Page 12 of Marrying Chrissy

“You don’t want to count it?”

“I trust you.” She closed her purse again and set it on the floorboard. “Thank you.”

“Are you kidding? You saw my family. You went above and beyond tonight. Thank you for being so kind to Gran and for putting up with Violet.”

Chrissy laughed then. “Your sister is a character, isn’t she? And rightfully suspicious.”

“Maybe so, but she doesn’t need to know that.” He grinned.

Chrissy’s smile faded as she kept her gaze fixed on the windshield. She finally cleared her throat. “Look, I wanted you to know that this money is a huge help. It’ll go to pay for my own sister’s medication this month.”

Wyatt glanced at her. She didn’t say more, but he detected a catch in her voice. He’d grown up with money—more money than he ever knew what to do with. It sounded stupid and selfish, but sometimes he forgot that so many other people struggled. Wow, now he felt like a snob. The five hundred dollars tonight hadn’t even made Wyatt think twice, yet it seemed to mean a lot to Chrissy.

He wished he’d offered to pay her more. “I hope your sister’s okay.”

“She is now.” It didn’t sound like Chrissy was going to say more, but then she continued. “Emma had a heart transplant. It saved her life. But the medical bills have been astronomical, and the medication every month alone…” She cleared her throat. “Sorry, none of that is your problem.”

Things started falling into place. “So you, your sister, and your mom all live together?”

Chrissy nodded. “By splitting the cost three ways, we can afford to live there. It works out.”

“That sounds like a great plan.” As Wyatt pulled up in front of her house, he was again struck by how rundown the place was. He wondered if the landlords were just that cheap or if the three women owned the place and couldn’t afford to keep it up. A host of questions swirled in his head, but he stopped himself from asking them. He barely knew Chrissy. It wasn’t his place to start questioning her financial position or to insert himself into their lives by offering help. It should be enough to know that the money he gave her would purchase medication for her sister.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself as he went around the vehicle, opened the door for Chrissy, and watched as she got out. He saw the curtains in one window part as two people looked out at them.

Chrissy noticed it then, too, and chuckled. “Since they both know about tonight’s arrangement, would you like to meet them?”

A flash of panic traveled to his throat, and he swallowed. Would her family want to meet him? What if they were offended by the fact that he paid Chrissy to essentially go on a date with him? “Considering you were willing to talk to my mass of a family, it only seems fair.” Wyatt put a hand to her back as they walked up the few stairs to the front door. Spending a little extra time with Chrissy wasn’t a bad thing. He hadn’t looked forward to saying goodnight and going home quite yet, anyway.

The sounds of the locks turning filtered through the door. Chrissy quickly turned and whispered, “Only stay a few minutes, okay? Emma gets tired in the evening and needs her rest. But don’t tell her I said that, or she’ll have my head.”

Wyatt chuckled. “You’ve got it.”

The door opened, and a woman who looked like a taller and wiser version of Chrissy greeted them. “Oh! I didn’t expect… Please, come on in.” She smiled brightly and moved to the side.

Wyatt followed Chrissy through the door and into the small living room where Chrissy’s sister waited.

Chrissy wasted no time in introducing everyone. “This is my sister, Emma, and my mom, Sarah. Guys, this is Wyatt.”

He shook their hands, relieved to receive what seemed to be a warm welcome from Chrissy’s family. “It’s wonderful to meet you both. I hope I didn’t keep Chrissy out for very long.”

“Not at all,” Sarah said. “I hope your grandmother is having a wonderful birthday.”

“She is, thank you. She thrives on attention, even though she won’t admit it.” Wyatt laughed. “She loved every minute of having thirty-odd family members there celebrating her birthday.” She’d always made a big deal out of everyone else’s birthdays, too. Wyatt didn’t remember a single birthday of his own without Gran there. In fact, she’d bought him his first remote-controlled car—a toy that he still had even though it had quit working long ago.

Emma motioned toward the little kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Wyatt held up a hand. “I appreciate it, but no, thank you. I just wanted to say hello before I went home.” He discreetly observed the living room and the kitchen where he could just make out the yellow-topped cabinets. Everything inside the house could use an update as well. At the same time, everything was clean and tidy. Clearly, the ladies took great care of what they had, they just didn’t seem to have the means to update things as needed.

Sarah motioned to the couch and waited for Wyatt to sit before she joined him. Emma sat in the small recliner, and Chrissy balanced on the arm of the couch near her mother.

“So what do you do for a living, Wyatt?” Sarah asked.

“I manage one of my father’s businesses.” He shrugged. “It’s not overly exciting, but it’s a decent job.” He didn’t want to go into the fact that Dad owned the country club, among other things. Instead of dwelling on whether or not he should tell her, he deflected before more questions could be asked. “What about you, Sarah?”

“I work for Clearwater Community Bank on the other side of town. I have for nearly twenty years now.” She smiled. “As you said, it’s not overly exciting. But it is a stable job, and one can’t complain about that. Especially at my age.”

Chrissy reached over and smacked her mother on the arm good-naturedly. “Whatever, Mom.”

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