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dutifully
repeated.
    “Thank you. Good night, varmint.”
He kissed the top of her head, and she was out like a light.

Chapter 6

 
    The phone buzzed, jarring him.
Jason hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He jumped and reached for his phone,
clunking Lacy’s head. It was pillowed on his chest, and she was drooling. He
multitasked—glancing at his phone while reaching for a tissue to mop the
puddle on his shirt.
    “We need you.”
    Three words from Arroyo, and his
day off was over. Sounds from the kitchen indicated that someone was home and
Lacy wouldn’t be alone. There was no need to stay, no reason except his own
worry. What if Lacy woke up out of her head again? Would she be afraid? Angry?
Would her family be able to contain her? It was a ridiculous notion; they had
been taking care of her for twenty-six years. Why did he believe he did it
better? Why did he believe he loved her more?
    Still, he waited another moment,
reluctant to go. He kissed the top of her head and eased from the bed, hoping
he would find Mr. Middleton in the kitchen. Instead he found Lacy’s mom,
humming distractedly as she unloaded silk flowers from a bag.
    “Good morning,” he said, never sure
of his footing with the woman. On the surface of things she seemed to like him,
but Jason had the feeling that her words weren’t always genuine.
    She whirled with a smile. If she
was alarmed to see her daughter’s boyfriend emerge from her bedroom, she didn’t
show it. In that regard, he was glad to see her instead of her father. “Oh,
Jason. Hello. Have you been in there all night? Better run before Mom and her
boyfriend get home. They won’t like that. House rules.”
    “No, Lacy’s surgery. Remember?” He
made a halfhearted motion toward Lacy’s room.
    “Oh, right. How did that go? Did
she give you a run for your money?”
    “She always does,” he said. “The
anesthesia was interesting.”
    She chuckled. “I have the same
problem, I’m afraid. Must be the hair.” Absently, she touched the ends of her
hair. The color was an exact match for Lacy’s; he found that oddly disturbing.
    “I have to go to work. The doctor
said Lacy needs to swish with water every few hours, and she’ll need her gauze changed.
The medicine is in the bathroom. I didn’t want her to wake up and take it half
asleep. She hasn’t eaten except for some chocolate.”
    “Jason, she’ll be fine,” Frannie
said, returning her attention to the flowers again. “Lacy’s hardy, like me. We
bounce back and have a high pain threshold. It’s Riley I’m worried about. I
sent her home for a nap. Shopping didn’t used to wear her out this way.” Her
pretty face changed to a worried frown. It was odd for him to see a face so
like Lacy’s on someone else. Lacy’s look was unique. She didn’t look like
anyone else he knew--except her mother. He wasn’t sure why that should disturb
him. Frannie had aged well and was still attractive, all good indicators that
Lacy would do the same. Maybe it bothered him because Lacy and her mother were
so different. Lacy was genuine and deep. She cared about people, sometimes too
much. Frannie was…he wasn’t sure exactly what Frannie was, but it wasn’t Lacy.
    “Call if you need anything and I’ll
come back,” he said. He was hovering like an idiot. Was something wrong with
his instincts that they were shouting at him not to leave Lacy in the care of
her mother?
    Frannie looked up at him as if
wondering the same thing. After a few blinks of what might have been annoyance,
she smiled. “Lacy’s lucky to have someone so caring. You can go, she’ll be
fine.”
    “All right,” he agreed at last.
What choice did he have? She was the mother, and he had to work. Maybe his
issues with Frannie had less to do with her and more to do with his own
mother.   How many times as a kid had
he been sick with no one to take care of him? Lacy was surrounded by a loving
family. Frannie was right; she would be fine.
    “What’s up?” he