It's Not About You (28 page)

He was right. And I was feeling a lot better all right. I was also yawning my face off. Michael moved closer to me on the couch and brought me to him. "Is it okay if I stay the night though? I can have Melissa pick me up in the morning."
 

Kyle spoke up. "Eh…I'll go ahead and take you home. Having heard that ass kicking speech and knowing you were taking the high road in all this, I can't bare the thought of some tiny thing going wrong. Like…Gerald showing up at seven just so he can sample food early." He stood and stretched. "I'll grab our coats. You kiss my room mate and get all that breeder stuff out of the way."
 

Michael pulled my face to his with a finger on my chin. "I am sorry, Grace. Hurting you was never a part of my master plan to solve my sister's problems. Her problems are going to take longer and I'd rather have you in my life."
 

I didn't want to talk anymore. I put my hands to his face and kissed him as hard and as passionate as I could. I had thought…dared to fear…that I'd never be able to hold him close to me again. He wrapped his arms around me and I finally relaxed.
 

"Okay. That's enough. I need to take lover boy home."
 

"I'm coming with you." I smiled at Michael as he moved away and then offered me his hand to help me stand up. "I want to spend as much time with him as I can before having to deal with tomorrow."
 

Kyle made a dramatic sigh. "Fine. Let's go."
 

I grabbed my coat and my purse on the way out. We kissed all the way to Michael's house and I waved to Melissa as we pulled away.
 

***

My phone rang after Kyle and I arrived home. We had just finished checking on the turkey before calling it a night. I rummaged in my jacket pocket and pulled it out.
 

It was Kevin. This couldn't be good. Not at this time of night. "Hey," I answered it. "What's up?"

"Grace—I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

I sort of already knew what he was going to say. Kyle saw my body language and stopped at the sink to watch me and listen. "Just tell me how, Kevin."

"Holidays. Not enough people want to work over the weekend so the Captain released the non-violent defendants and packed up the worst to ship them over to the prison for the next three days."
 

I rubbed my face. "And he was considered non violent."
 

"No matter how much we don't like him, Grace, he's never been arrested or convicted of a violent crime. He's never struck you or Tanae. There's no record here or in Boston. The chargers are still there and he was informed he'll have to report to the precinct on Tuesday or a bench warrant will be issued against him. But that's the best I could get done. I made sure he also understood he's not to go within a hundred feet of your house. I still plan on coming so I can keep an eye out."
 

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at Kyle. He got the meaning and whispered a few colorful metaphors. "How was he when he left?"

"Belligerent. Claiming he was going to sue the department. Sue me. Take all of us to task. And though the declared action sounds like a threat, technically it's not so we couldn't even hold him for that."
 

I didn't know what else to do. My consolation was that Michael would be out of Burt's zone of chaos and not subjected to his crazy this time. Thanksgiving couldn't come and go fast enough for me. "Do you know where he's staying?"

"Yeah. A Holiday Inn about a mile from your house. But that's as close as I can come to surveillance." Kevin sighed. "Grace, I wish he wasn't like this. I wish he wouldn't act so…."
 

"Crazy? Yeah. Me too. But I've lived with his kind of bug nuts for nearly twenty years with this man. Tomorrow…" I sniffed. "Tomorrow is going to be a day of hell."
 

We said goodnight with Kevin saying he'd be there early just to check the area out. Kyle put his arms around me and I let the tears come. He apparently knew I was going to cry before I did. "Grace—"

"No. No. Just…I'll be all right. Just help me through tomorrow." I wiped my eyes as I pulled back and looked up at him. "What's that phrase you stole from that show you like?"

"Gladiators."

"Right. We're gladiators."
 

Michael was lucky he wasn't going to have to deal with tomorrow.
 

Damn him.
 

Something licked my nose. I smacked it away and it bit me.
 

I yelped and opened my eyes to the friendly, furry face of my sister's toy poodle, Ratz. He was a chocolate poodle, not something I'd ever seen before. But definitely smelled. Dogs all had that same aroma.
 

Wet rug.
 

"Hey Ratz," I mumbled as I pushed him away from my face. I grabbed my phone off the night stand to check the time. Either I'd slept late or my sister was here early.

Seven o'clock a.m. She was here really early.
 

"Hey!"
 

I jumped a little as my door opened wider and there stood my sister looking perfect. Whereas I looked like the older sibling with the swollen face and oily hair. "Not before coffee, April."
 

"Already brewing. Kyle's up and looking very guarded, I might add." She came into my bedroom and plopped on the side of my bed as Ratz attacked her face. She held him down and rubbed his belly. "When I asked him what's up he said to come talk to you."
 

"Ah. I see. Nice of him." I looked past her to the open door. "The kids?"

"Already planted on the couch with their respective devices on in their faces. They're just waiting for Tanae to get back."
 

I liked the fact my one child and her two were close.
 

"So? Spill it."
 

"It's a lot, April. And you've got to be non-judgy."
 

"I'm not judgy."
 

I blinked at her and arched my eyebrows high.
 

"Okay, with some people maybe a little. Just tell me what's—" and then one of those sister psychic moments happened and her eyes widened. "Oh no. Burt?"

I gave her a run-down of the night before, of Kevin showing up and of Kevin calling back with the announcement Burt was out of jail. She sat with a snoozing pooch in her arms as I talked and Kyle brought coffee into the room, made comments where needed, and left.
 

When I finished with that part of the story, I sipped my coffee. Ah. Yes. Nirvana. I was gonna order about seven more of these throughout the day.
 

"He's gonna show up here."
 

I nodded. "More than likely."
 

"Does Tanae know?"
 

I grabbed my phone and checked it. "Not yet. Cause I'm pretty sure once her father tells her I'm going to get an earful from her."

"No kidding. He's going milk that for all it's worth, even though he was in the wrong."
 

"Yeah but there's something else I'm gonna need your help with. And look, if you're not into it or have issue with it then that's fine." I told her about Gerald and about Kyle and the farce we'd been carrying on for him for months just so Kyle could keep his job. I didn't really know how April would react. In fact, I was a little afraid she wouldn't play just so we'd be all honest. It wasn't my first choice, but here we were and she had to know what Kyle and I were up too.
 

And what Gerald was going to be like. Though, I'd sort of assumed the two of them would mesh.
 

"Grace—"

"I know." I sipped my coffee again and held its warmth in my hands. "You don't have to do it."
 

"I'm not. Look, it's bad enough he commits sin when he's with another man. I'll admit he's a great guy and he's been a great friend to you."

"Yeah. He has."
 

"But to continue a lie just to keep a job? That's wrong."
 

"No, what's wrong is the fact he has to lie about his sexual preference to keep the job."
 

"Now," She held her finger up. "That I just can't believe. This Gerald's not going to fire Kyle just because he's gay."
 

"Yeah. He would. But he'd use a different excuse. Right now Kyle's like his star employee. Gerald can't do without him. But the moment he found out Kyle likes guys?" I shook my head. "Suddenly that worm would turn and Gerald would have him written up on enough mistakes to legitimately fire him."
 

"You're serious."
 

"Yeah. I am. So just remember that. Kyle's a good guy. And he's a good worker. Now, shoo so I can get dressed before Tanae gets in."
 

April stood and Ratz jumped off the bed and ran from the room. "You heard from her yet? Got an ETA?"
 

"No." I set my coffee down on my nightstand and checked my phone again. I hadn't heard from Tanae since the night before. I texted her a quick note.
How close are you to the house?
"All right. I'm getting dressed and heading to the kitchen."
 

"I'm already on my way. Kyle's got some yummy stuff going on in there." She paused at the door and looked at me. "Grace, I won't lie…but I won't volunteer information."
 

"That's all I can ask." I smiled at her before she closed the door and I headed to my bathroom.
 

I assumed Gerald would be the first foot through the door. I was shocked when I heard the lock turn and saw Tanae step through, a purple backpack on her shoulders and an equally purple overnight bag in her hand.
 

I checked the clock. 10:24 am.
 

With a quick rinse under the kitchen faucet, I dried my hands on my apron and headed to the front hall to help her with her bags and to get my self a hug.
 

But the look she shot me—ouch I felt my spine burst into flames. And I knew immediately she'd talk to her father. "It's good to see you, Tanae."
 

She dropped her bag once she reached the top step and put a hand on the banister. "Yeah? Good because you put dad in jail?"
 

"Tanae—I didn't put your father in jail. He did that all by himself."
 

"That's not what he says."
 

"Of course it's not," Kyle said as he came out of the kitchen and April came from down the hall. Harold and Pip looked to the stairs and put their electronic devices down. Neither of them said a word. I figured real life just became more interesting than electronic life. "He's going to blame it on everyone else. It's never his fault."
 

"Hi Kyle," Tanae said to him though she wasn't happy about it. "And you're not always right about him."
 

"Really?" Kyle put his hands on his hips. "When was the last time your father apologized to anyone? Hmm?"
 

"Never." April stepped forward with her arms out. "Hey baby girl. How's my favorite niece?"
 

"I'm your only niece," Tanae said but she managed a smile for her Aunt and gave her a hug.
 

She didn't offer me one. I was getting that old bruised feeling again. Like a rubber ball caught between two well placed tennis rackets. My daughter and my ex-husband.
 

April stepped back. "First off, experience should tell you not to believe everything your father says as cannon. It's not. Never has been, and if we had time and I wanted a Burt bashing session, I could give you a list a half mile long of the things he's said your mother did to you as a baby and none of them would be right. But he said those things to me and Brad to try and make us take his side."
 

"His side for what?"
 

"Tanae, we never knew because we never played the game."
 

Tanae looked around. "Where is Uncle Brad?"
 

Kyle snorted. "He didn't want to bump into your dad in case he crashed the party. I'm thinking getting 8 calls in one night from Dr. Burt Murphy was bad enough."