“Kara Marie Wilmington, watch your mouth.” Claudia touched her pearls. “Jason is a good man. I know this.”
Kara wondered about Jace and the whole drastic shift to embracing a biker lifestyle. Was all this a masquerade for some greater purpose?
“What is he involved with, Mom? What aren’t you telling me?”
Claudia shook her head. “I don’t know, and it’s not my place to say if I did. I’m sure he’s under tremendous pressure now to find Dylan.”
“He’s under pressure? Mom, Dylan is my cousin. Dylan stole from me. Jace belongs to a criminal biker gang and helped in the theft. I’m going to find Dylan.”
Her mother’s smile slipped. “You cannot. It’s too dangerous. I’m sure this is why Jason brought you here, to keep you safe.”
“Don’t you see?” Kara grabbed her mother’s hands. “It’s my fault he got into this mess. He had a good life when he lived near us, when Conner was his best friend. He was happy and his parents were together. It wasn’t until after...he got messed up and needed help his father refused to give him. He’s a good kid at heart and if not for me...because of...”
“Because of the accident?” Moisture glistened in Claudia’s blue eyes. Blue like her own. Like Conner’s had been.
“Kara, it was an accident. You didn’t know Conner was hiding in the back of the car. It’s more my fault... I knew how mischievous he was and how you were itching to take out the car. We should have taken the keys, removed temptation. I should have...I should have known. Conner loved that car, too. He wanted to ride in it as well.”
Claudia’s voice dropped to a whisper. “We spoiled him too much. He was too used to getting his way.”
Kara’s mouth opened and closed. All these years, her mother hadn’t mentioned the accident, hadn’t ever shared how she felt.
“Mom, I drove the car. I was responsible.”
“You were a headstrong teenager, honey. A teenager with a new car she was anxious to test out. It was an accident.”
“I should never have taken the car out.”
“We should have taken the keys with us when we left. It was too tempting. I’ve tried to shield you since then...how I wish the world were kinder and I could keep you from every harm. We’ve tried, we’ve tried so hard, but sometimes it isn’t possible. I worry constantly about you.”
Now, two huge tears slipped down her mother’s cheeks. For the first time, Kara noticed she was showing her age. She’d always thought of Claudia as timeless, as strong as a towering rock. Cracks showed in that rock now, cracks Claudia hadn’t displayed to her previously.
Suddenly, she understood the reason for her mother’s helicopter parenting. It wasn’t that her mother thought she was incapable of making wise choices.
Her mother didn’t want her to make a wrong choice that might result in Kara getting hurt.
“I know you didn’t blame me, Mom. So please, don’t blame yourself. It was an accident. Please, don’t worry about me anymore. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself now.” Kara slid her arms around her mother.
For a few moments, they clung to each other until Kara sensed Jace approaching. She stepped free of Claudia’s embrace and wiped her face as Claudia slipped away, presumably to gather her lost composure.
Her mother never cried in front of anyone. Not even when Conner died. The display of vulnerability troubled Kara, and yet she was glad for it, feeling it had brought them closer together.
I am not alone in my grief.
Jace opened and shut the slider. His quick gaze darted to the tear tracks on Claudia’s face as her mother entered the living room.
He headed for the kitchen, ignoring her mother’s obvious distress. “Lucy, that omelet is calling my name.”
“It’s ready, Mr. Jace,” Lucy told him.
Like old times, Jace slid onto a stool at the kitchen island. Never one for formality, unless the occasion called for it, he blended in well with so many situations. For the first time, she wondered about that and her mother’s odd mention of a background check.
And that mysterious mention of an assignment. Kara sat on the stool next to Jace, as he dug into his meal with gusto, praising Lucy’s cooking and making her flush with pleasure.
He glanced at her. “Want to get in on this? It’s a huge omelet.”
“I’m not hungry, thank you.”
Jace shrugged. “Missing out here.”
Missing out on more than food? She began chatting with Lucy in casual Spanish, asking about her teenaged daughter, who was preparing for her fifteenth birthday and the quinceañera celebration to honor the occasion.
Kara glanced at Jace. “Sorry to speak in Spanish in front of you. We were talking about her daughter’s quinceañera.”
Jace replied in Spanish, “I know what it is. My boss Rafe’s niece is celebrating her quinceañera soon.”
Her jaw nearly dropped. “Since when do you speak Spanish?”
Jace’s mouth quirked in a quick, mysterious smile. “Since about ten years ago.”
“You knew Spanish the whole time we were together? I never knew!”
A guarded look came over him. “Maybe there’s a lot you don’t know about me, Kara.”
Pieces of the mosaic were beginning to fit together. “I see. Such as this boss of yours. I thought Lance was your boss, since he owns the garage where you work as a mechanic.”
Busy polishing off his omelet, Jace didn’t answer. He downed his coffee, wiped his face and thanked Lucy in English as he placed his plate and mug into the sink. Then he dropped a quick kiss on her cheek.
“You’re the best,” he said, and Lucy beamed.
