Page 58 of Second Start: Family
*
“Your brother,” he repeated slowly.
“My older brother. I told you that, too. He basically raised me after our mom died. Our father had died before that and our Gran, so it was just the two of us.
“The two of us and Cully. Those two were always close, he was like a second brother to me. Or maybe I should say a first brother, because Bodie got to be like father, mother, and commander, all rolled together, far more than brother.
“But we had a … a falling out. I’d graduated college, had a teaching job, supporting myself, and he still treated me like— It doesn’t matter now. I knew that to ever have a chance at being an adult, I had to be on my own. Truly on my own. As long as Bodie was in my life, that wouldn’t happen. I asked him. I told him. I begged him. He wouldn’t back off. I cut ties. Completely.”
She pushed her hair back from her forehead.
Not only did the gesture reveal more of her expression, it showed pain, even in the abbreviated glances he could take while keeping the truck on the road.
“I knew someday, I would reach out to him. If he wanted to reconnect … I hoped he would. I prayed he would. But it would have to be with me as I am now. Flaws and … all.Myflaws.Mydecisions.Mymistakes. Not his for me.
“When this job came up and I saw where it was … I knew Bodie was here — in Bardville and married to Cambria. I didn’t know Cully had moved here, too. I didn’t know he was married to Jenna. When she talked about her husband, the sheriff … I had no idea.”
“You’re going to talk to your brother?”
“Not yet. I’m not ready. I want to settle in more, to know … I’m not ready yet.”
*
Flaws. Decisions. Mistakes.
Then the reference to the teaching job here.
She’d left something out. No idea what, but Hall was sure.
He felt the grip in his gut at the knowledge there was a lot she hadn’t told him.
*
With his father upstairs with Bobby, Dan ducked outside when he saw the caller ID.
“Don’t let the other day discourage you,” his aunt said. “We might have a way to get around Hall Quick. If this pans out … we won’t have to ask your father’s permission at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I talked to a lawyer today. There’s a way I could make the decision about the scholarship instead of Hall — by petitioning the court to be your limited guardian. Any court will see you need to take the scholarship and then Hall will have to let you go.”
She sounded triumphant.
Dan didn’t sleep that night … staring at the ceiling.
*
In her dream, Vicky was in the rehab section of the hospital in San Diego again.
Not her first visit there, when she’d scrambled to get to Ned after the accident.
In some ways that had been easy. She knew what to pray for then. Survival.
The later visits were harder.
The surgeons said he was through the worst.
The nurses said it would be a process.
