Page 29 of Wishing for Love

“Janet has two kids. Do I want more kids to not have a mother in their life? She has to live with this guilt.”

“She does and it’s not your concern either, but you have to think of Elsie’s future.”

“Don’t talk like a lawyer and tell me to sue her,” he said. “Dad.”

“I’m not telling you to do that and I wouldn’t. That woman and her family are going to go broke with legal bills as it is. But...she has auto insurance for a reason. I’ve done enough of these cases and you could just take a quick settlement and invest it for Elsie. In and out fast and very little legal fees. No fees with me.”

His father could practice in Georgia and had taken the bar to be able to get his license here. Since Austin Westerly owned a part of the business, he wanted to legally represent it too. It didn’t occur to him his father could handle this.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Let me look into it,” his father said. “It will be painless on your end. I’m only saying this because I know you’re stressingabout a lot of things financially between Elsie and the business. If you can get another chunk, you will feel better about it all.”

He would. When he got the life insurance money, which should be soon, he’d meet with his financial adviser and spread the investments around. He wasn’t touching one bit of that million dollars for anything.

Once Maryn’s house was sold, it’d be another chunk and he was just covering costs to keep utilities on. He’d have to tackle getting the house for sale soon. Several of Maryn’s colleagues had reached out and said they had buyers. He might not even have to list it.

“If you want to take care of it, go ahead,” he said. “Take a settlement and run. No dragging anything out. I mean it.”

“Thanks,” his father said. “I’ll keep you posted on it.”

“My brain can’t take another thing right now.”

“Are you sure everything is okay?” his father asked. “Your mother said Crystal is a sweetheart. Or is it that she’s pleasing to the eyes?”

There was humor in his father’s voice. “Both of those things.” There was no one else he felt he could admit that to.

“Just take things one day at a time. I know you. You won’t risk anything that you didn’t have lined up just right for an outcome.”

He snorted. “Doesn’t seem to be doing much good for me in life right now.” Work or personal, but he wouldn’t add that last bit. He didn’t want to come off as a whiner either. “Lining things up seems to be overrated,” he said. “So I guess it’s good advice to have.”

“I’ll let you go relax for the rest of your day,” his father said.

“Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

Phoenix hung up and walked out of his office and caught sight of Crystal pulling into the driveway. Guess she had left. Hecouldn’t see her from where she parked on the side of the garage out of his way coming and going into the house.

He could give her one side of the garage to use, but she couldn’t get into her place without coming into the house if she used that.

It didn’t matter to him. Maybe he’d let her know. As the weather got colder, it’d be easier anyway with Elsie. For now they were coming in the front door when she left and picked Elsie up.

He popped his head into the living room and saw Elsie still coloring, then he went to the back of the house and looked out the kitchen window to see Crystal carrying grocery bags up the stairs.

He went to the stairs in the house and walked up them and called out.

“Come up,” he heard yelled.

“Hi,” he said. “I saw you coming up the deck stairs and thought I’d stop up quickly. Need help carrying anything?”

“Nope,” she said. “I got it all, but thanks.”

There were a few bags on the counter in her apartment and she was unloading some snacks and other food. “I got thinking that you should have the other garage stall. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before. This way you and Elsie can come in and out that way, especially as the weather gets cooler or it’s raining.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I appreciate it. If you want to give me a key to the side door of the garage, then I can still just shut the garage door and go out that way up the stairs like I’ve been doing on my days off.”

“I can do that,” he said. “If I can find the key. But there is no need unless you want to.”

Maybe she’d go out on a date or something and not want him to know she was coming in late. Not sure why that hadn’t crossed his mind.