on our own.”
“When I gave birth to the girls, I had some complications.” Denise shook her head. “I was pretty sick. I don’t remember very much. My husband, Ralph, didn’t want to leave me alone in the hospital. But he had three little boys at home and a business to run. Not to mention triplet infants and it was Christmas. It was a stressful time. When I finally came home, I was weak. It took me a couple of months to recover. The women in town took care of us. Someone was in the house every single day for the first six months. I don’t think I changed a diaper until the girls were at least three months old.”
“Impressive.”
“I want you to know that we take care of our own. If you choose to stay here, then you would become one of us, and we would take care of you, too.”
“I don’t need a lot of taking care of.”
“I’m sure that’s true. I’m just letting you know how it would be. But from what my daughter tells me, you’re not thinking about staying.”
He glanced at her, wondering what was coming next. As he wasn’t sure what Denise thought of him, he couldn’t guess her preference. Did she want him to stick around? Or would she prefer he left sooner rather than later?
“I’m not looking to add more responsibility to my life,” he admitted. She might not like the truth, but he wasn’t going to lie to make her happy. “Dakota is great, though. I like her a lot.”
“But not enough to stay.” Denise wasn’t asking a question. “You don’t have to worry. If you wanted to stay, that would be great. But if you don’t, she’ll be fine.”
She was giving him permission to walk away. There wouldn’t be any guilt or games. In a way, it was the perfect situation. So why didn’t he feel better about it?
They had reached his motel room. Finn felt funny about inviting her in but wasn’t comfortable standing in front of the door. Denise solved the problem by handing him back his second bag.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” she told him.
“What makes you think I’m looking for anything?”
“Because you don’t seem very happy.” She tempered her observation with a gentle smile.
With that, she turned and left. Finn watched her go, then let himself into his small room and shut the door. He put away the groceries, filling the tiny refrigerator. Then he paced restlessly in the room.
He wanted to go after Denise and tell her that she was wrong. Of course he was happy. He’d spent the past eight years raising his brothers, and his job was finally done. He could go home, knowing they would be okay in the world. Why the hell wouldn’t he be happy?
He flung himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t happy. He hadn’t been for a long time. He wanted to blame his brothers but knew it was more than that. It was him.
A next step seemed logical, he thought. If only he knew what it was.
His cell phone rang, saving him from the pain of introspection.
“It’s Geoff,” a familiar voice said when he answered. “You’ll want to watch the show tonight. I think it will make you happy.”
“Not if Sasha plays with fire again,” he grumbled.
“It’s better than fire,” Geoff promised him. “Make sure you watch.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN