A Reason to Breathe

by Lorhainne Eckhart

He frowned. “Sorry, but it’s still ugly.”

  She wasn’t sure what to make of Rhonda’s expression as her jaw slackened.

  “I have a job at the bakery,” Trevor added.

  “I don’t have a job,” Jasmine said. “I have a horse, Sam. Did you see him when you drove in? I didn’t ride him today, but I brushed him this morning, fed him, and cleaned his stall. Are you coming for pizza tonight? We’re going to Pizza Town, and it’s the ham and pineapple special on Thursday. Mom, can they come?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Rhonda said. “Trevor and Katy just came for a little visit. Why don’t you show Trevor all your medals you won with your horse? Go on now.” Rhonda gestured. “How about some tea, Katy? Why don’t you and I slip into the kitchen?” Rhonda shrugged out of her coat, and Trevor was following Jasmine down the hall.

  Rhonda rested her coat on the back of one of the four wooden chairs around the square table. The kitchen was small but functional, the island a little dated, with a flattop burner. Katy watched as Rhonda filled a kettle and plugged it in.

  “So Trevor is…” Rhonda opened the pantry, pulled out a jar of tea bags, and set it on the counter.

  “My brother, and he’s fantastic,” Katy added, knowing that wasn’t what Rhonda was asking. She took in one of the two bar stools at the island and pulled it out to sit.

  “He lives with you?” Rhonda pulled out a blue teapot, lifted the lid and looked, then rested it on the counter. Katy took in the mixed brown blouse she wore, with ruffled sleeves, and noticed that of course, she wore no wedding band. She wondered what the story was from the pictures she’d seen on social media.

  “Yeah, well, me and my parents and my little brother, Jack. My husband, Steven, and I and my son are also living there—long story, but yeah. So Jasmine is an only child, or does she have siblings?”

  Rhonda rested her hands on the counter. “No, she’s it. She’s a handful and enough. Couldn’t see myself with any more.”

  What an odd thing to say.

  “So does she have a job? Does she work?” Katy hoped there was something.

  Rhonda made a face. “No, it’s hard to keep her focused on something. She’s home, has her horse. She used to do some jumping, but that’s come to an end. The competitions became too much for her to manage. Too loud—the noise is always something that gets her. So Trevor works?”

  This was way too polite. “Yeah, of course. He’s got a full week, packed with different things. He works in the bakery and around the ranch, and then there’s the woodworking he does with our uncle. He’s really good.”

  Rhonda just nodded.

  “So Jasmine seems pretty high functioning, a lot of language skills,” Katy said.

  Rhonda glanced up the hall. “She is, and yes, but I’m sure you know it’s not easy living with someone on the spectrum. Asperger’s was a word I didn’t know before. Kind of turned our world upside down. Hard to explain what it’s like to anyone who doesn’t know. They have a way of doing things that’s so self-focused that they don’t even realize they’re leaving a train wreck in their wake with their loved ones. Living with one can be hell. She’ll turn your life upside down in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. Her father lives in Boise, stays in Boise—I think out of self-preservation.”

  Katy found herself gripping the counter.

  “I’m sure you’ve discovered the same with Trevor.” Rhonda gestured with her chin up the hall.

  “Ah, no. Trevor is easy. He’s actually a lot of fun to be around,” Katy added. She wasn’t sure what the expression was on Rhonda’s face. “My mom had professionals brought in for Trevor who did so much for him. All the family has done a lot, and he’s worked really hard to get to where he is. He’s got no behavior issues or anything, but we’re a big family that pulls together. Sorry it’s been so rough. So does Jasmine spend a lot of time alone?”

  The kettle clicked off, and Rhonda moved across the kitchen to unplug it and drop two teabags in the pot. “Yeah, uh-huh. Not much else. I work, so I can’t be here. She’s fine, though. Happier that way. Has her horse, who keeps her company.”

  She had to bite her tongue. Who could be happy with that kind of aloneness? “Well, how about if Jasmine comes out to the ranch, spends time with Trevor? We’d love to have her.” Katy took in the odd expression on Rhonda’s face and realized there was something more, something she wanted to say.

  Rhonda rested the kettle on the counter and walked over to Katy, glancing once down the hall. “Well, I’m not sure about that. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but from what I’ve seen of Trevor, he’s quite disabled. I’m not sure that would be a great idea, putting the two together.”

  Had she really said that? Katy could feel the way her jaw slackened, feel the rush of blood to her face as she listened to Trevor and Jasmine talking as they walked back into the living room. They were both talking together, a real conversation, and Jasmine was pulling out a PS4 console and flicking on the TV.

  Katy made herself turn back to Rhonda, her hands flat on the counter, gripping it as if her life depended on it. “That’s so wrong. My brother is amazing, and that kind of thinking keeps good things from happening. A friendship, a real friendship. Keeping them from seeing each other and spending time together would truly be a mistake for both of them. Just look at them together—because this is something they both need.” She could feel her blood pulsing as she fought to keep it together. She was positive she’d managed to keep her voice seemingly calm, even when she wanted to scream and yell. Doing that would get her nowhere.

  As she took in Rhonda, though, what she saw was a woman who didn’t seem too interested in listening. Her mind was made up. Katy recognized that stubborn expression well. This was someone who had all the answers, who thought she knew everything even though nothing could be further from the truth. At least now she understood the hesitancy on the phone. How did one go about changing someone’s opinions?

  “Please reconsider,” she added, folding her hands together in front of her, forcing herself to sound reasonable.

  All Rhonda did was lift her hands and shake her head. “I don’t think so, but it really was nice of you both to visit. I promised Jasmine pizza, and then I have to get back to work.”

  So that was it. She recognized when someone was giving her the boot, showing her the door. It was rude and hurtful. One glance over her shoulder to Trevor and Jasmine, who had the TV on and a video game up, sitting side by side on the sofa, sharing a console, she could tell there could be a friendship or something. How could Rhonda say this wasn’t a good thing?

  She dragged her gaze back to the woman, taking in her hard expression. Her mind was made up. Stubborn, it seemed, but what this lady didn’t know was that Katy could be far more. When she wanted something, she went after it—and Trevor finding his own person was something she was determined to see happen.

  8

  The problem with this time of year was how early it got dark.

  Katy parked her Jeep beside the rest of the family’s cars and took in their warm and welcoming home. What a difference from Rhonda Walker’s. She stepped out of the Jeep and into the light flooding from the front window of the home she’d grown up in, feeling the love and warmth that made this more than just a house.

  She pulled open the door and stepped into the warmth, hearing voices, laughter, and clattering from the kitchen. Steven poked his head out with that crooked smile she loved, and then a quirk of his brow.

  “You’re home,” he said. “How’d it go?”

  She shrugged as she kicked off her shoes, noting Jack’s, Fletcher’s, and Steven’s all kicked off in a disorderly pile. “It was interesting,” she said and slipped her sweater off. This time she did hang it in the closet.

  Steven strode across the room to her. “That sounds cryptic. How about sharing some details, please…?”

  “You drop off Trevor at Neil’s?” Brad poked his head in, and she nodded.

  “Yeah, he’s the
re and working. Happy, too, that I didn’t totally mess up his day.”

  Steven slid his arms around her, pulling her closer, and she rose up on tiptoes and kissed his lips as she slid her arms over his shoulders. She let them linger and then pulled away, and he kissed her forehead and hugged her. She loved everything about being in his arms.

  “Dinner is ready. Your mom was waiting for you,” Steven added. “So what happened that was so interesting?”

  Emily called from the kitchen, “Come on, you two! Dinner.”

  Katy took a step into the living room, her fingers linked with Steven’s, as her mom stepped out of the kitchen.

  “Fletcher, Jack, come on, you two,” Emily called up the stairs. “Dinner is ready.”

  Katy could hear the thunder of footsteps upstairs, and Steven sat on the arm of the loveseat next to where she was standing, his hand reaching up and touching hers.

  “Come on, Katy. What is it?”

  “Oh, not as easy as I thought. Walking in there, she wasn’t really welcoming, and I got the distinct feeling she’s more about keeping her daughter isolated and away from everyone. Do you know that she called Trevor disabled? The way she said it, it was as if she saw him as not good enough for her daughter, like letting them hang out in any way could actually be a detriment.”

  “She said that?” Emily stepped into the living room, and the expression on her face was that of a woman ready to go to battle. Katy had seen it a time or two, or three. Even her dad now had an ominous look.

  “Well, it was more that she didn’t want us there. And yes, she did say that. Her daughter is alone, hiding in the house, and she thinks that’s good enough for her? Trevor and Jasmine weren’t at odds. In fact, both were sitting, playing a video game, when she pretty much asked us to leave. But I think it was from fear. Of what, I don’t know.”

  Her dad was shaking his head, and her mom had an uneasiness in her expression. Just then, Jack and Fletcher stomped down the stairs, each jumping off the third step from the bottom and rolling onto the floor. Such boys could easily bring the house down.

  “Well, maybe you should rethink pushing this thing, because Trevor will pick up on that unease and unwelcomeness…” Emily started.

  “Mom, seriously, Trevor needs this. I just need to figure out a way to convince Rhonda that it’s a good thing. I mean, once she sees her daughter and Trevor together, once she sees that being alone isn’t better…”

  She took in the way Steven was watching her. “You know, babe,” he said, “I admire this desire of yours to bring Trevor and Jasmine together as friends, all of this that you’re trying to do, to arrange, but you can’t push. You can’t make Jasmine’s mom get on board. Maybe she has her reasons, and they could be reasons you don’t know. Maybe there’s something more about Jasmine. There could be a serious problem, and maybe Trevor shouldn’t be around her.”

  She couldn’t believe Steven had said that.

  He reached for her hand again. “Hey, seriously, don’t get pissed at me. But you don’t know anything about her, about her family. You tried, so don’t beat yourself up about it, and maybe just let it go.”

  “Steven, how can you say that? Of course it’s always easier to walk away, to do nothing, but Trevor wants this,” she said, then took in the way her dad raised his brows. “Okay, maybe he doesn’t realize he wants this yet, but he will.”

  “Mm-hmm,” her dad said. “Okay, how about we table this for another day, and let’s have dinner. And Steven is right: You can’t push, not on this. Her child, her decision.”

  She listened to the scrape of chairs, to Jack and Fletcher, their voices from the kitchen, and then allowed her gaze to fall back to Steven as her mom and dad walked out.

  “We’re not ganging up on you,” Steven said and stood, his arms around her, and her hands flattened over his chest, feeling his pecs, his strength, through the soft cotton of his blue T-shirt. “Besides, we have other things we need to talk about.”

  “Oh, and that is?” She could feel him tense, and it was just a flicker of something that had a knot squeezing in her stomach.

  “We may be staying here longer than expected,” he said.

  She waited for it, knowing from the papers she’d read just the morning before that Corinne, Steven’s former fiancée and her former best friend, refused to leave Steven’s townhouse. She already knew that the woman was a scorned bitch, but this was just another thing, and the likelihood of Steven getting the townhouse back was falling each day. That was fine with Katy, because living in a place where another woman had put her touches into the decor and slept with her husband was something she didn’t want. She said nothing, and Steven pulled in another breath. His hands slipped away, and one reached up and pulled over his jaw. She could hear the scrape of his whiskers.

  “Everything I had was tied up in that townhouse, and Corinne managed to get her name on the title so I can’t sell it out from under her.”

  She just stared at Steven, wondering what expression was on her face. “It’s okay,” she finally said. “You know what? It’s better this way. This is home to Fletcher, and there’s plenty of room, and maybe it’s better that we take our time. When it’s right, we’ll find a new place, our own place.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, taking in the surprise on his face. “Let’s go have dinner,” she said then, holding his hand.

  When they walked into the kitchen and she saw the full kitchen table, with two chairs at the end for her and Steven, and the empty chair that was Trevor’s, she realized that yeah, this was good, because it also gave her time to figure out a plan for Trevor. She just needed time, and a plan.

  The phone rang just as she sat down. “I’ll get it,” she said and scooted back her chair, then reached for the phone. “Hello?”

  “I’m looking for Trevor Friessen,” a deep voice said.

  “I’m sorry, he’s not here. Can I ask who’s calling?” She turned and took in her dad, who scooted back his chair.

  “Yes, this is Detective Ramirez, from the robbery. Can you tell me how to get a hold of him? We need to get him down here to go over the details of his statement.”

  Her dad was right there, and she slipped the receiver down from her mouth. “It’s the police, about the robbery,” she said, and her dad held out his hand for the phone.

  “This is Brad Friessen. I’m Trevor’s father. What can I help you with?” Her dad turned his back and seemed to just listen. “Okay, I see. Well, you do know he has autism. We’ll bring him down to the station.”

  There was another pause.

  “I see,” her dad said again, and Katy looked to her mom and Steven and wondered if there would be a call coming for her, too. What was it about the robbery that they wanted to confirm with her brother?

  “Okay, tomorrow, then. Right, have a good night,” her dad said and hung up. He lifted his gaze over to her and then over to her mom.

  “Well?” Katy asked, taking in Steven, who was scooping potatoes onto his plate and passing the bowl to Fletcher.

  “It seems they caught the guys who robbed the bank.”

  “Hey, that’s great!” Steven said, but Katy knew well from the look on her dad’s face that there was more.

  Brad gave his head a shake. “Not so sure about that. It seems they caught them based on the description Trevor gave—and that girl, Jasmine. What comes next is that they want them both to identify them.”

  Oh no! She took in the way her mom’s jaw slackened, and she let out a breath. “Well, how is that going to work?” Katy asked, not knowing how Trevor would pull that off.

  “We’ll find out tomorrow when I take him in” was all her dad said as he pulled out a chair and sat down, then reached for the platter of cutlets.

  “So, by any chance, are they calling Jasmine and having her come down too?” Katy asked. Steven stilled and stared at her.

  Her dad, though, didn’t seem to catch on, as he just shook his head. “Likely, but not sure when.”

  Katy realized she
’d just been given another opportunity for Jasmine and Trevor. She’d make it work, get them to meet, to talk, and better, she’d have another opportunity to work on Rhonda.

  Yes! This was good.

  9

  So now his woodworking time with Uncle Neil was being cut short. This wasn’t right! He’d told his dad and Katy so when they’d shown up that morning just as he’d made his first cut with the jigsaw, yet here they were in his dad’s truck, Katy in the front seat and him in the back with his bag beside him, when he was supposed to be putting the doors on the cabinet. Katy was ruining everything.

  “I want to go back to Uncle Neil’s. I have to finish,” he said. He could see they were driving into town.

  “No can do, Trevor. We have an appointment at the police station.”

  “What? No.” He didn’t want to see the police.

  Katy slid around and stared at him. “Trevor, they caught the bad guys who robbed the bank because of you and Jasmine. You’re a hero,” she added with a smile.

  Him, seriously? “Oh, okay. Are they in jail?” he asked. They’d pointed a gun at Katy. They were careless and could have hurt someone.

  “They’re at the jail, yeah, but right now you have to take a look at them and tell the police who they are. Do you think you can do that?” his dad asked.

  Of course he could. He remembered the green and scratchy mask with the white stripe and the other one with a black mask. That would be easy. “Sure I can.”

  “And Jasmine will be there, too,” Katy said.

  Oh, okay. She was nice, and even though it was Minecraft they played together, it was fun.

  His dad pulled into a parking lot and parked, then unfastened his belt and looked back at Trevor. “Let’s go.”

  He stepped out of the truck, following Katy and his dad to a concrete building. He saw the colored logo for the police and saw a police car pull up right before his dad rested his hand on his back and had him go first through the glass door. There was a wall with a window. A closed door. There were six chairs, all empty, and he took a seat as his dad stood at the small window, taking care of the talking. He’d take care of everything.