Page 57 of Heart Me Up
I gave her another hug. “It was perfect. And, in case it wasn’t obvious, there’s no need to apologize for anything that happened in the past. I’m going to make sure everyone at the pet resort knows you’re a hero.”
Corrie shook her head. “No, please don’t. I was so mean to them with that prank. I’m working on being a better person now.”
Silvia put her arm around her granddaughter’s shoulders and beamed proudly. “You listen to Craig. You were so brave.”
Amy wandered over and offered to drive Silvia and Corrie home. No doubt she wanted to go home herself. Foster leaned in to hug them goodbye.
The various police personnel were thinning out, so it didn’t take long to locate Drew. He was standing off by himself near the corner of my front yard. I patted Foster’s arm so he’d know I was okay. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to Drew.
“Thank you,” I said.
He gave me a small smile. “I was glad to help.”
I examined him. It’d been over two years, but he appeared to have aged more than I had. His face bore new creases and his hair was starting to gray.
I didn’t want to talk to him, particularly with how tired and emotionally drained I was feeling, but after his help today I owed him at least a question. “Why did you stop by, anyway? I didn’t really see that paper.” Though I’d read that one word.Lucy.
He barked out a laugh. “Our divorce papers, you mean?” He paused. “I know I apologized when Lucy died. When I… kicked her.” He pressed his lips together and stared to the side for a moment. I was grateful to him for today, but I wasn’t ever going to excuse what he did to Lucy, so I stayed quiet and waited him out. “It made me take a look at my life. I moved to Dallas, you know.” I nodded. “I went to therapy. It… helped me see what kind of man I’d become. I wanted to change, to be better.” He blinked rapidly, then lifted his head. “I came by to drop off a copy of a press release. I launched a non-profit foundation. I called it Lucy’s Fund.”
I inhaled sharply. “What?” I couldnotdeal with this right now. My heart started pounding and my body went cold. I wanted Foster, but he was talking to Artie and wasn’t facing my direction.
Drew nodded. “I’ve been raising money for hospice and end-of-life care for elderly animals. We’ve raised over thirty thousand dollars so far.”
My jaw dropped open. “I… wow. That’s impressive.” I’d work out whether I thought it was a good thing or not later. I needed to leave. I crossed my arms over my chest and edged away.
“Would you mind if I emailed you a link to our website? I won’t ever contact you again, I promise.” He appeared genuine, and I reminded myself he’d called the police today. I felt calmer. I could finish this conversation without being rude. Lisa was going to be proud of me.
I nodded at him. “That’s fine. I’ll, um, look at it.”
Or, more likely, I’d make Greg look at it.
Foster came up beside me and slung his arm over my shoulders. I didn’t introduce him to Drew. I said, “Thank you again for your help today. Congratulations on your, um, program.” I put my arm around Foster’s waist and let him guide me away.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Are you okay?”
I fought the urge to let out an unhinged laugh. “Not really, but your being here helps.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Come on. I’m allowed to escort you and Malcolm into the house to get some clothes.”
Someone had found Malcolm some new crutches, and he was testing them out by the ambulance, his typical grumpy scowl on his face. When he saw us, Malcolm’s expression cleared and he asked, “Hey, will you drop me off at a hotel or something?”
“No. We’re going to go inside and get you some clothes, then you, Craig and Mariposa are staying at my house. Craig and I will help you get up the stairs. Nobody needs to be alone after today.” That was the truth. I shivered, grateful to feel Foster’s warm body next to me. I couldn’t imagine being somewhere by myself tonight.
Malcolm huffed but said, “Fine.” I thought he seemed relieved, but I didn’t comment.
“Malcolm, do you need me to take you to the hospital tomorrow to get your leg x-rayed?” I offered.
The scowl came back. His black eyes and swollen nose made his expression extra forbidding. “No, it’s fine.”
I pulled away from Foster so I could get in Malcolm’s face. I poked him in the chest, avoiding the bloody patches on his shirt. “That asshole kicked you in the cast. You should get x-rays.” The guy’s shoe had left a dirty smudge on the front of the cast. I hoped Malcolm hadn’t noticed it.
He shifted on his crutches and swung toward the house. “Stop trying to mother me. Let’s get our stuff and get out of here.”
When I opened my mouth to say more, Foster lifted a hand. “Leave him alone. If he’s in pain tomorrow, we can try again.”
A little while later, Malcolm and I had overnight bags packed. Foster didn’t have his car, but he got permission to use my SUV to drive us to his house. One of us would bring Silvia back to get her car in the morning. Or maybe the afternoon. I wasnotgetting up early.
