surprised. The moment she saw him curled up with the blonde, drug paraphernalia on the nightstand, the fairy tale had ended. Abruptly.
And forever.
Heâd begged and pleaded, told her it meant nothing, that it was something he did for stress. She was shocked and sickened at his cavalier attitude. The diseases he had exposed her to were too much to contemplate. Sheâd walked out there and then, and had never looked back.
After that the threats began. He said she would rue the day sheâd left him. Funny, she never had. She just regretted the day sheâd met him.
Allowing him access to Dillon was the hardest thing sheâd ever had to do. One of his high-priced attorneys made sure it happened. Now she had to deal with Phil for the rest of her life.
She worried about all the bad influences Dillon was exposed to while in Philâs care. Thatâs why she had to make sure this custody attempt was shut down quickly. But for now, she was stuck.
Waiting.
âDo you live with your mother?â
That voice. She was beginning to really like Quinnâs smooth, confident voice. The kind that made a woman for get she had morals. Made her forget her distrust of men. And made her forget her dire situation. Sheâd never met any one who was so easy to talk to.
âNo. I live in Austin. My grandmother lives with my mom, and sheâs a handful.â
âYour grandmother is?â His eyes twinkled.
âSheâs had a lot of sadness in her life and itâs hardened her. She doesnât take crap from anyone.â
âSo sheâs an angry old woman?â He ran a hand around the collar of his shirt to loosen the drying mud.
âSheâs hard-nosed about a lot of things. Itâs not easy to explain.â Britt gazed into the distance. âOne October her neighbors made a Halloween scene on their lawn with hay, pumpkins and ghosts. My grandmother said part of it was on her property, and she asked them to remove it. They didnât, so she set fire to it.â
He laughed. âYouâre kidding.â
âNo.â Britt shook her head. âThe neighbors called the cops and they contacted my mother. To keep my grandmother out of jail, my mom paid for the damages, but never told Onnie. Thatâs what I call my grandmother.â
âDoes she do things like that often?â
âYes, and itâs very frustrating for my mom. The last episode was the straw that broke the camelâs back, so to speak. Onnie always has a big garden in her backyard, and she does a lot of canning. Two years ago she said her neighbor, not the same one, was stealing her tomatoes. My mom told her she just forgets sheâs picked them, but Onnie wouldnât believe that for a second.â
âWhat did she do?â
Britt didnât miss the laughter in Quinnâs voice. That was not the usual effect Onnie had on people.
Britt shifted into a more comfortable position. âHer uncle Enzo is ninety-two, and he gave her an old World War II pistol for protection after my grandfather died. Iâm not sure it even has bullets, but Onnie took it over to the neighbors and told them if she caught them in her garden she was going to shoot them. Of course, they called the police about the crazy lady with a gun. My mom thought it was time for Onnie to move, since she wasnât welcome in the neighborhood anymore.â
âSo she moved in with your mother?â
âYes, and it hasnât been easy. Onnie is stubborn, but theyâre managing to get along. At least Mom is keeping her out of trouble.â
The drying mud was becoming uncomfortable. Britt shift ed again to ease the tightness of her jeans. âThese pants are drying like paint, and Iâm never going to be able to remove them.â
âCall me and Iâll come help you.â
She glanced at him, expecting laughter on his face, but there wasnât any. âI never know when youâre