Page 43 of Keystrokes and Kittens

“She might not answer an unknown number either.”

“Maybe.” Desiree gestured impatiently.

I took her phone and entered Quinta’s number. After I handed the phone back, Desiree made the call.

“Hey, sweetheart. It’s Desiree. How are you?”

“No. No. No—” She squinted. “Your uncle is just fine. He’s in the office.” She glared.

I glared back.

She gestured for me to shoo.

Finally, at length, I decided to leave. As hard as that was, perhaps Quinta would be more forthright with Desiree? And what if she was having some kind of trouble? My mind raced at the possibilities. Even as I tucked my lunch into the fridge next to the prior day’s, I tried to tamp down the panic I always felt when I thought of my niece hundreds of miles away. In a big city. With all the things that might go wrong.

I’d spent half a year in Los Angeles for my first year of college. I’d been so relieved to return home—only to catastrophically lose most of my family just a few days later. I never considered going back. Not once. Not just because I needed to stay and take care of Quinta. No. I stayed because I wasn’t a big-city guy. Hartsville was as big as I wanted to get. If I had a choice, I’d probably pick Foggy Basin because the town was even smaller.

Quainter.

And none of these ruminations were getting work done. Because I needed to be distracted until—

“You can come out now, Sam.”

I hustled through the office door and out into the store.

Desiree was pocketing her phone. “So, I have some news.”

I pressed a hand to my sternum. “How bad?”

She blinked. “Sorry. Not bad. Not bad at all. Just…well…”

“Spit it out. Better I find out now sooner than later. I can cope with just about anything—if I know what it is.”

Slowly, Desiree nodded. “She’s met a man. He’s twenty-six and a graduate student and—”

“He’s too old for her. She’s barely nineteen. She’s a child. Hell, she isn’t even legal to drink, and—”

“Sam.”

Said sharply enough to stop me in my tracks. “Uh, yeah?”

“Quinta is a very mature young woman. Laurent is doing his PhD in molecular and medical pharmacology. He wants to be a professor and a researcher. I didn’t understand all that Quinta was saying—but it was what she wasn’t saying that really mattered.”

I cocked my head.

“She’s over-the-moon in love with him.” Desiree’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, young love.”

“Emphasis onyoung. She’s barely a woman. Hell, she’s still a teenager.”

“And she’s legal, Sam. Not only that, but she’s mature beyond her years. We both know that. She’s been through so very much—you both have. It’s a credit to you that she has such a great head on her shoulders. She’s got the wherewithal to make difficult choices.”

“Choices?” The word came out a little softly.

“She wants to stay in LA for the summer. She got a job in the lab—not working for her boyfriend—but for another researcher. If she’s careful, then she has enough to live off of.”

“I can send her money.” I scrambled, in my mind, to put the pieces together. I had her banking information—I sent her money every month to help with living expenses. Her parents’ life insurance policy remained untouched because I wanted her to have that when she was ready to buy a house. To set down roots. We were managing to keep up with her schooling expenses with scholarships and my salary and—

“Stop.” Desiree rolled her eyes. “I can see that mind of yours working. She doesn’t want your money. In fact, what she wants is your blessing to move into an apartment with her boyfriend at the end of the summer. She wants you to be okay with her staying in LA.”