Her shrug was noncommittal, as shrugs are apt to be. “Maybe.”
His head already ached from a sleepless night and far too many thoughts of . . . Lane. His brain had taken to calling her that. Lane. Because Delaney was just too foreign, and Elaine . . . well, Elaine wasn’t her name.
The pressure in his head expanded until at last he said to his mother, “And we have to talk about this stealing business.”
Donna’s eyes welled up with tears. “I know. I was doing so well but the wedding just threw me, and then you coming home, and all the relatives and chaos. And then Tina and I were coming here, and I saw that brown leather bag full of money and just, well, like I told you, it went so nicely with my coat.”
He wanted to be angry. He was on the verge of that, but it wouldn’t help matters any to scold her. As calmly as he could manage, he said, “You do get that it’s not OK to take stuff, right? You do understand that there is never a valid reason for stealing?”
Her chin tilted defiantly. “Haven’t you ever seen Les Mis? They stole bread because they were starving. Would you have them starve?”
He looked at Tina for help.
“Donna,” she said in a far more patient tone than the one he used. “Stealing food because you are starving is quite a bit different than taking someone’s money just because you come across it. You know that.”
His mother pulled a wadded tissue from the sleeve of her green sweatshirt and dabbed at her nose. She really was quite a sad little thing at the moment, and Grant felt the first tremors of pity ripple over him. He’d been gone for so long, dismissing her problem as just a fondness for gambling and a splash of kleptomania, but deep down, he’d known it was more than that. It’s partly why he’d stayed away, and because of that, he’d been no help to her at all. No help to the family either. He’d been too busy off having his adventures, living his life. Leaving things to Tyler to handle. Maybe if Grant had kept in better contact, visited more often, she’d be in better shape now. Yes, her problem was her problem, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t step up now and help in whatever ways he could.
“I’m sorry about this, Mom,” he heard himself say.
“You’re sorry?” she asked.
“I’m sorry if my disconnecting from the family made things harder for you. I should have checked in more after Dad died. I blamed a lot of things on Hank, but I don’t really have an excuse for not coming back once he was gone.”
Her lips trembled. “I know it was hard for you, that whole situation. I made a mistake marrying Hank. I did the wrong thing, but I thought it was the right thing. I thought he’d take care of us but he didn’t.”
Tina reached over and patted his mother’s arm. “You were doing your best, Donna.”
Donna nodded but looked at Grant. “I know it must seem like I got remarried because I’d forgotten about your father, but the truth is, I just didn’t know how to be without him. I loved him so much and missed him so much, I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I was so brokenhearted. I still am. Carl’s a good man, but he doesn’t compare to your dad.”
She blinked back a tear and a wave of compassion flooded his senses. He’d been angry at her for so long for betraying his father’s memory, but the heartbreak part of it he finally understood. If she’d felt about his father the way Grant felt about Lane, then it all made more sense—because the idea of facing the future without her was a devastating notion.
He nodded his head. “Mom, I know I’ve missed a lot of opportunities to be a part of this family, but when we get back home, I’ll try to make up for that. I mean, I’ll still have to travel. I have to work, but I promise I’ll get home more often. And Tyler said you were working with a counselor about some of this stuff, right? Maybe we should dial that up a notch, huh? How about I give her a call and fill her in on what’s been going on?”
His mother nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Good. In the meantime, how about if I book us some plane tickets to get us back home tomorrow or the next day? I’m not sure I can handle that drive again and neither one of us actually has a car.”
Donna looked at Tina. “I was hoping our visit could be a little longer, but all things considered, maybe it’s time I went home.”
Tina nodded and her relief was evident. “All things considered, I think you should.”
The Jungle Room Lounge was quiet that afternoon when Grant walked in, but Finch and Humphrey were sitting at the bar. He wasn’t sure what to say, wasn’t sure if he was still angry or sad or just heartbroken over this whole mess. He wasn’t even sure why he was there since he knew Lane was gone.
He sat down on the stool next to Finch.
“What’s up, Cameraman?” Finch was disappointed in him. It was obvious in his tone.