Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
“Did Quaid want to look into it himself?” Sienna asked. “I would be surprised to hear that.”
“What’s surprising about it?” She knew Quaid didn’t intend to look into it for Paul, but she wanted to know why Sienna thought it would be surprising for him to.
Sienna straightened her blouse before waving to a friend walking by. She leaned in. “They don’t get along. At least that’s what I’ve always heard.”
“Why?” She knew what Paul had told her, but all Quaid would say was they didn’t get along. “Paul talked a lot about how Quaid was closer to their dad and he was closer to their mom, but I didn’t really get it.”
“Oh, I think it’s more than that,” Sienna assured her. “You know Paul got into a lot of trouble when he was younger, right? You might have already been in college by the time it got real bad. I know the old sheriff smoothed things over and Paul doesn’t have an arrest record here in Papillon, but I’ve heard rumors things went bad when he moved to Los Angeles. There wasn’t a friend of the family out there who could fix things for him.”
“Paul told me he had a drug problem.” Paul had seemed open and honest in their conversation. She’d been surprised since his brother didn’t talk about him at all. Well, beyond telling her not to fraternize with the man.
“A big one, from what I understand,” Sienna explained. “I think he had a couple of DUIs in California, and Quaid had to bail him out of jail. He’s been to rehab more than once. I don’t hang out with him, but I know some people who do. They all say he’s a nice guy when he’s not using, but when he is, life gets complicated around him. You know how that kind of thing can tear apart a family.”
She’d watched it happen. “I know what it did to our aunt, but she was willing to talk about it.”
“Because Mom got her some therapy, though don’t mention it to anyone,” Sienna said, her voice low. “You know how the rest of the family feels about therapy.”
Jayna sat back with a sigh, a weariness coming over her. “They think therapy is for rich people who can’t handle the world. I’m surprised Mom was willing to help her do that.”
“She’s not a monster. I think she was worried she could lose her sister. After her brother died, Aunt Opal was all Mom had left of her siblings. That last time our cousin went to jail sent Opal into a bad spiral,” Sienna said. “But she went to a doctor who got her some antidepressants and a whole lot of therapy. Mom drove her every week. Still does. I know you think she’s cold . . .”
“I don’t think she’s cold.” Cold wasn’t her mother’s problem. “I think she’s closed-minded. I’ve heard all my life how strong people don’t need help.”
“She’s one of those people who struggles to understand a concept until it happens directly to them,” Sienna replied. “It can make things difficult, and sometimes getting her to understand can take a while. She’s set in her ways.”
That was the understatement of the year. Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about the concept of passing along a legacy. Quaid’s father had passed on his. The café had been in the Halford family for years. It was the way Papillon worked. “Did Mom ever try to get you a job at the plant?”
Sienna snorted. “Pretty much every time I quit a job she tried to get me on at the plant. I always tank the interview on purpose because the last thing I need is to work where Mom does. She would drive me crazy.”
“She’s worked there since she was a teenager,” Jayna mused.
“Yes. That was when she got pregnant with me and dropped out of high school and Grandma got her a job at the plant working next to her. Why are we talking ancient history?”
“I was just thinking about the fact that everyone who stays in town tends to follow in their parents’ footsteps.”
Sienna seemed to think for a moment and then nodded. “I suppose if the family has a business, they tend to pass it down to their kids. Although there are exceptions. Sylvie isn’t a hairdresser. When Marcelle retires, she’s planning on handing over the salon to her nephew. He’s a stylist in Baton Rouge. But mostly, yes. Even Angie. Her dad used to run the post office. She got hired on after high school and worked with him for fifteen years. He retired and she took over. What’s your point?”
“What if Mom sees that plant as something she could pass on to us, as some kind of legacy? It’s not easy to get a job there. They don’t have much turnover.” The plant didn’t pay great, but it was steady work and the overtime could add up.