compassion. “You guys talking about kids yet?” Before Josie could answer, Laura interrupted, “No. Wait. Let me guess. Alex is talking about kids and you are still hyperventilating because he uses your towels to shower.”
“Something like that.” Josie stared glumly at the bottom of her empty coffee cup. A change of subject was desperately in order. “Let’s talk about Frank.”
“Let’s not.” Mike walked up behind Laura and placed a long, strong, protective arm around her shoulders, careful not to jostle her and spill the coffee she carried.
“Let’s not what?”
“Talk about Frank.”
Mike’s jaw tightened and his face turned worried. For no clear reason, Josie’s heart squeezed and she wished Alex were here. He’d called earlier—a birth had turned into a messy surgical case—and there was no hope of seeing him for at least eight hours. Which normally was fine and no big deal, but this Frank business was turning into a big deal.
“Why would he come and see you, Josie, and not Laura?” Mike asked. She knew he already had his own ideas, but was trying to tease it out. They could analyze Frank’s actions all they wanted, but answers were fleeting.
She shrugged. “No idea. But when I go over that conversation, he was clearly fishing for information on Laura.”
Laura’s grip on one of the coffee mugs tightened, and her hand was shaking as she lifted it to drink. Mike unwrapped his arm from her shoulders and wordlessly took Dylan’s mug out of her hands. She gave him a grateful look.
Laura sighed. “He wants money, just like he did after my mom died. Mom told me he did the same thing after my grandparents died. He just does this.”
Mike seemed to struggle with whether to say anything. Josie felt for him. A million questions swirled through her disjointed brain, but she couldn’t find a tactful way to ask any of them.
Fortunately, Mike did. “And did anyone give him money?”
Nodding as she sipped more of her now-lukewarm coffee, Laura answered, “Sure. Mom and Frank split everything after Grandma and Grandpa died. Fifty-fifty, even though my grandparents left more to Mom. Mom said it was easier and more ethical that way.” A pained expression clouded her face. “But a bunch of family heirlooms went missing. Mom always wondered…”
“You think he stole them?” Josie asked.
Laura gave her a tiny shrug, tentative but clear.
“And after your mom died, he put the thumbscrews on you,” Mike said in an angry voice.
Josie just looked at Laura with as much compassion as she could. “Really? You never talked much about it.”
Laura’s face reddened. “I wasn’t sure how to talk about it. Mom died and between insurance and whatever assets she had, there was a small amount. A little more than five figures. But Frank came along and pushed for me to sue for pain and suffering and a bunch of issues related to her asthma attack and the car accident.”
“But you didn’t. I would have heard about it,” Josie said, frowning.
This time, Laura’s red face came from anger. “Frank…well, bullied is the wrong word, though it’s the first one that comes to mind. He shamed me. I can see that now, but I couldn’t understand it then. He told me this was private, a family affair, and I shouldn’t talk about it with anyone. That there could be legal ramifications.” She gave Josie a pleading look. “So I didn’t. Not even with you.”
A big lump formed in Josie’s throat. “Laura, I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I should have shared.”
A ragged breath escaped Josie. “No! No! I understand why you didn’t talk about it, and I’m not hurt or offended or whatever. I mean, I’m sorry Frank did that to you. Your mother’s death was hard enough on you, but to have him do that to you on top of it all is so disgusting!”
Mike and Josie shared a look of well-defined righteous anger on Laura’s behalf.
At that exact moment, Dylan called out to the group, “Help? Can I
“Something like that.” Josie stared glumly at the bottom of her empty coffee cup. A change of subject was desperately in order. “Let’s talk about Frank.”
“Let’s not.” Mike walked up behind Laura and placed a long, strong, protective arm around her shoulders, careful not to jostle her and spill the coffee she carried.
“Let’s not what?”
“Talk about Frank.”
Mike’s jaw tightened and his face turned worried. For no clear reason, Josie’s heart squeezed and she wished Alex were here. He’d called earlier—a birth had turned into a messy surgical case—and there was no hope of seeing him for at least eight hours. Which normally was fine and no big deal, but this Frank business was turning into a big deal.
“Why would he come and see you, Josie, and not Laura?” Mike asked. She knew he already had his own ideas, but was trying to tease it out. They could analyze Frank’s actions all they wanted, but answers were fleeting.
She shrugged. “No idea. But when I go over that conversation, he was clearly fishing for information on Laura.”
Laura’s grip on one of the coffee mugs tightened, and her hand was shaking as she lifted it to drink. Mike unwrapped his arm from her shoulders and wordlessly took Dylan’s mug out of her hands. She gave him a grateful look.
Laura sighed. “He wants money, just like he did after my mom died. Mom told me he did the same thing after my grandparents died. He just does this.”
Mike seemed to struggle with whether to say anything. Josie felt for him. A million questions swirled through her disjointed brain, but she couldn’t find a tactful way to ask any of them.
Fortunately, Mike did. “And did anyone give him money?”
Nodding as she sipped more of her now-lukewarm coffee, Laura answered, “Sure. Mom and Frank split everything after Grandma and Grandpa died. Fifty-fifty, even though my grandparents left more to Mom. Mom said it was easier and more ethical that way.” A pained expression clouded her face. “But a bunch of family heirlooms went missing. Mom always wondered…”
“You think he stole them?” Josie asked.
Laura gave her a tiny shrug, tentative but clear.
“And after your mom died, he put the thumbscrews on you,” Mike said in an angry voice.
Josie just looked at Laura with as much compassion as she could. “Really? You never talked much about it.”
Laura’s face reddened. “I wasn’t sure how to talk about it. Mom died and between insurance and whatever assets she had, there was a small amount. A little more than five figures. But Frank came along and pushed for me to sue for pain and suffering and a bunch of issues related to her asthma attack and the car accident.”
“But you didn’t. I would have heard about it,” Josie said, frowning.
This time, Laura’s red face came from anger. “Frank…well, bullied is the wrong word, though it’s the first one that comes to mind. He shamed me. I can see that now, but I couldn’t understand it then. He told me this was private, a family affair, and I shouldn’t talk about it with anyone. That there could be legal ramifications.” She gave Josie a pleading look. “So I didn’t. Not even with you.”
A big lump formed in Josie’s throat. “Laura, I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I should have shared.”
A ragged breath escaped Josie. “No! No! I understand why you didn’t talk about it, and I’m not hurt or offended or whatever. I mean, I’m sorry Frank did that to you. Your mother’s death was hard enough on you, but to have him do that to you on top of it all is so disgusting!”
Mike and Josie shared a look of well-defined righteous anger on Laura’s behalf.
At that exact moment, Dylan called out to the group, “Help? Can I
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