Page 140 of Fraud
“I wish I could have been there with you,” he said, grabbing another piece of bacon.
I watched with amusement as he shoved the entire thing in his mouth and washed it down with a mimosa.
“You will be,” I said. “On the next one.”
His interest piqued. “The next one, huh?”
I nodded. “Well, I am a big hotshot author. I imagine I’ll have to fly all over the place.”
His eyes widened. “Does this mean…”
My smile turned into a wide grin. “I quit my job.”
“Holy shit, Kate!” he exclaimed. “When were you going to tell me this?”
I laughed at his enthusiasm. “I’m telling you now! Besides, it’s not like we haven’t been busy since you arrived.”
“True,” he agreed. “So, what did they say? Did you tell them why?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t want to tell them everything right away. I mean, that is a lot to explain over the phone. But I did say that I’d been pursuing another career for a long time, and it felt like the time to finally dive in headfirst.”
“I’m sure they’re going to miss you.”
A wave of sadness swept over me. “I’m going to miss them. That was my home for so long. But it’s time I move on and step back out into the world again. Fortunately, my boss agreed. She was happy to see me go. Well, as happy as she could be, I guess. I’m sure I’ve left them in a bind.”
“They’ll figure it out, just like you will.”
I nodded. “I hope you’re right.”
“I went to see my father today.”
My hand found his. “You did?”
“Yeah. He’s in bad shape, Kate. Pneumonia. I’m not sure if he’s going to make it through this.”
“I’m so sorry,” I replied. “But I’m so happy you finally went.”
He nodded. “You hopped on a plane, and I made a long overdue visit to see my father. We’re kicking ass today.”
I gave a halfhearted laugh. “What was it like?”
He took a moment, obviously gathering his thoughts. “Harder than I’d thought. His dementia has claimed everything. It’s not just his mind that’s gone, but he’s also almost unrecognizable. Hearing him talk to me as if I were still a child? I didn’t know whether to be grateful that he couldn’t remember the loss of Mom or sad because he’d never see our children.”
My heart fluttered at the very sound of him speaking of our future.
“He’ll be there,” I said. “Somehow, someway…he’ll be there.”
“I hope you’re right because, right now, my family isn’t doing so well.”
“Have you found him?” I asked, knowing he was speaking about Liam.
“Yes, and no,” he answered. “He was at my apartment when I arrived, in bad shape. He said he was trying to flee the country but ended up staying after hearing about Dad.”
“Fleeing the country? Holy shit, what did he do?”
He shook his head. “He won’t say. But, whatever it is, it can’t be good. He rode over to the nursing home with me, but by the time I was done seeing Dad, he was gone.”
“And let me guess. Jane was waiting for you?”
