I love you, Jacob. Please don’t get hurt again. Please.” I held my cosplay partner girlfriend in my arms and kissed her teary eyes.“Sweetheart, ...I’m being really careful around buses these days.”The girls all agreed to come over Thursday night. Desi didn’t get off my lap until the bell rang and we had to go to class. I realized my shirt sleeve was soaking wet where Beca had been crying against it.The week seemed to be crammed full of stuff that just had to get done before the holiday break.. Announcing, ‘I’m going to the effing bar to get something a bit more powerful’. He waived her away without a hint of remorse. With his back to the bar sitting at the table, and her back to him as she approached the bartender, she figured it was time to break out the heavy alcohol to drown her sorrows quickly and effectively. Summoning to the bartender that she would like a doubleshot of Crown Royal and a Martini—stirred with 2 olives—she lopped her purse on the counter and stood there. ." Lenore trailed off.The Gunny shot her a sympathetic look, and nodded.Deb returned from the coroner's office. Barbara brought Lenore and Deb tea, while Harry and the Gunny wordlessly drank Bourbon, at six-thirty in the evening. Barbara had ordered a pizza, now cooling, as no one was rushing to eat a second slice."You're the beneficiary of everything he had, Lenore," Deb told her, seriously. "I'm the executrix, and he left provision for me to be paid, but we'd last updated his will before .... "My daughter bent over and kissed me on the top of my head. Then she went back to her room, and tried to cover up the fact that she had been crying.I went over to a drawer and drew out a knife. I cut into the envelope and a picture fell out of the card. I opened it up and smiled.In the picture, McKayla had her arms around me. She had a goofy smile on. My head was turned and I was kissing her cheek. Maureen had taken it when we had spent a month living at a villa in Rome when our daughter was.