Julianne asked, “How long has he been gone?”
“Ten years. I was sad for a long time. Having Johnny here has been a godsend.”
Johnny walked them to the door. “What next?” he asked in the foyer.
“We make a plan. The first step is to get an interview with OCFS so we can fill out the paperwork for your case. Oh, and I meant to ask, do you still see the kids?”
“I do, but the Craigs don’t like it. Sometimes they’re left alone, though. A teenage girl there is supposed to babysit. But she hardly keeps track of what they’re doin’.”
“Huh. I’ll check with my boss and ask her to find out how they’re being treated.”
“That’d be great.”
Seth leaned against the open door. “One thing, Johnny, that I didn’t tell you. I had an injury and am still working from home. When we meet again, you’ll have to come to my house. I’ll be well enough by the next week to go to the group home to investigate for myself.”
Johnny’s dark eyes widened. “I thought I recognized your name. You’re from Legal Aid. You were stabbed one night.”
“I was. But I’m on the mend. No permanent injury.”
“That musta been awful, Mr. Casella.”
“It was.” Seth extended his hand. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Great. Appreciate this.”
“You’re welcome.”
When they got in the car, Julianne turned to him. “Can you really get those kids for him?”
“I can try. And I think I will.”
“You do good work, Seth.”
“You do, too, Jules.”
Julianne snapped on her seatbelt and started the car. Today was hard for her. She didn’t want to see this Seth. This Seth was the man she’d loved before. Damn, driving him out here was a mistake!
* * *
Seth waited until Julianne stopped the car and turned off the engine. “Wait a sec,” he said when she started to get out. I got a text from Mama. She said to ask you for dinner.”
Unexpectedly, Jules put her forehead down on the wheel, but didn’t respond. After a while, she sat back up and faced him. “I can’t do that.”
“Why, do you have plans?”
“No. I can’t be with you any longer. It hurts and we’re getting close again.”
That was good news. “Hell, Jules, don’t you know what that means?”
“It means I can’t be with you.” Her voice had raised a notch. “I already knew that.”
“No, it means we were meant to get back together.”
“Until you cheat on me with someone else!”
“I learned my lesson.”
“Maybe, but I can’t take the risk. The last time, I thought I’d die. We were planning our fucking wedding.”
Seth went to the dark place inside him when he thought of what he’d actually done to this woman. He drowned in self-deprecation.
“I don’t mean to hurt you. You have a problem and I’ve been the casualty.” She took in a breath. “If you love me, like you say, you’ll leave me alone.”
“I’m so sorry I keep pressuring you.”
“I’ll forgive you for that if you stop.”
He swallowed hard. “I will.”
They got out of the car. “Goodbye, Seth. Good luck with Johnny.”
He walked out of her garage after Julianne rounded the car. She was right. He had to stop hurting her. To do that, he needed to move out of his mother’s place. He was halfway across the lawn, when she came running after him. He turned.
“Seth, I think somebody’s been in my house.”
Chapter 3
* * *
He grabbed her hands. They were shaking. “Give me details.”
“I only went into the kitchen. I left a towel hung over the bar of the oven and it’s gone. One drawer was pulled open. A chair at the table was askew.”
“That’s enough for me. I know how meticulous you are.” He tapped into his phone and waited.
“Gideon Casella.”
“Hey, Gid. I know you don’t patrol anymore, but I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I’m with Julianne.” He told Gideon what happened.
“No offense, Seth, but that’s not exactly a ransacked house.”
“Which is why I didn’t call 911. But she didn’t check the rest of the house. And Gid, Julianne’s fastidious and has an almost photographic memory. If she knows those things were different, they’re different.”
“Who else has a key?”
“Just a sec. Jules, who else has a key?”
“Your mom. And my mom, of course, but she’s in Florida. Can I talk to Gideon?”
He put the phone on speaker. “Hey, Gideon, I know this is below your pay grade, but I also know what condition my kitchen was in when I left. Do you want me to go back and check the other rooms?”
From next to her, he heard his brother’s bellow, “No! Go to Mama’s. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I have to cancel some things.”
“Shit,” Seth said when he disconnected, “I didn’t want Mama to know.”
Julianne sighed. “I know all of you think Carmella’s fragile. But she’s not even that old. And she’s definitely tough.”
“Yeah, I guess. Let’s go over there.” He held out his hand. Her expression was horrified. “Oh, sorry. Habit, I guess.”
They walked across the yard. Before they went into the house, Seth stopped in the garage. “Wait a sec. Doesn’t Jordan have a key?”
Julianne shook her head. “There is no Jordan.”
“I don’t understand. You told me you were serious.”
“So you’d leave me alone.”
“You made up a boyfriend?”
“Yes. You can razz me later about that, but I don’t want you to bring him up to Gideon. It’ll embarrass me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Once inside, they found Carmella at the kitchen table with a dark-haired, dark-eyed boy, who was nearly the spitting image of his father Rafe. Tomaso’s face beamed when he saw Seth. “Uncle Seth. Nana let me make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.”
Carmella shrugged. “I couldn’t see the harm. I’m trying to convince him to let me melt them in a frying pan.” She nodded to Jules. “Hello, dear.”
Tommy smiled at her. “Hey, Julianne.”
Hmm, Seth had never introduced him. “Hey, buddy.” She said to Seth, “We met here before.”
“Ah.” He squatted down so he was eye level with his nephew. “Why doesn’t Nana make a trial pb&j, and you can decide if you like it?” He glanced at his watch. “We can’t eat for a while, Mama. Gideon’s coming over.”
“Here? He’s done with work already?”
They exchanged looks. Seth gave a quick shake of his head.
She got the message. “Tommy, while I fiddle around out here, why don’t you go turn on that movie your father said you could watch today?”