Before Joanna could answer, Addison turned and marched into the dining room. Dropping her chin to her chest for a moment, Joanna let out a sigh and followed.

“This is not a hotel,” Addison said as she yanked out her chair and sat down.

“I know that,” Joanna said, coming to a stop just inside the door.

“Then I suggest you tell your father just because your last name is Kane, that doesn’t mean he deserves any special privileges. He’s only here because you refused to put him in a home.”

Everyone has buttons that when pushed trigger responses. It’s human nature. Push a happy button and a good memory puts a smile on your face, but push a sad one and tears can flow. However, of all the buttons that could be pushed, the one that most prefer not to, Addison just did, and Joanna’s temper fired.

“That’s because he doesn’t belong in a home!” she yelled. “The strokes muddled his memory, and he gets disoriented at times, but that doesn’t mean he belongs in a bloody home. All it means is he deserves a little consideration, and by God, he’s going to get it!” Taking three quick steps, Joanna stood an arms-length from Addison. “Look, from what I hear your father was a piece of work, and I’m sorry you didn’t have a dad like mine, but not all men are bastards. Yeah, he may have some issues, and his views may be contrary to the most popular, but he’s the man who raised me. He’s the man who loves me, and he’s the man who will get special privileges in this house as long as I’m living here!”

Hearing the door to the kitchen open, Joanna swung around and saw Iris staring bug-eyed back at her holding the small plates containing their appetizers. Giving Addison a cursory glance, Joanna shook her head. “I’ve lost my appetite,” she said, walking out of the room. “Enjoy your dinner, Addison. Good night.”

Chapter Twenty

A few hours after he dozed off watching a football game, Robert woke up, but unlike the mornings when eight hours of slumber had erased most recollections, the two hours lost to the nap only caused his past and present to become jumbled. Like dice in a cup, his memories were shaken and then scattered, and what was left was a puzzle with several of the pieces now missing.

He knew the woman snoring in the chair by the door was his nurse, hired by his daughter to watch over him, but how could Joanna afford that? He recognized the room as his own, but when did they leave Burnt Oak, and why?