My Lost and Found Life Read Online Free PDF Page A

workbench, with a cell phone pressed to one ear. He raised his eyebrows when he saw me, said something into the phone, and hung up. He was dressed in his usual faded jeans, denim shirt, and shitkicker boots as if he were just off the range from wrestling a few broncos. I always considered his look totally phony—this is California, after all, not Montana.
    Reynaldo was nowhere in sight.
    â€œWell, well, what an honor—a visit from the Duchess,” Phil quipped, leaning back against the workbench with his arms crossed in front of him. “Careful you don’t get those dainty sandals dirty.”
    He always thought it was funny to refer to me as “the Duchess.” I gave him a
Ha, ha, how amusing, you hopeless dork
look.
    â€œHave the cops been to see you?” I said.
    He nodded warily. “Yes, but I couldn’t help them. I haven’t seen Diane much lately.”
    â€œWhat does that mean? The two of you have been a couple for years. Now suddenly you hardly know her?”
    Phil shrugged. “Things kind of tapered off between us.”
    â€œThis is the first I’ve heard of it,” I sneered. “What happened—you dumped her?”
    â€œDuchess, you’re too wrapped up in yourself to notice anyone else,” he shot back. “No, I didn’t dump her.” He gazed down at his hands as if he were studying them. They were big hands, callused and stained.
    â€œYeah, so, if you didn’t dump her, what happened?” I persisted.
    Finally, he looked up and straight into my eyes. “I don’t really know what happened. She never seemed to have time for me. She’s been awfully busy, or at least that’s what she said. I thought maybe she was seeing someone else. Someone at her office.”
    â€œAt her office? Why would you think that? Are you sure you’re not just making excuses because you’re cheating on her?”
    He shot me a hostile look. “Sure, I’m seeing someone else now. But I’m not cheating on anyone. Diane and I are still friends. If anyone did any dumping, it was her. Anyway, our relationship just never went anywhere. You were always more important than me.”
    I ignored that old, tired complaint. Phil had always been jealous, because we both knew I came first with my mother.
    â€œWhy do you think she was seeing someone from her office?”
    â€œShe spent so much time there, late nights and weekends, and she was always talking to someone at work by phone. I saw less and less of her, and when I asked what was going on, she never really answered. I asked her a hundred times to go away with me, just the two of us in my camper. I wanted to go to Oregon or Yosemite or even just to Reno. She always claimed she couldn’t leave you or she was too busy at work. She always made excuses, although...” His voice trailed off.
    â€œAlthough what?” I hissed.
    He didn’t answer me.
    â€œWhat?” I demanded.
    He stared at his hands again. “Although if she were embezzling money, that would explain it. She would have been spending more time at the office, wouldn’t she? Trying to cover her tracks?”
    â€œEmbezzling! My mother—an embezzler? Jesus, Phil, Diane is not some criminal mastermind. You can’t honestly think she’s guilty!”
    â€œI don’t know, Ashley,” he said slowly. “I would never have thought so, but I always did wonder where she got all the money she spent on you and redoing the house and that Mercedes. The two of you spend a lot of money.”
    â€œWe don’t spend any more money than anyone else,” I protested.
    â€œMaybe so, but on a single mother’s salary? She’s a bookkeeper, not a bank president. Most people around here spendthat much because they’re pulling down big bucks in high-powered jobs, with two parents working.”
    I didn’t know what to say. I had never really thought about it. I had no idea