Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

C yrus was sitting on the porch, sipping iced tea when Faye whipped her rented Mercedes AMG SL into the driveway.

He wondered how she managed to avoid the police wearing that big-ass church hat and aviator glasses. There was no way she could see out of the review window. Her hat almost fell off as she struggled to get out of the car. Inwardly, Cyrus laughed.

He thought to himself, My damn sister .

Faye dripped wealth and looked out of place in the driveway of his modest three-bedroom home. However, she got it together, righted herself, and you would have thought Cyrus’s sidewalk was a Paris Fashion Week runway. The woman could have earned money with that strut.

Cyrus sighed. “Too bad she didn’t use her gifts for good.”

Most people wouldn’t have suspected that she was flat-out broke, but Cyrus knew the truth, especially since he’d had to wire her large sums of money. He loved his younger sister, but she tended to blow into town quickly, stay a short while, and leave a mess in her wake for him to clean up. He hoped this time would be different. No, Cyrus was determined to make sure this time would be different. He’d always been a big old softy when it came to Faye, but this visit, Cyrus planned to drop some tough love.

He didn’t say a word as she walked up the pathway toward him.

“Hey there! What are you doing out here?” Faye feigned excitement.

“Haven’t really had a chance to sit out on the porch and enjoy this weather.”

Faye swatted at a bug. “It’s too humid for me. My hair is a mess. We should go inside.”

Cyrus patted the seat next to him. “Nah, have a seat, and let’s chat.”

Faye walked up the stairs onto the porch and looked at the wicker chair Cyrus pointed to. Her face gave away the game. “You want me to sit my white Prada suit on that?”

“If it’s good enough for me and my dearly departed wife, then it’s good enough for you.” He was firm. “Please, sit down .”

Cyrus had never used that tone with her before. She was kind of shocked, but Faye eased herself into the chair.

He cut to the chase. “What’s going on? Why are you back in East Moline?”

“I told you. I haven’t been home in a while and thought I’d check in on the girls.”

The look he gave Faye said more than words could, but Cyrus tried anyway. “Bullshit. You hate it here and couldn’t wait to get on the first plane out as soon as you could. You’ve barely come back for weddings and funerals. You need money?”

If clutching pearls were a person, it would have been Faye. “Cyrus, don’t be so crass.”

“Don’t be so boujee. You can drop the act. It’s just us here.”

Faye couldn’t hold his gaze and looked out into the yard. “You didn’t even offer me a drink before insulting me.”

Cyrus checked his watch. “I’m on the clock.”

Frustrated, Faye sighed. “If you must know, I came home to regroup and get my thoughts together.”

Cyrus took a sip of his tea. “Mmmhmm. How long is that going to take, and how much is it going to cost?”

Faye sat up on the edge of the chair. “You’re acting like you don’t want me here. If you don’t, I can go.”

“Go where? Where do you have to go?”

“I have other places I can be. I just wanted to be close to family.”

Cyrus stared at her for a long time. “Look, let me just make it plain. Lila showed up here running from something. But since she’s been here, she’s been thriving. She is in a good place, finishing up her degree, and seems to be getting her head on straight. Don’t go messing that up and interfering in her life.”

Faye waved him off. “A degree? At her age? C’mon. She’s wasting her time. She needs to be practical and secure her future.”

“Her age? Lila is still young.”

“You wouldn’t understand. You’re a man! Youth is currency.”

“And that has worked out so well for you, did it?”

“Cyrus!”

Cyrus sat up on the edge of his chair. “Faye. I’m not going to let you mess that girl’s head up. Lila is beautiful, but she is also smart, funny, fun, and thoughtful. She’s not even thirty years old. Give her room to make her own decisions.”

“You didn’t say that about Colby.”

“You think I would choose NASCAR for her? Well, let me tell you something. I wouldn’t. I would have chosen any other profession. But like a good parent, you nurture your children’s God-given talents and hope their choices will be better than the ones you made for yourself. But you wouldn’t know anything about that because you’ve always put yourself first. You’ve been so busy running away from who you are and where you come from that you haven’t had time to get to know your own child.”

Faye pulled a handkerchief out of her purse and started dabbing at her eyes. “That’s a horrible thing to say to me.”

Cyrus didn’t see any tears. “Maybe, but it’s true.” His sister had truly missed her calling. “Faye, I love you, and I’ve always protected you but you’re a woman fully grown. Lila and Colby are just getting started in this life, and they need our support. If you came here to suck them dry or, in any way, take from them, you’ve got to go. You cannot stay here. Do I make myself clear?”

“Is that what you really think of me?”

Cyrus didn’t respond to her question and was resolute. “Do I make myself clear?”

She nodded. “Perfectly.”

A black SUV pulled up behind Faye’s car and honked the horn. Cyrus softened his tone. “There’s some left-over lasagna in the fridge and a list of information you need to know on the counter.”

Faye was still smarting from her brother’s words but couldn’t hide her curiosity. “Who is that woman in the car?”

Cyrus stood and lovingly placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got a date.” He winked. “See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yep. You’ve got my room.” As he climbed down the stairs, he stopped mid-stride and turned around. “Things have gotten pretty hairy around these parts.” He pointed toward two cars parked across the street. “That’s Hank and Tony. Security. They will always be posted there. Make sure you close and lock the doors when you leave, and the security code to park your car in the garage is on the list.”

“Security? Why do you need that?”

“The last time you called, I told you things were different around here. Colby is high-profile. That comes with a lot more attention and some craziness.”

Faye frowned. “Why not just move into a more secure neighborhood? It’s not like you can’t afford it.”

Cyrus shook his head. His sister could be so insensitive. “I don’t know, maybe because I have a lot of history here and don’t want to move.” He turned and started walking back toward the SUV.

Faye rose from her chair and yelled out after him, “Maybe I’m not the only one who needs to realize that their children are grown.”