As he climbed the steps, he didn’t look amused.
In fact, he looked to be considering murder.
CHAPTER NINE
IN THE KITCHEN, away from his mother and Vanity, Stack stewed while getting drinks together. Phil, the creep, had wisely taken off.
When he’d seen him touching Vanity, he’d wanted to rip him apart.
But then, as his mother often pointed out, he didn’t need another reason to despise Phil. Case in point, the barren kitchen. His sister put in a lot of hours, but most of her pay went for the monthly bills like rent, electric, insurance...
Clearly it hadn’t gone for food in a while. The cupboards were all but empty. The fridge held beer for Phil, condiments and the remainder of the soup Tabby had made for their mom.
Okay, so he exaggerated. There was some bologna, iced tea, a bag of carrots. But not much more than that.
When he heard Vanity laugh, he leaned around the wall and saw both Norwood and Maggie trying to sit on his mother. She smiled and coughed and looked to love it.
Carrying two glasses of iced tea, Stack came in and told the dogs, “Down.”
His mother was saying, “They don’t know commands—” but the dogs had already left her to sit on the floor, staring at him as if awaiting further orders.
He handed a tea to Vanity, then one to his mother before praising the dogs with pets and ear rubs.
“He’s a wizard,” Vanity whispered loud enough for him to hear. “Probably put a spell or something on those sweet dogs.”
“And you?” Stack asked while scratching Norwood’s chin. “Did I put a spell on you?”
His mother watched with interest.
Vanity just laughed again. “No need.” Then to Lynn, “Look at him! Like he needs a spell. Pfft.”
It was then that Stack saw his mother conniving. Her shrewd gaze bounced from Vanity to him and back again.
Oh, shit. That was never good, at least not for him. “Mom—”
“I know it’s still weeks away, but would you join us for Thanksgiving?”
Vanity did a double take. As if she thought his mother was talking to him, she watched Stack and waited.
Stack sighed. “Mom, you know I don’t want to be around—” he censored his language for his mother “—Phil.”
“You can pull it together long enough for the holiday.” She smiled at Vanity. “So, will you?”
Confusion lifted Vanity’s brows. “Er...will I what?”
“Join us.”
“Oh.” Vanity straightened and glanced at Stack for help, but when he shrugged, she turned back to his mother. “I...”
Pensive, his mom asked, “Or do you fly home for the holidays?”
Damn. Stack hadn’t even thought of that. But now that he did, he again hated the thought of her leaving. He might not be ready to get too involved. But he sure as hell wasn’t ready to say goodbye, either.
“No, I’ll be here,” Vanity said.
Relief clashed with concern. Because there were other things she didn’t say, Stack asked, “You don’t visit your family for Thanksgiving?”
Busying herself with a drip of condensation rolling down the glass, she shook her head. Silence made the seconds seem like minutes until she said, “I don’t have any family left.”
Lynn covered her mouth with a hand. “No family at all?”
Her smile small and wistful, Vanity shook her head. “It’s just me now.”
Well, hell. How come he didn’t know that already? “Aunts or uncles?” Stack saw the banked melancholy in her eyes. “Cousins?”
Scooting off the couch to the floor, Vanity let Maggie crawl into her lap. She hugged the dog. “Mom had two sisters who never married and never had kids. Dad was an only child, as was I. They were all together in a private plane when it...crashed.”
Drawn to her, Stack took the seat she’d vacated and pulled her back to lean against his legs.
It struck him that it was the same pose as the ad she’d done, minus the ice cream. “I’m sorry.”
She slowly licked her lips, then glanced up at him. “Mom lived for a little while, but she never came out of her coma. The rest died instantly.” She lifted her shoulders. “That’s how I inherited so much. From all of them.” She blew out a breath. “I’m the only one left.”
Though she sat there looking strong and stoic, such a tragedy had to have been devastating beyond words. She’d lost her whole family in one fell swoop. Fuck, he wanted to hold her. When he glanced at his mom he saw the same sentiment in her eyes.