Chapter 45

As soon as Karl was out of the door Van began to brew more coffee which she offered a cup to Jake and kept another for herself.

They both sat at the rickety old table and Van sipped her coffee as she watched Jake through the rim of her cup. He was looking everywhere but her clutching the cup in a death grip.

"Thank you for giving me a chance to explain." he said and this time he met her gaze. His voice was hoarse and tired.

"I want to hear the whole story." She told him and he managed a small nod.

"When I was six and Karen was just a baby my dad began to see someone else."

Van flinched as she could guess by now who that someone was. Hadn't she always known that her mom had been unfaithful to her dad there was a time when Van was sure she'd gone to be with her lover abandoning them, that was about the same time their lives began to fall apart and her father's health began to deteriorate.

However, she didn't interrupt Jake as he told his story.