Page 89 of Homecoming

“How can you not be stressed with everything you have to do in a day?”

“I love what I get to do every day. Sure, it’s busy, but that’s a good thing. Keeps us in business.” He gently dabbed ointment on the angry-looking paper cut and applied a new bandage. “I don’t want you stressed out by work. My grandfather used to say, ‘We’re not curing cancer here. We’re shipping lobster.’”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Work is supposed to be fun.”

“Says who?”

“Me, and I’m the boss.”

“Yes, you are.”

“If I say no stress at work, then no stress at work. You hear me?”

“I hear you. It’s this thing with my cousins, too.”

“I’m sure that’s the most stressful thing for everyone. Are you close to them?”

“I was close to Kirby when we were kids, but not so much now. It was hard with our dads on the outs and all that.”

“Why was that, anyway?”

“Fighting over the family business.”

“Ah, right. I think I heard something about that.”

She nudged him. “You already knew.”

“I didn’t want you to think I’d been gossiping about your family or anything.”

“Everyone’s gossiping about the Ballards these days.”

“I saw your cousin’s husband on the news earlier. Sounds like they’ve got the right guy defending them.”

“He’s only defending Kirby. Keith declined his services.”

“Why’d he do that?”

“Because he’s a fool. He’s always been like that, thinking he knows better than everyone else.”

“I don’t know him at all, but people say he’s rough around the edges.”

“He is that, but there’s no way he murdered that woman. He’s more likely to break someone’s heart than hurt them. What possible reason would he have had to kill her?”

“It’s hard telling what really happened, but I’m sure it’s tough to deal with all the speculation.”

“Yeah, it’s a tough time to have the Ballard last name around here.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “Don’t be sorry. It’s no big deal. Just a few stares here and there at the coffee shop and grocery store. I’ll survive.”

All at once, she tuned in to the fact that he was sitting rather close to her on the sofa, with his arm across the back cushions and his body turned toward her. She had his full attention and wasn’t at all sure how she felt about that.

Bad. You feel bad about it.

But it’s kind of nice to have someone who gives a shit about me, especially right now with everything going on in the family.

---