Page 18 of Shelter for Shay
“My advice is to let it go and respect your mother’s wishes.” Becca leaned forward, giving Shay a weak smile. “She’s dying. People from her past are coming out of the woodwork. I mean, look at Amanda and her mom. Never really our friends, and yet now that your mom is sick, they are acting as if they’ve been your best friends for years. That annoys the hell out of you.”
“It sure does because they’re both fake as hell.” Shay raised her glass, clanking it against Becca’s. Shay could always count on her bestie to point out the truth.
The waiter dropped off their meals—some kind of grilled fish for Becca, pasta primavera for Shay—and the conversation shifted for a while. Lighter things. Safer things. They chatted about Becca’s kids again. Or the chick at the bar they went to high school with and how wild it was she was divorced for the second time, yet on the prowl again.
That was until Jacob Donovan, the district attorney, strolled in with his private detective wife, Katie. They took a seat a few tables over. One of the owners of the restaurant strolled over and spoke with Jacob. Everyone in town knew the Donovans. They’d had their share of the spotlight over the years, though Shay had been too young to remember when Katie’s father came back to town and tried to kill her.
But recently, someone had done a true crime documentary onThe Doe Hunterand Shay found it fascinating. She and her mother had sat on the sofa, watching every episode with a bowl of popcorn, pausing occasionally to chat about the people they knew who were featured. It was like being there without actually being there.
Becca leaned in. “Have you been following that case—the tech guy who supposedly killed his assistant?”
Shay blinked. “The Blake Edmonds case? Yeah. It’s all over the news. People are saying it’s the biggest case this town has seen in a long time.”
“They’re calling it the trial of the year. Every news channel is plastered with updates. Did you see that leaked surveillance footage from the parking garage?” Becca asked.
Shay shook her head. “My mom and I have been mostly watching chick flicks. I don’t want her watching that stuff because for some reason it raises her blood pressure and stresses her out. I actually had to remove the YouTube TV app so now all she has is streaming in her room, but I catch the evening news when I go to bed. It’s insane what they’re saying happened.”
“I know, right?” Becca eyes lit up like fireworks. This was exactly the kind of thing they used to love to sit around and discuss when they were in high school and college. “They say he snapped. Beat him with some kind of metal award. But his lawyers are pushing a different angle—like maybe he had dirt on him. It’s all very tech-world-gone-dark. The media’s circling like vultures.”
“It’s all very much like a bad made-for-television movie,” Shay murmured.
“I’d watch that.” Becca took another bite of fish. “Anyway, I swear, if I ever got picked for jury duty, that’s the kind of case I’d want. Something juicy. Not, like, a parking ticket appeal. That would be so boring and a waste of good babysitting.”
Shay smirked. “You and your need for courtroom drama.”
“What can I say?Law & Orderraised me.”
They both laughed, and Shay found herself relaxing a little. It was rare she got out of the house. Her mother’s insurance only covered a certain amount. Shay took full advantage of what it did cover: medications, home health care provided twenty-five hours a week, and a nurse to change IVs and check machines twice a day. However, that was about it. The rest was on Shaysince her mom didn’t have long-term health care. Most people didn’t think about getting it, especially at her mother’s age. She wasn’t that old.
Granted, she’d lived with this condition for years. But they never expected her condition to take such a quick turn for the worse.
“You’re frowning again.” Becca reached across the table. “We can get dessert to go and bring it back to your place. I don’t need to be home anytime soon. Hubby told me to have a good time with my best friend and while a good time is hard right now, I can be here for you. We can rent a movie. Anything you want.”
“You’re the best.” Shay tried to plaster on a bigger smile. “I’m just worried about Mom. I don’t like leaving her with strangers.”
“Did you get a new home health aide again?”
“No.” Shay wiped her face with her napkin, tossed it on her plate, and snagged her wine, bringing it to her lips. A vision of Moose filled her brain. The man was flipping gorgeous. He had soulful eyes that held her captive every time she held his gaze. His lips were plump and full and she resented that she wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him. To have him hold her in his arms all night.
She shouldn’t be thinking like that while her mother was dying. Not only was it disrespectful, but it was… oh, who was she kidding… her mother was the one putting some of these thoughts in her head. When she’d sit with her mom while Moose was doing some chore around the house her mom had asked him to do that didn’t really need fixing, her mother would ask her if she found Moose attractive. Or she’d want to know what they chatted about when they weren’t all in the same room. She’d tell Shay how he was the kind of man who’d make for a good partner.
It drove Shay nuts, but only because she didn’t disagree.
“Then who’s with your mom?” Becca asked with a confused tone, her forehead scrunched.
“This guy by the name of Moose. Matthew, technically. He… knew my mom years ago. She was his school counselor.”
Becca blinked. “Wait, isn’t that the man who wrote the letter?”
Shay nodded. “Yeah. He came to see her. Just got in yesterday.”
“And neither your mother nor you have seen this man since he left here how many years ago?” Becca held up her hand. “Before you go reminding me about the fact I watch way too much crime television.” She jerked her thumb toward Jacob, the district attorney. “He prosecutes all the bad guys in this town and her father was a serial killer. Do I need to say more?”
“Well, you’ll love this, then.” Shay leaned forward. “I told Moose he could stay at the house.”
“Wonderful.” Becca sighed. “Either you and your mom will be murdered by morning or your mom found your husband.” Becca pushed her plate aside, resting her elbows on the table. “Is he at least hot?”
Shay bristled. “It’s not like any of that. He’s not some stranger. They were close. And honestly? He’s been… kind. Quiet. Helpful.”
