Fire and Rain

by Andrew Grey

  “Can you do Spistachio this time?” Isaac asked.

  “I’ll try. Now go sit down and wait a little bit, okay?” Kip wiped up the floor and got Isaac settled while Jos took off the first strips of bacon and added more to the pan. “Every Sunday night after my mom died, Dad and I had breakfast for dinner. He loved waffles and pancakes, so this was our thing once a week. He and I cooked together, and then we sat and talked. It was always our time as a family.”

  Jos nodded and finished the bacon. His heart raced as he wondered again exactly what Kip was saying. “I never had a lot of family time. Mom wasn’t interested in much other than where her next drink was coming from, so I don’t know how a family should behave. I want to give Isaac a better family than the one I had, but I don’t know how to do it.”

  “Hey.” Kip gripped his shoulders. “If it wasn’t for my dad and the fact that after Mom died he got us both help so we could learn just how much Mom’s drinking had affected us, things would have been very different for me. Your mom’s drinking affected you, and I know you’re trying not to let it affect Isaac. But it will.”

  “I know. Sometimes I fall back on the things I learned from her. How do I know how to be part of a real family if I never have been?” Jos turned off the burner and transferred the bacon to a plate. Kip took the stack of pancakes to the table, including one that looked like Pistachio—or at least it was a vaguely horse-shaped blob. He placed it on Isaac’s plate and fixed the pancake for him.

  “It’s all right. I’m no expert, but we’ll figure it out together.” Kip looked him straight in the eye, and Jos nodded without thinking. “We have good friends and people who care. That helps a lot.” Kip set the plates on the table, and they sat down. Isaac reached for the bacon, but thankfully it was out of his reach. Jos gave him a piece, and Isaac dug right in.

  “Do you ever think he’ll get used to having enough food and won’t stuff himself?” Jos asked.

  “It’ll happen. Everything takes time. The memories of being hungry need to fade.” Kip took some pancakes and passed the plate to Jos.

  When Isaac was too stuffed to eat any more, he played in the corner of the kitchen with Weeble and Pistachio.

  “So I was thinking that I could try to invite my aunt for dinner or something,” Jos said. “I think I want to try to take your advice and let her see where Isaac and I are living. I was wondering if she’d actually come, but then she can’t not come. Otherwise she’s giving up a chance to get to know the nephew she’s supposedly so interested in taking care of.”

  Kip grinned. “Now you’re thinking. Go ahead and invite her, but say nothing about the lawsuit. At this point, pretend you don’t know and just act like you’re being nice. That will throw her off. When she agrees, we’ll plan what we hope to get from her that evening.”

  “What do you mean?” Jos asked. “I was hoping to convince her to drop the whole thing.”

  “Maybe. But she has information we need. You don’t know much about her, so we need to find out what we can. Oh, and when you get a chance, do an Internet search. Everything we can find out will help.” Kip seemed way too happy. Jos didn’t know why, but was less nervous now that he had a plan to start dealing with his aunt. His appetite, which had been lacking, returned with a vengeance. He reached for some of the bacon and actually began to feel better about everything. Kip seemed to have that effect on him.

  “After dinner I’ll search and see what I can find,” Jos said.

  “Good decision. Everything seems better when you have a plan of attack. And you don’t feel as out of control, which is settling in and of itself.”

  JOS PUT Isaac to bed, and then, while Kip cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes, he sat at the kitchen table using the laptop, with a notebook nearby. He whistled a few times, and Kip looked over in time to see Jos jotting down notes.

  “She runs a wedding business, it looks like. Dresses, events, flowers, catering, the whole works. It looks like she does everything for the bride but get the groom to propose. The prices are—” He whistled again. “I was able to find out her address. It’s hard to see from Google Earth, but it looks like a nice enough house.”

  “Does it look like she’s ever been married?” Kip asked.

  “Only if she was and changed her name back. I found her under Katherine Applewhite, so I’m going to guess that she never was.”

  Kip humphed. “Didn’t she say that she had someone find you?”

  “A private detective or something. Yeah,” Jos said.

  Kip nodded. “Why? She’s never met Isaac before, and you haven’t seen her in years. Why would she care? If you weren’t part of her life, then why wouldn’t she just leave you alone?”

  “She’s family?” Jos answered, but his tone clearly registered that he didn’t believe his own answer. “I don’t know. I mean, if she really cared, she’d try to help both of us instead of just taking Isaac. My mother hated her, and I’ve met her twice and I can say I don’t much like her either. She wouldn’t play with Isaac, and when he offered her Weeble, she looked as though she was going to get germs and carefully set him aside. I don’t get it.” Jos sighed and closed the computer. “I got some information, but….”

  “It confused me too. So I asked Carter to look into her when he had a minute. I want to believe that she’s doing this because she thinks she can provide a better life for Isaac than you can. At least that would mean that she has a heart.” But he wasn’t so sure. If that were the case, then she’d have been warmer and would seem genuinely interested in Isaac. He also thought she’d be interested in helping them both. “Something doesn’t feel right, and he can dig things out of computer systems that other people can’t. There are limits to what he can do since this isn’t an investigation, but he said he’d try.”

  “I have her address and telephone number, so I’m going to try calling to leave a message.”

  “Okay. Do you want me with you?” Kip asked as Jos stood and began pacing the floor. Jos dialed, and Kip stayed where he was, close enough to be there, but if this was something Jos felt he had to do on his own, he’d let him. The call seemed to go to voice mail, and Kip heard Jos leave a message inviting her to come to dinner. He did just as they discussed and didn’t let on that he knew what she was planning.

  “All right. Now we’ll see if she calls back,” Jos said and set his phone down, staring at it as if he expected it to ring at any moment.

  “Come on,” Kip said. “Let’s go up to bed. It’s been a rough day, and we need some rest. We’ll figure out something.”

  Jos picked up his phone, and Kip put an arm around his shoulder. “I’m really starting to believe that,” Jos said.

  “Good.” Kip stopped and drew him into a kiss. “You really need to.” They went upstairs, turning out the lights as they went. At the top of the stairs, Kip released Jos and let him choose where he wanted to sleep. He hoped Jos would stay with him, but he didn’t want to put pressure on him. Jos took his hand, and Kip slowly went to his bedroom.

  They took turns getting ready for bed. Jos used the bathroom first, so when Kip took his turn and came out, turning off the light, he joined Jos in bed. They curled together and Jos held him. Kip made no move for sex. With everything that had happened, being close was enough. Jos needed to know he was there; that was what was important. Kip was beginning to see the delight to be found in just holding Jos in the dark.

  Chapter 7

  JOS WAS on pins and needles. He’d called his aunt and was still wondering if she was going to call back. She did, finally, after a whole day and said she would come to dinner. Neither of them had said a word about the nebulous custody battle. Jos still hadn’t heard anything official, and he hoped he could head this off.

  “Should we serve wine?” Jos asked.

  “Let’s have some in case your aunt likes it.” Kip smiled. “Maybe a few belts will loosen her up.”

  Kip chuckled, and Jos did as well. Over the past week, Jos had begun to feel comfortable
in his own skin. It was a new feeling for him, but it was good. Work was going well, and Social Security had approved survivor benefits for Isaac. It seemed when enough people pushed for something and knew how to work the system, things happened. He’d been told it would be a few months before he began getting the money, but it was coming. His life—their life—was coming together.

  A knock cracked on the front door. Jos jumped slightly, and Kip stroked his shoulder. “Remember the plan and don’t let her get to you. We have a purpose.” He smiled as Isaac raced through the house and opened the front door.

  “Aunt Kathy,” Isaac said happily.

  Jos cringed slightly, but he’d kept everything that was happening from Isaac, so a visit from their aunt was just another person Isaac knew coming to visit. When Jos and Kip entered the hall, Isaac had his arms wrapped around her legs, and she patted his head uncomfortably. Something about this picture did not make sense at all to him. “Come and see my pony.” Isaac took her by the hand and began pulling her toward the living room.

  “Pony?” Aunt Kathy said. “Oh, your toy,” she said from the other room.

  Jos hurried to the kitchen and got the plate of meat, cheese, and crackers that Kip had made and set it on the coffee table.

  “Is this where you live?” Aunt Kathy asked.

  “It’s Kip’s house, yes, but I just got an apartment, and Isaac and I will be moving there in a few days.” He had a place to live, a job, and Isaac was cared for while he was at work. “Kip was good enough to take us in and help us.” Jos sat down. “Would you like something to drink? I have some wine, or there is also water and soda.”

  “Me too?” Isaac said.

  “I have juice for you,” Jos told Isaac and excused himself. He got the cup from the refrigerator and brought it to Isaac. By then Kip had left to get some wine, and he returned with three glasses and handed each of them one.

  “What do you do?” Jos asked, sitting down. He wasn’t going to let on that he’d investigated her.

  “I plan weddings,” she answered. “How is the job going?”

  “I really like it. They pay me pretty well, and I’m good at my job, so I make pretty good tips. Darryl and Billy own Café Belgie and two other restaurants in town. One is Greek and the other Italian. Darryl really knows his business, and this past week they needed help at Napoli so I got an extra shift there.”

  “Who watches Isaac? You certainly don’t leave him alone, and he must work interesting hours,” she said, gesturing toward Kip.

  “He goes to a day care that doubles as a preschool. I get vouchers for day care, and that helps a lot. A friend helped me find an apartment I can afford. As I become more established, I’ll become more self-sufficient.” Jos sipped from his glass, and he could almost see his aunt calculating behind her eyes. “Isaac and I were having a difficult time of it, but I think we’re on the right track now.”

  “So you don’t plan on living here?” she asked, looking around. “With him.”

  “Kip offered,” Jos answered warmly. He liked that Kip had made him the offer. “But in the end he and I decided to take things slow. I’ll get my own apartment, and we’ll date.”

  She nodded. “It sounds as though you have everything thought out.”

  “I have to. Isaac deserves the best home I can get for him.” Jos glanced to where Isaac was playing on the floor. “It’s so good to see him happy.” He lifted his gaze back to Kip and saw him tilt his head toward his aunt. “What sorts of weddings do you plan?”

  “Whoever can afford me,” she added and cleared her throat. “I started the business ten years ago. I needed something to occupy my time, and I was always good at throwing parties.”

  Jos glanced over at Kip and then back to his aunt. “What did you do before you started the business?”

  “This and that,” his aunt answered evasively. “I don’t know what your mother ever told you about how we grew up, but she and I each had a trust fund from our parents. When your mother got hers, she spent most of it very quickly.” Aunt Kathy seemed to have eaten something distasteful. Jos knew his mother was no saint, but his aunt’s disdain was perfectly clear, and it hurt. “I was careful. I got an education, lived simply, and worked hard. If you must know, I taught school for a few years and worked in a library for a while. I was put in charge of the library fundraisers and found I could throw a great party. Eventually I used the money from the trust to start the business.”

  “That sounds really nice,” Jos said. “I’m working hard too. You probably know Mom didn’t leave much, so I’m building my own life and one for Isaac without the help you had.” Jos kept his head high. He’d come a long way in a short time.

  “I think it’s only fair to tell you—”

  “What?” Jos interrupted. “That you think you can give Isaac a better life than I can?” Isaac whined softly at the tone and hurried over, standing between Jos’s knees. “Children need a lot more than money and things. They need love and care, and you can’t give him that.” Jos put an arm around Isaac’s chest, holding him to him. “You saw how he greeted you. Isaac was happy to see you. He’d only met you once, but he greeted you like an old friend, and you treated him like he was a leper.”

  “I’ve never had children.”

  “Is that why you want to try to take him?” Jos asked, veering off the script they had prepared. “Because you have to know that it won’t happen. I have a job, a place to live, Isaac has friends at day care, and we’re building a life.”

  “Kathy,” Kip interrupted. “Your lawyer has to have warned you how difficult what you’re trying to do is going to be. The courts aren’t going to give you custody of Isaac over his mother’s express wishes.”

  “Is that why you asked me here? To try to convince me to drop my bid for custody?” she asked, setting down her glass.

  “No,” Jos said. “I asked you here because you’re our only relative. Neither of us knows you very well.” Jos tried to get the conversation back on plan. “You’re our aunt, and we have no other relatives. What I don’t understand is why you want to take Isaac away instead of trying to help us. You could be part of both our lives instead of trying to tear our family apart.” Jos held Isaac a little tighter. “We need you, but not like this.”

  Aunt Kathy looked at all of them and then stood up. “I think I need to be going now.”

  “No. I think you need to sit down and hear what Jos has to say,” Kip said in the same tone he’d used that first night when he told Tyler to get on the ground. It was a tone that was hard not to obey, and Jos watched Aunt Kathy slowly lower herself back into the chair. “I don’t know what’s going on yet, but you do realize I will get to the bottom of whatever it is you’re trying to hide.” Kip’s gaze was hard as stone, and Jos felt a chill for a second. He hoped that look was never leveled at him.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Aunt Kathy said, holding her shiny black purse on her knees as though it was a shield.

  “I think you do. The economy has taken quite a toll on your business in the last few years. Brides who used to pay a fortune for your services have cut back. Some are doing it themselves and others are making do with less. In a business like yours, built on excess, that has to hurt.”

  “I don’t need to stay here and—”

  “I think you do,” Kip countered, and Jos watched, wondering where Kip was going with this. It was obvious that Kip had hit on something. His aunt had paled slightly, and her knuckles were whiter than they had been, especially where the leather of her bag was now creased from where she gripped it.

  “I’ll dig as deep as I have to, and so will some of my friends. They’re experts at finding nuggets of information, including details about your business.”

  “Those records are not public. How could you possibly know how my business is doing?” Aunt Kathy snapped.

  “I didn’t,” Kip said. “You just told me.” He turned to Jos and smiled. “So I bet a costly legal battle isn’t going to do y
ou any good. And it will be very costly—we will see to that. A month ago, when you first found Jos and Isaac and did nothing, you might have been able to help them. Instead you had a detective report back to you. You didn’t lift a finger to help them. Why?”

  Aunt Kathy shook.

  “Whatever you’re hiding, I will find it, and then I’ll use it to our best advantage and your worst. If it’s even remotely illegal, or just smells bad, I’ll make sure you face charges, and then what will happen to your business? Your business will turn around if you can hang on long enough, but if your reputation is damaged, you’ll never recover.” Kip stepped back. “I think you should go now and think about what you truly want.”

  Jos’s aunt got to her feet. She was visibly shaken and said she thought staying for dinner wasn’t appropriate. Kip seemed dang pleased with himself. Isaac looked at each of them in turn, clearly confused.

  “Say good-bye,” Jos whispered.

  Isaac nodded. “Bye, Aunt Kathy.” He didn’t move for a few seconds until Jos prodded him. Isaac pulled Weeble off the sofa and tucked him under his arm before approaching his aunt. This time Aunt Kathy knelt down and hugged Isaac gently. She was clearly still uncomfortable, but she was making an effort. “Bye-bye.”

  Jos walked his aunt to the door. Neither of them said a word, and his aunt fumbled slightly as she stepped outside. “Are you staying at the bed-and-breakfast again?” Jos asked as he followed his aunt out onto the porch.

  “Yes. I’ll be leaving in the morning,” she told him. She descended the stairs and shuffled down the walk. Jos stood under the porch light, watching as she got into her Lexus and then drove away down the street.

  “What was all that about?” Jos asked when Kip came up behind him. “Did Carter call you about something?”

  “Nothing other than the last time he and I talked, but he mentioned that her business must be tough right now, and that got me thinking. There was something about the way she sat and how nervous she was. She didn’t want to talk about herself or the business that she should be so proud of, so I took a shot and hit pay dirt.” Kip chuckled. “I didn’t think it would be that easy.”