A Margin of Lust (The Seven Deadly Sins #1)(51)

"Now you definitely need a bit more," the proprietor said wiping the table, his white rag turning blood red.

"No, I—" Gwen said.

"Just a little. On the house." He poured a few ounces into each of their glasses. "This cab is lovely, don't you think?"

"It's great," Lance said without expression in his voice.

"I picked it up on my last trip to Napa. That's cab country you know. Wonderful vineyards." Mo shifted his weight to one leg, as if digging in for a long conversation. "However, I have to say the Zinfandels coming out of Paso Robles are superior to Napa Zins. The Central Coast has come a long way in recent years."

Lance turned his gaze on Gwen and gave a small shake of his head. He mouthed, "Drink up." Gwen took a deep draft from her glass. Lance pulled his wallet from his pocket. The shopkeeper continued to regale them with wine wisdom as they finished and paid.

"The man can talk," Lance said when they stood in the sunlight again.

"He can," Gwen agreed, and for once she was glad he could. His chatter had dissipated the confusion she'd been feeling like an open window sucks the smoke from a room. She had come very close to jumping from the frying pan into the fire, as her grandmother used to say.

Lance walked her to her car, took both her hands in his and leaned forward for a kiss. Gwen gave him her cheek.

"Call me if you need me," he said and squeezed her hands.

"I will," she said, but she had no intention of calling him.





CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR


Enzo placed a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder as he passed the table where she sat with Art. After the worst of her sobs had subsided, Olivia insisted she had to get work. But as soon as they got inside the restaurant, Enzo took one look at her face, led them to a back booth, set mugs of coffee before them, and bustled off to manage her tables.

"The crazy thing is, I had a sitter all lined up. She got food poisoning at the last minute," Olivia said in a shaky voice.

"If he hadn't been suspended—" Art began.

"You have to stop blaming yourself." Olivia's voice was weary. "Only one of the hours Brian was home alone was a school hour. The rest were after school. It was my decision. I never work nights, but I switched shifts with another server. It was her birthday."

"No good deed goes unpunished," Art said.

"I left him with a pizza, video games, and told him not to open the door to anybody until his grandpa got there. Mike couldn't make it until five."

Mike did arrive at five as planned, but Brian wasn't there. He didn't panic. The family was used to Brian wandering. First, he called neighbors and other family members. When that didn't turn up any leads, he called a buddy in the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The officer got back to him within the hour. He'd found a child in intensive care who matched Brian's description. Mike raced to Mission Hospital. After he identified his grandson, two officers were sent to inform Olivia and bring her to wait with Mike while the surgeons did what they could.

"It was horrible." Olivia wrapped thin arms around herself.

"He woke up, and it looks good. Right? Looks like he's going to be okay. Think about that."

She wiped her eyes and nodded. "It sounds terrible, but now I don't want him to get better too quickly."

She had received a phone call on her way to work that morning. There are no latchkey kid laws in California that specify what age a child must be to be left home alone, but national safety organizations recommend twelve as the youngest. Because she had left a nine-year-old unattended, Olivia was now under investigation for child neglect. Child Protective Services was threatening to take Brian from her when he was ready to leave the hospital.

She dropped her arms to the tabletop and clutched her coffee cup like a child does a teddy bear after a nightmare. Blue veins stood out on her small hands. The fingernails were bitten to stumps. Art reached out and touched her.

"The charges won't stick. You're a terrific mother," he said.

"I'm not. I wouldn't have left him alone if I was, but I'm better than foster care. I may deserve whatever the court decides, but Brian shouldn't be punished." Olivia's eyes filled with tears again.

"Listen, the reason Brian has a scholarship to St. Barnabas is because you impressed the board of directors. They could tell you loved your son and were willing to do whatever it took to get him a good education," Art said.

"I wonder how they feel about me now. Pretty sorry they wasted their money. Not on Brian, he really tries. He's a good student. But on me." Tears spilled down her cheeks again. She was drowning in a whirlpool of pain, and his heart ached for her.

"We're going to fight this. I'll be there as a character witness, so will half the school staff."

She stared into the murk of her mug as if she hadn't heard. She'd been through one emotionally wrenching situation after another for weeks. This seemed like the final straw. She looked exhausted.

Art would call Mike as soon as he returned from the Big Bear camping trip and see if together they could come up with a plan to clear Olivia. Mike probably still had some sway with local law enforcement. Art would marshal whatever forces he could at St. Barnabas. He'd raise money for a lawyer. He'd do whatever he had to do.