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"Back then I was Mick, short for Michel When I couldn’t co a truck and was almost never home My wife complained about it, but she had a lot of family and I didn’t think she needed me too much" He chuckled deep in his throat and pulled Ray Anne a little closer "In case you ever get the notion it’s a good idea to run away from your troubles, I tried that one--it doesn’t work too well When I was finally healed enough to put ured out she couldn’t count on h for her That was pretty much the end of that"

Ray Anne was quiet for a ht thing A few years later she uy--Tony They had a couple of kids They do a little farent and Carol is a nurse in a nursing home You know that half a farave o back there every su well"

"You still love her?" Ray Anne asked

"Oh, sure, but it’s not the kind of love you think It’s friendship Her kids treat ive her a lot of credit, you know? She was never angry with me She was finished, but she wasn’t ot s that were is that are iht here--this is i or could be a handicap It just doesn’t take that irl, that’s heaven to me"

"Yet you still run"

"I still have a phobia about getting pinned down"

"And a fear of being disappointed?" she asked

"No, honey Fear of being a disappointled closer "You’re not a kid any you can’t live up to expectations and just do what you know is right for you No one’s going to try to pin you down or turn you into so you don’t ai farain?"

"Say goodbye," she said "Just say, see you later But you don’t have to run away You’re welco"

"I’ll ad you"

She sot home at five o’clock--early for him--three suitcases were packed and lined up inside the front door There was the rich aroma of his favorite--steak soup He knew she made it for him despite the fact that it wasn’t a soup day--it was sunny and bright outside, the temperature warm He went to the kitchen, where he found Senior at the table, the newspaper spread out in front of hi a pot and he went behind her Hands around her waist, he kissed her neck and she hurunted

"Hello, Paxton," Eric said "Hoas your day?"

"Very busy," he said

"We didn’t do a thing," Laine said softly "We walked down to the diner for lunch When Gina brought lunch Senior said he’d just eaten" She shook her head "Then alked along the beach, stopped in at Cooper’s and on the way hooodbye at the doctor’s office and sheriff’s office I did the rest of the packing while Dad napped"

Over the past few days Laine told him she had seen firsthand how s were best for hier andhe was a otten hion all the way froed the drive from Portland If she hadn’t seen his ticket for herself she wouldn’t have been surprised to learn the journey had taken days

But typical of Alzheio, in his childhood, adolescence or early adulthood was crystal clear to the finest detail

"I can still go with you," Eric said "Al and Manny can e the station It would be a quick trip for et him there"

"We’ll be okay," she said "We’ve been inseparable for days He does whatever I ask of him, even if he does soave itated while we’re traveling I don’t think we’ll need it"

He sniffed the air "Steak soup--h left over for you to freeze I even got a couple of extra sourdough bowls and put them in the freezer"

"Maybe you could slip hiested

She shtti this very well"

He wasn’t, actually He was terrified that the needs of her family would take her away from him This dynamic was pretty complicated--after a lifetime of conflict with her father she suddenly learns the old boy adores her And of course she’d always adored hied for his approval And now Senior needed her It wasn’t an illusion, he really needed her Laine wasn’t working full-time at thefellowship--there weren’tto miss you like mad, but I understand you have to do this"

"You will stay here, won’t you? In our house?"

"Is that what you want?" he asked for the tenth time

"I want to see you in my mind when I talk to you I don’t want to think of you in so I want to envision you in your station or here, on the deck or in the kitchen" She frowned a little "No dirty boots onat her

"When you tellover the bay, I want to see it in my mind and wish I ith you on the deck or in bed I don’t want"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>