Page 74 of Miss Typed

I sighed because this was the part I wrestled with. “I spoke with them at Christmas. Despite the way they are, I still love them. They don’t recognize anything wrong with the way they are, so perhaps, I feel sorry for them. They don’t know what it’s like to actually do something without a personal agenda for doing it. They don’t know the true meaning of accomplishment.”

“Do you keep in touch with anyone from the Marines?”

I swallowed hard. No. It was too painful to be reminded of a life I hadn’t been ready to leave behind. “I did at first, but it gets tough. People move on.”

Her eyes studied mine, and I thought she could see how difficult it was to feel left out.

“If I tell you about my visit home, you have to promise not to solve it for me.”

“I will try to promise.” It was the best I could offer since I didn’t know what she was going to say.

“My mom wants me to move back.”

It took everything in me not to show how angry that made me.

“Right now, I can tell her I’m on contract and still send some money home, but if I get fired tomorrow, maybe it’s a sign.”

“Do you want to move home?” I was trying to remain patient and help her work through a solution, but all the while I was fighting the urge to take over.

“No, but moving to LA— It was selfish.”

“How the hell is it selfish for you to get your degree? Does your mom expect your sisters to get jobs after graduating high school, too?” So much for staying calm.

“Maybe, but I won’t allow it. They need to go off to college. Or at least work a job where they get to keep their earnings.”

“What is your dream, Chloe? What do you want to do with your art?”

She shrugged, apparently trying to look like she no longer cared. “Ultimately I’d hoped to design marketing materials for small businesses, and create their websites. I’d love to do it from home. Being a freelancer and making my own hours sounds like a dream.”

I’d seen her talent in her sketchbook. She should be finishing her degree and working from a home office. I could envision the setup, with a painting easel on one side and her desk with a computer on the other.

“Why is it only a dream?”

“Because this is reality. Doesn’t mean I can’t sketch as a hobby. It’ll have to be enough for now.”

“I need to ask you a tough question. Do you think your mom is still giving your brother money?”

“No— I mean, she wouldn’t. Not after everything I’ve sacrificed. In addition to the money I was giving Donald, I’ve been sending home at least a thousand dollars a month for her to help pay the bills, sometimes more.”

My anger that she’d had to do so was only tempered by my need to support her. But now I knew I needed to tell her what I’d discovered the other day, hard as that might be. “When I pulled up James’ info, I found he has an apartment in Calgary, but no job. At least not one I could find. Maybe he’s still living off of the money he borrowed from Donald. Or maybe he’s still getting money from your mom.”

Chloe stood up suddenly, walked over to the counter where she’d put her purse, and took out her cell phone. Her hands were shaking as she hit what I assumed was the call button on the screen.

“Hi, Mom. It’s me.” Pause. “I need to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with me.” She took a deep breath. “Are you sending James money? In Calgary?”

Although I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, it wasn’t hard to imagine the gist of it given the way Chloe’s entire body went rigid, and she wouldn’t look at me.

Feeling like a voyeur during this private conversation, I left them alone to go change out of my suit. By the time I came back out to the living room, Chloe was sitting on my sofa, no longer with her phone in hand.

“You okay?”

“Nope.”

She wasn’t crying, which was a relief, yet this was almost worse. I was at a loss as to what I could do, until I thought about what I would do if this were me. “Come on. I have just the thing to take it off your mind.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chloe