Spanish Bay (22 page)

“Yeah, we just couldn’t stay away from that bun of yours,” Neil teased and put his hand on Jessica’s tummy.

The horror on her face was all Neil needed to realize what he’d done.

“Shit, shit, shit! I’m so sorry, Jess. I didn’t mean to blow your cover.”

“Blow what?” Chris looked at them, obviously oblivious to the conversation, despite standing right next to them.

“Nothing. Your husband just said I was getting fat!” Jessica laughed, having caught herself and watched as Chris scolded Neil.

“My sister isn’t fat. How can you say something like that?”

Neil was still in shock from almost having given away Jessica’s big secret. “I did not. I’m sorry, Jess. That’s not what I meant!” He looked at her like a puppy after a bath as Chris lifted him into the driver’s seat of the car.

“Don’t worry, Neil. Already forgotten. So, where do we go? Home or to see Ms. Taylor?”

“The latter, I guess,” Chris said. “I want to know what this is all about.”

“Social services it is, then,” said Jessica and sped off.

***

“Thank you for coming here on such short notice,” Ms. Taylor began as they sat down in a conference room. “I know this is very inconvenient for you so close to the end of the school year. But as you can appreciate, this is important.”

Chris sighed. “Any news on Alexandra? Or her husband?”

Ms. Taylor shook her head. “I’m afraid not. We have learned that she’s emptied a bank account in her name, withdrawing considerable funds. Her husband was quite furious when he found out about it.”

“He didn’t know about the inheritance?”

“Apparently not. She had opened a separate account in her name, and when she closed it and withdrew all the money, the bank found it prudent to inform her husband. We don’t know how much there was left, but my guess would be that your sister doesn’t intend to be found.”

Neil shook his head at the news. “But why now? I mean, she’s had the money for years. Why hide it from Skip? Why didn’t she leave back when she first got the money?”

“Your guess is as good as ours, Neil. Maybe she had to wait for a good opportunity, or something came up unexpectedly, or maybe she’d finally had enough? Without asking her directly, I guess we’ll never know. What we do know, however, is that her husband is in some serious trouble, and the farther away from him we get those kids, the better. No offense, Miss Miller,” she addressed Jessica, “but that is the reason why we didn’t contact you. Your brother-in-law owes a Mexican drug cartel big money, and we know from previous cases that they don’t always shy away from family in their search for leverage, revenge or punishment.”

Jessica nodded. “I understand, and to be quite honest, I’m not sure if I’m up to raising three kids anyway, not with my own underway.” She blushed and looked away.

Chris almost jumped out of the chair. “You’re what?” He turned to look at Neil. “Did you know about this?”

“Take it easy, bro. I was going to tell you tonight. I’m past the first trimester now, and all looks good.”

Chris was all smiles. “I’m not angry with you.” He looked at Neil and added, “We’ll talk about this later.”

“No, you won’t,” Jessica interjected. “I specifically forbade him to talk to you about this. I only told him because I had to talk to someone, and you know how Jack is. He’d lock me up in my room and make sure I didn’t work. I need to talk to someone reasonable.”

Chris looked stupefied. “And I’m not all that?”

Jessica put her hand on his and smiled. “No, Chris, you’re my brother, too. You would’ve told Jack.”

“Ouch!”

Ms. Taylor gave them a moment longer before continuing, “We would like you to take responsibility for the kids. Take them to California, raise them as your own. I know this is a big thing to ask of you, but you’ve already proven with Frank that you are more than capable. These kids may be damaged—psychologically, emotionally—from having grown up in a broken home, but from what I gather they’re smart, they’re strong and they’re really good kids who deserve a second chance. They should be with family, learn about their heritage, their history. If we put three kids through the system, they’ll be separated and end up in different families. We don’t want that for them. Do you?”

Chris looked down at the table, for a second lost in his thoughts. “I need to process this. I mean, of course we want to help. Of course we don’t want them to be separated. But are you aware of how this affects our family? Financially? We’d need a new house and a bigger income, if we’re to feed and clothe another three children. Can we take a little time to think about it and discuss it?”

“Of course, Chris. You can expect an allowance from the city, to help you with your task. As a foster parent, you’re entitled to considerable subsidies, and with three kids, you won’t have to worry about the financial aspects, but yes, I am sure you would probably have to find more spacious living arrangements, if you’re to double the size of your family overnight.”

***

That night, dinner at the ranch house was a quiet affair. Jessica and Jack had moved out of their old house and into the Murphy home. It was a lot bigger and in much better shape, and it was the heart of the new Double J Ranch. Their old family house had been completely renovated as staff quarters for ranch and stable hands.

“You’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me? Your own brother? How could you not tell me this? You’re out there, working every day, long hours. You could hurt yourself. I won’t allow it.” Jack was upset.

“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you, and you’re not going to do this to me. This is the very reason why I’m not getting married. I won’t allow any man to run my life, tell me what to do and when. I’m old enough to look after myself, and when I feel that my pregnancy interferes with my work, you’ll be the first to know. But for now, this is none of your business.” Jessica was getting worked up.

“See, she’s already hormonal,” Chris joked. “You better stay clear… Ouch!” A fist in his shoulder shut him up.

“Don’t, Chris, this is not a joking matter,” Neil said— the owner of the fist. “If we’re to raise Alexandra’s kids, you better not treat the girls differently than little Andrew or Frank!”

Chris blushed. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“Instead, let’s focus on how we can make this happen,” Neil suggested and looked around the table.

“Well, if you guys need money, we can help you,” Jack said. “The ranch is doing great, we’re having an amazing harvest this year, and the stables are doing very well. So money isn’t the issue.”

Jessica nodded. “Please, let us help you. After all, if it hadn’t been for you guys—” she pointed around the room “—this would never have happened.”

“Well, you can thank Junior for that, not me. I just had the talk with Steve.”

“Exactly. That was very brave, and it was the beginning of all of this.”

Neil had a different idea. “We could tap into Frank’s inheritance, too. At least as a loan. There’s more money there than he needs to go to college. Besides,” he said to Chris, “he also owns a stake in the ranch. That’s got to be worth something, right?”

Chris thought about it for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t like taking Frank’s money. Not one bit. It just feels wrong, you know?”

“Honestly, bro,” Jack said, “you can be a bit slow sometimes. It’s not like we’re proposing you steal the money and go to Vegas. If you take some money from us and you take some money from Frank’s account to buy a better home, a larger home, won’t he enjoy that, too? He’s only twelve and will live with you for quite a few more years, and if you do it properly and openly, I don’t see any problems with that. It’s not like the money Steve left him won’t last for at least ten college educations.”

“I know, but still.” Chris remained unhappy.

“Chris,” Jessica said gently, putting her hand on his. “Remember how you gave up your inheritance to help us? Remember how Junior gave up years of saved-up paychecks to help us pay off Alexandra? Well, now we and Frank can help you. We’re family. We can afford to help you, and those kids deserve a fighting chance, a better life, don’t they?”

Neil looked at his husband and could see the conflict—wanting to do the right thing for the children and Frank, but wanting to do so the proper way. Finally, it seemed as if he’d reached a decision.

“What’s your take, Neil? I mean, you and I have joint custody over Frank. This is as much your decision as it is mine.”

“I hear all of you, and you all make good and valid points. But maybe we don’t need any loans to buy a house. Think about it, we won’t need the apartment anymore. We can sell it, or rent it. We will get money from the city. I just graduated, I can get a job, too. Can’t we just see what the financial situation looks like for a new home before we get all wound up over potentially nothing?”

Chris nodded. “You’re right, as always.” He leaned over and kissed Neil. “I remember we had that same conversation last fall, when we finally bought Sally’s. In the end, the bank was more than happy to help us, and we never had to tap into Frank’s money then, either. Speaking of Sally’s, maybe we should give Samantha a call. If I’m not mistaken, Sally’s house is still on the market. Who knows, maybe we could make her an offer? As I recall, that house is real nice, and it overlooks the bay.”

And so it was decided that they would contact Samantha about the house and wouldn’t worry about money until it was time to cross that particular bridge. There was never any discussion about taking the kids to California. That was a given from the get go. When Neil went to bed that night, he thought back on the conversation, pleased with himself and the family he had, how their love for each other always prevailed. It had been a difficult lesson to learn for the Miller kids, forged together by the circumstances of their parents’ early death. For Neil, it had been quite the opposite. He was close to his family for very different reasons: the unconditional love his parents had showered him and Phil with, all their life.

The next morning was hectic. They called Ms. Taylor to set up a meeting and sign all the paperwork, which had to be submitted to the courts for consideration, ruling and filing. They also had to go and pick up the kids, who barely recognized their aunt and uncles after all these years. They were very quiet when they exited the van at the ranch house, where they would spend a couple of days until the paperwork was in order and they were allowed to leave the state and fly to their new home in California. The oldest of the kids, Julie, was eleven—almost the same age as Frank—and she was curious about surfing and surfer boys, and Neil gave Chris a look of “we’ll need to watch this one closely.” Her younger brother, Andrew, was ten and seemed very shy. Lucy—the youngest at nine—was also shy, but between the three children, there were some questions they had about their parents, though they had few answers to offer their relatives. They didn’t know why their mother had left, and there was little sentimentality as to leaving their father behind.

That night, Neil called home to update his parents. This time, neither Joe nor Sarah had put up a fight when Neil had told them about the call from Ms. Taylor and the fact that he and Chris may take in three more kids. Instead, they were proud that their son was taking this step, having learned over the past five years just how responsible he and Chris were in looking after Frank, raising him to be such an amazing person.

“Hey, Dad! We picked up the kids this afternoon. I get the impression they might be in shock.” He went on to tell his dad about Julie’s interest in the surfer boys, and had to laugh at the prospect, well aware of the stereotype of the worried and overprotective father. “I think Chris and I are going to have our hands full, especially if she’s anything like her mother.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine, son. So when are you coming home?”

“We were hoping this Friday afternoon on the flight from Denver. Could you guys come and pick us up? We’ll have quite some luggage with us. All the kids’ clothing and stuff.”

“Sure thing, son. Have you thought about the living arrangements?”

“For now, we’ll have them bunk in the living room. You haven’t heard of any houses on the market, have you?”

“Well, there’s always something out there, but you know what it’s like, if you’re pressed for time. It won’t be cheap. I’ll have a look around and let’s talk about it when you get back home. Maybe Frank can come and stay with us for a while if you need space?”

“I don’t know, Dad. I’d rather not have this affect him negatively. If anything, we’ll give up our room for the girls and camp out with Andy. We’ll figure it out. See you Friday, then. Give Mom a hug for me, will ya?”

***

Returning to California was chaotic, and Neil wondered more than once if they’d done the right thing. Lucy cried the entire flight from Lubbock to Denver, saying she was missing her mommy, eliciting more than one stare from other passengers. Andy was upset because he wasn’t allowed to sit by the window and Julie was ranting about how she hated middle seats, despite having never flown before. When they had to wait to disembark in Denver because Neil’s chair didn’t magically appear, Andy made a comment about having to live with a cripple that nearly broke Neil’s heart.
Honeymoon over for us
, he thought and steeled himself for a challenging start to their new life.

When they finally got to the airport, Joe was there with Grandma Sue.

“Hey, where’s Mom?”

“She’s at the house with Frank. We’ve had an idea, Sue and I, and we think you might like it…”

“Oh, what’s this all about?” Chris asked, ushering his two nieces and nephew into the van.

On the drive south from San José, Sue explained. “When Sarah called to tell me about the addition to your family, we talked about the need for a bigger place for you guys. We discussed that maybe you could move into Joe and Sarah’s house, now that Phil is gone, but since it’s two story with no elevator, that would’ve been challenging. Besides, Sarah still wants Phil to be able to come home to his room, and I understand that. I never cleaned out Sarah’s room after she moved out, even though she almost lives around the block. That’s when it really hit me. You should come and live in my house. There’s plenty of space, it’s one story so you won’t need an elevator, and it has three bedrooms, and the master bathroom is en suite. I mean, it’s perfect, once you adjust the master bedroom for your chair, Neil.”