Page 45 of Once Removed (Blackhawk Security)

Instead, he bit back his grin and slid two slices of veggie pizza into the toaster oven. “How long is Phoebe going to be at the library?” he asked. How much time did they have before she had to pick up Phoebe?

* * *

Lainey stared at the toaster oven rather than looking at Brody, her cheeks burning after her admission that she’d stopped at The Sweet Spot. And yes, she had hoped to hear some gossip. But she’d been disappointed. Everyone had stopped talking when she walked in the door.

She’d ordered her muffin and coffee and gotten out as quickly as she could.

“Phoebe’ll call me when she’s finished,” Lainey said. “But she said she has a lot to do, and it could be late afternoon before she’s done.” Lainey sighed and slumped against the kitchen counter. “Which made me realize I need to get her a cell phone. I want her to be able to call us if she needs us. And…” She drew in a deep breath. “Since she doesn’t seem to want anything to do with her father, I want her to be able to call for help if he shows up unexpectedly.”

Brody pulled the slices out of the toaster oven and slid them onto a plate. Handed it to Lainey. “I agree. We can add her to my plan.”

“We’ll put her on mine,” she said, straightening her spine, steel in her voice. She did not want to fight with him about money. “I’ll get her a cell phone. You’re providing her with a home and meals. The least I can do is get her a phone.”

“You bought her clothes,” Brody said, closing the oven door on his own slices of pepperoni pizza. “And you’re getting her more clothes tomorrow.”

Lainey’s plate clattered onto the counter, and she whirled to face him. “You’re really going to argue about what we’re each contributing to Phoebe financially?” She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to push about the cell phone.

“Hell, no,” he said, pulling his own slices out of the oven. “But you’ve had some unexpected expenses,” he said, carrying his plate into the dining room, Lainey trailing behind him. “Having Phoebe here doesn’t cost me a dime.” He waited for her sit, then slid into the chair beside her. “Vi always makes more food than we need, and the bedroom is standing empty.” He picked up a slice and pointed it at her. “You have to repair the damage to your house.” He took a bite of pizza, but it looked as though he was stalling for time. Marshalling his arguments.

Swallowing the food, he took a deep breath. “You had funeral expenses,” he finally said, avoiding her gaze. “And, as I said, you’ve already bought her some clothes. It makes me feel good to help Phoebe.”

Steaming, Lainey dropped her pizza onto her plate. “I’m glad you want to help her, Brody, but you’re being too aggressive about this and it’s making me uncomfortable. I don’t want to argue with you about who’s spent more money on Phoebe.” Anger rose up in a hot wave as the memories crowded in. “I spent my marriage arguing about money with Ron. I’m not going there with you.”

Brody closed his eyes. Took a deep breath, then reached for Lainey’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I just want to help you. Ease some of your burden.”

“It’s not easing my burden.” She slid her hand away from Brody’s. “It’s making me uncomfortable. Threatened. So back off, Brody. Please.”

Brody faced her, his expression troubled. “God, Lainey! The last thing I want is to make you feel uncomfortable. Or threatened. I had no idea money had been an issue in your marriage, or I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It wasn’t my issue,” she said, staring at the slice of pizza left on her plate, her appetite gone. “I made more money with my business than Ron made as a deputy. I didn’t have a problem with that, but Ron did.”

“What kind of an idiot gets upset because his wife makes more money?” Brody asked, astounded.

“An insecure one,” she said, her eyes fixed on her plate. “From the beginning, I insisted we each have our own savings and checking accounts, and that we’d both contribute to a joint account for our shared expenses. That seemed fair and equitable.” She sighed. “Some part of me must have realized we’d have problems with money.” Seeing that she’d clenched her fists, she slid them to her lap.

“When Ron couldn’t afford something he wanted to buy, he’d ask me to ‘help him out.’ Promised he’d pay me back next payday.” She hunched her shoulders, remembering the bitter fights. The excuses.

The enormous amount of money she’d lost. “I’m an accountant, and I’m careful with my money. I think before I spend it. But in the beginning, if Ron wanted money, I gave it to him.” She shrugged. “He was my husband. I trusted when he told me he’d pay me back. But he never did. And I realized pretty quickly that he was an impulsive shopper. If something caught his eye, he didn’t think about whether he needed it or whether it was necessary. He wanted it, and that was a good enough reason. So I stopped giving him money when he asked for it.”

Forgetting about his food, Brody turned to face Lainey. Took her hands. “I’m sorry, Lainey. That had to be really difficult. Painful.”

His mouth tightened, and Lainey knew exactly what he was thinking. It was written all over his face. He’d realized that Ron had starting knocking her around when she stopped giving him the money he asked for.

Brody’s lips thinned. “If Ron was still alive, I’d kick his ass into the middle of next month.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” she said, her voice low. It still made her angry to think about how Ron had used her. Squeezing Brody’s hand, she let him go and shoved her plate away. The remaining slice of pizza slid onto the table, leaving a trail of crumbs behind.

Avoiding his gaze, she carefully replaced the pizza on the plate. “I didn’t want to fight about money,” she said in a low voice. “I tried to explain to Ron that he needed to save money, too. Be more careful about how he spent it.” She flattened her palms on the table. “That was a mistake.”

“Of course it was,” he said softly. “No one wants their spouse to lecture them about money, but it sounds like you had no choice. And clearly, Ron couldn’t see that.”

He reached for Lainey’s hands. “I’m sorry, Lainey,” he said, sliding his palm against one of hers. “I know how you feel, because money was an issue with my wife, too. Sherry wanted an endless stream of money for what I thought were frivolous things. This was just after I’d inherited the ranch and was trying to make sure it was successful in the long term. I couldn’t afford to let her keep spending my capital. She wasn’t happy when I cut her off.”

She stared at him for a long moment, seeing the truth in his eyes. He understood her issues. Realized how money could destroy a marriage. She slumped into her chair and sighed. “How did we get caught up in this depressing subject?” she asked, staring at her last piece of pizza, her appetite gone. “I had no intention of talking about my money problems with Ron, and I’m sure you didn’t plan on talking about your wife’s spending habits.”

“No. This conversation took a turn I wasn’t ready for,” he said. “Especially because I was really looking forward to you coming home.” He sighed and rolled his shoulders, tightening his grip on her hand. “But it was a necessary conversation,” he said.

“Really?” Surprised, Lainey raised an eyebrow. “You think we need to talk about our problems with our spouses?”

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