"It's just us, Dean, and we trust you. Who do you suspect?" Trenton quickly asked.
"Well … I really don't have any evidence at this point, but things are pointing toward Jack," he said with hesitancy.
Dean was a good man. He didn't want to falsely accuse anyone without proof. He knew each of the men who worked there, depended on their paychecks to support their families. He didn't want to be responsible for an innocent man getting fired.
"We'll do a thorough investigation before we throw out any hard-core accusations. I have a feeling you're right, though. I've had my doubts about him the past year. Too many mistakes, too many accusations from the men. He's been close to losing his job for a while now, anyway," Austin said.
"Let's go to the office and start going through the files," Trenton said. They began walking through the plant together, getting stopped several times as employees asked them questions.
"Okay, now spill. What's eating you?"
"Damn, Trenton, you're in a mood."
"My mood isn't the problem. What's causing the circles under your eyes?"
"None of your business."
"You know, I'm not going to lay off, so you may as well tell me," Trenton insisted.
Austin let out a long-suffering sigh. He loved his family, but sometimes they were a royal pain in the ass.
"Kinsey," he finally said. His brother busted up laughing as they entered the small office. Austin felt like slugging him.
"Thanks, Austin. I needed that. With all this stress in my life, I can certainly count on you to lighten the mood."
"Glad I could help," Austin snarled.
"Okay, if brotherly love time is over, we have work to do," Dean said, but Austin noticed the corners of his lips twitching. It looked like his love life, or lack thereof, was great entertainment for all the people around him.
It was times like this when he missed his mother the most. He could go sit with her and visit, let his worries wash away, and she wouldn't interrogate him, or mock. She'd just be the person she always was.
Loving and understanding.
Chapter Five
"Joseph, I know you can hear me deep down inside. You deserve to catch up on your sleep, so you go ahead and rest as long as you need to. Just as long as you remember to come back to me," Katherine whispered as she lay next to him in his hospital bed.
The staff had long ago given up on trying to keep her from him. They'd just adjusted a few of his monitors so she wouldn't get snagged on anything.
"You've certainly earned some rest. You're supposed to be retired, but you can't keep yourself from butting into our sons business. I may not have been saying anything to you these last few years, but I know all about you meddling in our kids' lives. I haven't complained too much because I like the end results. How could I not? I now have three beautiful daughters, along with the world's greatest grandchildren. Plus, we now have George back home and our family continues to grow. I wouldn't be admitting any of this to you if you were awake, but I've never been happier in my life," Katherine continued speaking. Her voice caught with her last sentence as tears slipped down her face.
Seeing her larger-than-life husband lying so still in the sterile bed caused a bigger ache each day he didn't wake up. The doctors kept telling her the same thing – only time will tell.
If she heard that one more time, she may forget all about her southern roots of being raised a lady, and accidentally slap one of them.
She missed her husband.
She missed her best friend.
Another tear slowly fell as she gently stroked his face.
So handsome.
Even in his sixties, he was stunning, the most beautiful man she'd ever known. Her mind drifted as she remembered those early days and how close she'd come to walking away from him.
"Mom, are you okay?" Lucas asked as he stepped into the room. His brows were furrowed in worry. She didn't want to upset the kids. She normally made sure to put on a positive mask so they didn't stop living their lives. Joseph wouldn't want that.
Everything he did was for his children. He wanted them happy and successful, not brooding or worrying about him.
"Oh, I'm fine, Lucas. I was just speaking to your father about the day we met," she answered as she sat up slowly. It took her a few moments longer these days to get to her feet. Lucas rushed over to help her.
"I've never heard about how you met. Would you tell us about it?" Amy shyly asked.
"Bless your heart, Amy, but that's a long story," Katherine said with a smile.
"I want to hear, too," Jessica said as she stepped inside the room with Alex.
"Agreed. I think it's the perfect time to learn about the beginning of a great love story," Emily added as she walked inside on Mark's arm.