Deadbeat Dads Read Online Free Page B

spend the extra money right now. I turned off the computer and fixed myself something to eat. There had to be a way to make these guys pay, and I was determined to find out how.
    As usual , visions of Johnny entered my dreams again, and I tossed and turned all night. Guilt ate at me. I knew I didn’t really kill him. It was a horrible accident. It wasn’t even my fault he tripped. So why did I feel so guilty?
    Josh and Katie had settled into a routine. Johnny had been dead for almost a month and life returned to normal. Whatever that was. Josh was still withdrawn, but Katie became her normal bubbly self. If only I could rid myself of the guilt.
    The month passed and work helped. The busy tax season required long hours. I hated having to get a sitter for the kids, but I had no choice.  Almost every day I tried to track Bob, finally narrowing my search to Florida.   If only there were some way to talk to him, maybe I could convince him to send some money. I always thought Bob was a nice guy and great father.  He sure spent a lot of time with his daughter. Matter of fact, he had doted on Nicole, too. At least, it looked like he did. Nicole had taken on a second job at a grocery store, but it only paid a bit more than minimum wage. Josh told me Cindy said they were looking for a cheaper apartment, which meant Cindy would have to change schools. I knew the cheaper apartments weren’t in a good part of town. I wished I could help Nicole, short of giving her money. I barely had enough of my own. With the Social Security benefits for the kids, finances had eased somewhat, but we still didn’t have extra.
    I felt lucky to have a job after being out of the job market for so long. Johnny had insisted I quit my job only six months after we were married. It didn’t look good for his wife to work, he said. Successful men’s wives didn’t work. So I quit and spent my time volunteering for various organizations. Even then, Johnny spent long hours at the office. Nothing unusual for a new lawyer in a large law firm. He had to prove himself. Shortly after Josh was born, my life consisted of staying home and raising my son. Johnny opened his own office and once again put in long hours, establishing himself.  Oh he established himself all right, and the sexy little Babette benefited from my sacrifices.
     
    One day, Jack Morgan, my boss, told me to make arrangements to spend a few days in Florida.  One of our clients wintered there and someone needed to straighten out his accounts. Fort Myers, Florida not far from where I thought Bob Brown had settled.
    When I took the job, I told Jack I couldn’t travel, and I wasn’t crazy about making the trip, but what choice did I have? Jack told me it wouldn’t happen too often, but I was the only one available to go. Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone. Pay Bob a visit and make him see the light. I punched his name into the computer. This time I paid the money and got his address. I was pretty sure it was the same Bob Brown. When I got a minute I’d visit him, see what happened. I just hoped it was the right guy, and I wasn’t wasting my time or money.
    I made arrangements with Becky for Josh and Katie to spend the week, if necessary. What would I do without my best friend? “I owe you big time, Beck. I hope this isn’t going to be a regular thing. Jack knows I have a family and promised it wouldn’t be.”
    “Hey , don’t worry about it. I’m here whenever you need me, and the kids love the idea. They’ll be fine, don’t worry. Besides, maybe it’ll be good for Josh, help get him out of his shell. He spends too much time alone.”
    I could only hope .
    The next day, I stepped off the plane and took a deep breath. All in all the flight wasn’t too bad and the landing fairly smooth. Taking off and landing were the worst parts of flying for me. I hurried to the rental car company. Everything had been reserved for me by the company secretary.
    A brand new Cadillac waited for