Harlequin Special Edition: August 2022 Box Set 2 of 2 by Kathy Douglass

Author:Kathy Douglass
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Harris held his breath, hoping the unexpected question didn’t cause Elise to retreat into that wall of privacy she usually kept between herself and everyone else around her. After the initial awkwardness of his parents’ surprise visit—his ankle was still throbbing due to his unfortunate dismount from the ladder when she’d suddenly let go of it—she’d seemed so relaxed and even talkative as she’d led the tour of the house.

However, he’d already learned that discussing furniture placement and discussing her family were two completely different things. Just when Harris thought he was going to have to change the subject, Elise finally sighed.

“I used to go to the auto auctions with my father and one time we saw a yellow Scout 800. Dad told me that he had one just like it in his offsite warehouse that he was holding on to for a friend.”

Harris didn’t often see his dad shed a tear, but there was definitely a dampness in Simon Vega’s eyes. The older man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “When the boys were little and Cindy went back to school to get her teaching certification, we didn’t want to take out a loan. John insisted on paying me top dollar to buy the car and promised that I could drive it whenever I wanted. But we were always so busy with work and Cindy’s rehearsals and the kids’ sports. Then I opened my own shop and I guess we just lost track of time. I should have tried harder to stay in touch with him.”

“It’s better that you remember how he was before the Alzheimer’s finally took hold of him. At least that’s what I try and tell myself.” Elise’s lips quivered slightly, but she still managed a smile at Simon. Harris couldn’t imagine how painful it would be to slowly lose his own father to a disease like that. She was so strong to be able to talk about her experience. “Most people don’t know this, but my dad was pretty deep in debt by the time he went into the assisted living facility. My aunt had to sell most of the cars to help pay off his creditors—and even that wasn’t enough to cover all the costs of his care. The only car I put up a fight to keep was the minivan he’d bought my mom when they’d first got married. Regina knew that she couldn’t get much money for it, so it stayed behind when the auction guys came.”

Harris couldn’t stop himself from putting his hand on Elise’s shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort, or at least remind her that while her family was gone, she wasn’t totally alone. Her muscles immediately eased under his palm and he took it as a reassuring sign that she relaxed rather than shied away from him.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Harris’s drama-loving mom was the first to voice the same concern he himself had politely avoided. “Simon, didn’t you tell me that John Mackenzie was one of the most astute businessmen you’d ever met?”

His dad nodded.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.