happens for the rest of her life. Or for her to hate me for whatever I encourage her to do.”
Sarah furrowed her brow at him. “You’re good with her. How do you handle it all with such natural ease?”
“I must, she needs me.”
“Because of her mother?”
He let out a long breath through his teeth. God, she would not get off Vanessa. “Yes, Sarah, because of her mother.”
She shrugged. “Well, my brother is fifteen and I can hardly get him to do more than burp at me. I admire how you are with Angie.”
“You have a brother? I didn’t know that.”
She snickered. “That wasn’t included on the Sarah Langston report?”
“Funny. So how come your brother is so much younger than you?”
“My parents had some issues in between us.”
“Ten years’ worth?”
“Yes,” she whispered, looking down at her plate. What was the story there? Finally, she tilted her head up. “How will you approach Angie’s pregnancy with her?”
“I guess what feels right.”
“How do you know what that is without having thought it out first?”
“You think out everything?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the thing about teens, even if you think it out, their moods and opinions change with the tides. There’s no real planning allowed.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I shouldn’t judge so harshly, should I? I really don’t know any better. It’s just when Angie looks up through that hair as if begging me for answers, or a hug, she melts my resolves to be kinder about her mother. I guess what I’m saying is I’m sorry for how I’ve come off toward you both.”
Scott sat back leaning against the booth as he watched Sarah talk. Confused with who she was versus who he had her pegged to be.
“Vanessa. You can say it, you won’t get cursed or something.”
She smiled. “Okay, Vanessa. I guess I would have a hard time if she were my teenage daughter. So what happens with Vanessa? Like tonight will she talk to Angie? Do you stop by their place?”
He shook his head. “They live with me.”
She paused in process of sipping her wine. Her mouth hung open. “You live with Vanessa?”
“Yes.”
“Oh,” Sarah said with a sniff. No doubt what she thought about that. “No wonder Angie called you her mother’s boyfriend.”
“I’m not.”
Sarah paused and nodded. “Somehow I sense you’re not anymore.”
He shrugged noncommittal. “When Vanessa got pregnant, my older brother skipped town before Angie was even born. Vanessa moved in with my family for financial reasons, and my old man felt responsible for her after that.”
“So, you were what…ten when you first met her?”
“Yeah. My dad died when I was twenty. From then on it was Vanessa, me and Angie, where we’ve stayed to this day. My dad left me the house, and everything he had. So it was easy enough to help them out.”
Sarah was silent. With a deep frown she said, “She really is your family.”
“Yes, Vanessa really is my family.” He didn’t expound on the few months after his dad died, and he’d been a little crazy with grief. They had an affair that lasted a year or so before completely fizzling out. Vanessa was the only adult in his life to never leave him. And he her. There was no way Sarah would ever fully understand what there was between Vanessa and him.
“I’m sorry about your dad and brother. What about your mother? Any other siblings?”
“Nah, just us. My mom left us when I was a kid.”
By the way Sarah was studying him she read more into his statement than he defined. Did Sarah think he had mommy issues he transferred onto Vanessa?
“What did your dad die of?”
“Cigarettes. Lung cancer.”
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded in acknowledgment a little surprised at the depth of sympathy shining out of her pretty blue eyes. He’d gotten it before, of course, from women. His loner status was quite a turn on in women wanting to fulfill what they saw as a need for intimacy, for connection, for saving. But Sarah looking
Sarah furrowed her brow at him. “You’re good with her. How do you handle it all with such natural ease?”
“I must, she needs me.”
“Because of her mother?”
He let out a long breath through his teeth. God, she would not get off Vanessa. “Yes, Sarah, because of her mother.”
She shrugged. “Well, my brother is fifteen and I can hardly get him to do more than burp at me. I admire how you are with Angie.”
“You have a brother? I didn’t know that.”
She snickered. “That wasn’t included on the Sarah Langston report?”
“Funny. So how come your brother is so much younger than you?”
“My parents had some issues in between us.”
“Ten years’ worth?”
“Yes,” she whispered, looking down at her plate. What was the story there? Finally, she tilted her head up. “How will you approach Angie’s pregnancy with her?”
“I guess what feels right.”
“How do you know what that is without having thought it out first?”
“You think out everything?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the thing about teens, even if you think it out, their moods and opinions change with the tides. There’s no real planning allowed.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I shouldn’t judge so harshly, should I? I really don’t know any better. It’s just when Angie looks up through that hair as if begging me for answers, or a hug, she melts my resolves to be kinder about her mother. I guess what I’m saying is I’m sorry for how I’ve come off toward you both.”
Scott sat back leaning against the booth as he watched Sarah talk. Confused with who she was versus who he had her pegged to be.
“Vanessa. You can say it, you won’t get cursed or something.”
She smiled. “Okay, Vanessa. I guess I would have a hard time if she were my teenage daughter. So what happens with Vanessa? Like tonight will she talk to Angie? Do you stop by their place?”
He shook his head. “They live with me.”
She paused in process of sipping her wine. Her mouth hung open. “You live with Vanessa?”
“Yes.”
“Oh,” Sarah said with a sniff. No doubt what she thought about that. “No wonder Angie called you her mother’s boyfriend.”
“I’m not.”
Sarah paused and nodded. “Somehow I sense you’re not anymore.”
He shrugged noncommittal. “When Vanessa got pregnant, my older brother skipped town before Angie was even born. Vanessa moved in with my family for financial reasons, and my old man felt responsible for her after that.”
“So, you were what…ten when you first met her?”
“Yeah. My dad died when I was twenty. From then on it was Vanessa, me and Angie, where we’ve stayed to this day. My dad left me the house, and everything he had. So it was easy enough to help them out.”
Sarah was silent. With a deep frown she said, “She really is your family.”
“Yes, Vanessa really is my family.” He didn’t expound on the few months after his dad died, and he’d been a little crazy with grief. They had an affair that lasted a year or so before completely fizzling out. Vanessa was the only adult in his life to never leave him. And he her. There was no way Sarah would ever fully understand what there was between Vanessa and him.
“I’m sorry about your dad and brother. What about your mother? Any other siblings?”
“Nah, just us. My mom left us when I was a kid.”
By the way Sarah was studying him she read more into his statement than he defined. Did Sarah think he had mommy issues he transferred onto Vanessa?
“What did your dad die of?”
“Cigarettes. Lung cancer.”
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded in acknowledgment a little surprised at the depth of sympathy shining out of her pretty blue eyes. He’d gotten it before, of course, from women. His loner status was quite a turn on in women wanting to fulfill what they saw as a need for intimacy, for connection, for saving. But Sarah looking
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