"Caryn?" James asked.
She'd been staring at one of the last pictures she'd taken of her husband. What a waste, Paul. What a total waste.
"I'd like to take you out to dinner," James said, breaking into her consciousness.
She turned to look at him, this man who'd been a part of her life without being a part of her life for so many years. His strength was evident-physically and mentally. If he were anyone other than who he was, she would go after him-no, she would let him come after her. She smiled a little at the old-fashioned thought. But he was who he was.
Still, she needed to know the man who would hold a starring role in her son's life.
And she had to eat, didn't she?
Nine
"Where have you been?" Kevin demanded from the top of the stairs when James and Caryn returned from dinner later.
"We got a bite to eat," James said easily, before Caryn jumped into the fray and an argument ensued. Everyone was tense enough already, and Kevin's tone of voice indicated his readiness to let off some steam.
"You didn't leave me a note," he said, glaring at his mother.
"I figured we'd be back before you knew we were gone," Caryn said, moving past him. "How'd the interview go?"
James saw him relax, the abrupt change typical of a teenager.
"I got the job."
"Honey, that's wonderful!"
"Yeah. I'll just be doing stuff like cleaning up, but they'll give me more to do as I prove myself. I start tomorrow. I'll be working a lot of nights, and if nothing much is happening, I can do homework." He looked at James. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. I use that range, so I'll probably run into you now and then."
"You carry?"
"I was a bounty hunter for twenty years. I'm a P.I. now. What do you think?"
"I figure you don't trust anyone."
"Pretty close." They moved into the living room and were seated. He'd intended to just drop Caryn off and leave, but he didn't want to lose the opportunity to spend time with both of them. "How'd you do on going through your father's papers?"
"I can't believe how much crap he saved. I don't think he threw out anything."
"So, it's going to take you a while to sort it?"
"Yeah. Especially now that I've got a job, too. But I'll get it done," he added in a rush. "You don't need to do anything."
"I hadn't planned on offering."
"Okay. Well, I'm trying to put it in piles as I go. I think a lot of it can be tossed. He even saved utility bills from when he and Mom first got married. Crazy."
"I'm going to get a glass of water," Caryn said, standing. "Can I get either of you something to drink?"
James and Kevin shook their heads. James knew his unspoken assignment. He and Caryn had talked about it over plates of spaghetti and meatballs. He was supposed to ask about Venus. He waited until Caryn was out of sight, then he leaned forward and said quietly, "So, what's with you and Venus? Got something going?"
Kevin didn't answer. James figured he'd made a huge tactical error, which Kevin then confirmed. He leaned back, crossing an ankle over a thigh. "That's really none of your business, is it?"
How could he backpedal out of this one? "No. Not at all. I just noticed something between you and was curious."
For a moment Kevin looked as if he would give in and ask a question, then he changed his mind. "Actually, Emmaline gave me some hints."
So much for getting closer to the boy. At least his mother had. One step in the right direction.
"Venus did ask about you, though," Kevin said.
"Asked what?"
Caryn returned with her water.
"She wanted to know how long ago Mom and you had dated, 'cause she didn't think Mom had dated at all since Dad died."
James studied Caryn, whose expression gave away nothing.
"What did you tell her?" Caryn asked.
"Nothing."
"Good," Caryn said. "Because all I told her was that I'd dated James a couple of times right after we moved here but that it hadn't worked out. I didn't meet Venus until she was hired at GGC, a month ago."
"I did sorta let it slip that you're a P.I.," he added.
"Why did you do that?" Caryn asked. "You shouldn't have-"
"It's okay," James interrupted. "It doesn't matter." It did matter, but he didn't need Kevin feeling guilty about it. Like most people, Kevin found James's occupation fascinating. James didn't blame him for letting it spill to Venus.
He decided it was time to leave. "I think I'll head home," he said, standing.
Caryn stopped him. "I was hoping you could tell us about how you knew Paul."
She'd asked him at dinner, but they had decided to include Kevin in the conversation. "Okay, sure." He sat. "We met in high school. We played football together. I can't say we were best friends-we ran with different crowds most of the time-but we got along. We became better friends when we started college and found we were both criminal justice majors. Like you," James added with a smile at Kevin.
"Except my dad didn't do anything with his degree."
"What are your plans?"
"I don't know for sure. Cop, maybe. Lawyer. Who knows?"
A P.I., perhaps? James didn't ask the question. "In March of our sophomore year, my father's best friend was arrested for attempted murder. My dad believed his friend, also a cop, was innocent, that he'd been set up. Dad posted bail and secured it with his own house as collateral. The guy skipped. It was pretty humiliating for my dad, not to mention what it did to him financially."
"You went after the guy," Kevin said, as if knowing exactly how James felt at the time-angry for his father.
"Yeah. And I talked your dad into going with me, although it didn't really take much talking. We didn't tell our families what we were doing. Stupid." He shook his head at the memory. "But that's what we were, young and stupid. We made huge, amateur mistakes, except that we did locate him after two weeks of hunting him. Trouble was, this guy was not only smarter and more experienced than us, of course, he had more motivation for not being caught."
"He really was guilty of the attempted murder?" Kevin asked.
"Yes. And only sorry that he hadn't been successful."
"You and Paul didn't call anyone when you located him, did you," Caryn said, certainty in her voice. "Not your dad. Not the local police. You went after him yourself."
"We figured we could handle him. Two against one. You know. The invincibility of youth."
"And the felon had years of cop training behind him," she said, guessing. "And probably a gun."
James nodded. "I went after him first, and got shot in the shoulder. Paul lunged. He knocked the gun away. They fought. During the fight-" James looked at Caryn, then straight at Kevin "-your dad took a blow to the crotch."
"He was shot … there?" Horror filled Kevin's eyes and voice.
"Not shot. Guy kicked him, with steel-toed boots. Still Paul managed to knock him out before passing out from the pain. I tied the guy up with our belts, then called the cops. We were in Nevada, which complicated everything. There was the extradition back to California, not to mention how much trouble we were in from our parents and the local authorities and the San Francisco authorities and the bounty hunter sent to find the guy. He would've, too, within the hour."
"So," Caryn said carefully, "you gave your sperm as payback for him helping you?"
"Because the injury he received caused bleeding, which resulted in permanent damage to the sperm production mechanism-and because it was my fault he was there to begin with. He never told you that?"
"He only said he was infertile."
"Too much information," Kevin said, putting his hands over his ears, shoving himself up. "I gotta go."
He flew down the stairs. The door shut with a solid thud. A long silence ensued. "Maybe we should've talked first, after all," James said. "You could've told me what to tell and what not to."
"He needed to hear it. I hope knowing how headstrong you and Paul were, and the results, will make him think twice before he takes any chances himself."
"Yet you don't want to tell him the truth about Paul's gambling."
"That's different." She stared toward the stairway. "I forgot to ask more about his visit with your mother."
"I stopped by to see her before I came here. She said they had a terrific time together, that Kevin was 'very sweet.'"