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“We’re going to set up a couple of security cameras at all our properties and hope it helps Ethan and the police catch whoever is responsible.”
“Makes sense,” she said.
The sound of laughter came from the back room.
“I guess I should get started,” he said, kissing her again.
“What are you doing tonight?”
“I have plans with Jace and my dad for dinner, but I can come over after if you’re free.”
“How about I pick up dessert?”
“Darlin’, you are the dessert.”
Abby laughed as he gave her another hot kiss before getting to work.
Dinner had taken longer than Connor hoped. His dad barbecued ribs and served them with ears of fresh corn and a medley of roasted vegetables. Neither Connor nor Jace cooked that often. Sure, they could manage, but their schedule kept them busy. Now, the brothers helped with the dishes.
Every week his dad cooked something different—a positive sign he was adapting to post-prison life. Besides his job at a garage in Sunset Bay—a town next to Pelican Bay—he attended daily AA meetings.
Although Connor had never had an issue with alcohol, he’d attended a few sessions with his dad to offer support. While there were similarities, Connor attended weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings instead. He remembered the struggle and never took his long-term recovery for granted.
During the Erickson Pier renovation, his dad had been a lifesaver, volunteering many hours after his shift ended to lead the effort to restore the vintage carousel. Allen Maguire had a knack for anything mechanical and a little electrical. Growing up, when he lost his job as a mechanic, rather than find a new one, he turned to placing bets at the racetrack and drinking, which resulted in him losing all their money. And when his mom tried to compensate by working three jobs, rather than being grateful, his dad would come home in a drunken rage and pick fights with his wife—and his sons, too.
Connor had tried to help pay the bills by selling drugs because his father pressured him to. What made it even worse was that the money Connor earned wasn’t used to pay for food and rent. Unfortunately, his dad would take Connor’s earnings to the track, where he lost more than he won.
After Mrs. Erickson, Emma’s late grandmother and former Pelican Bay mayor, had snagged him and Jason shoplifting from Harrison’s Market, she helped them find jobs—a newspaper route for Connor and a groundskeeping position at the lighthouse for Jason. Once Connor turned sixteen, he’d been able to get the delivery job at Tonino’s with a recommendation from Mrs. Erickson.
With her help, the boys had gotten on a right path—of sorts. Jace was fine, but Connor had walked the fine line with trouble. It all came tumbling down in Tampa, and he had thanked God that his uncle didn’t give up on him, and forced him to get help.
Now, Connor had a new appreciation of life and spent every day being grateful to have gotten his shit together.
While his dad seemed to have put his past behind him, Connor couldn’t help but wonder if his father would revert to his drinking ways. Jason shared the same concern, especially since their mom flew up from Florida every couple of weeks and was attending marriage counseling with their dad.
Initially, Jace and Connor had agreed to the weekly dinners to make sure their dad was staying true to his word. Things had changed over the course of the past couple months, and while Connor didn’t look forward to their dinners, he didn’t dread them as much as he had in the beginning.
Except tonight, when he was eager to see Abby.
“Great dinner, Dad,” Jason said. “What’d you use to season the ribs?”
“It’s a special rub I made. I’ll write down the list of ingredients, if you’d like.”
“I would. Thanks,” Jason said.
Their dad fixed a pot of coffee and turned to them. “I’d like to talk with you both about something.”
Connor glanced at Jason, who shrugged.
“What’s up?” Connor asked, setting cream and sugar on the table.
“It’s about your mom.” He rubbed his hands on his legs a few times in a nervous habit. “I love her, and by some miracle, she still loves me. I want to marry her.”
“Unless I’ve missed something, you’re already married,” Jason said.
“Legally, but your mom and I haven’t been husband and wife in a long time.”
“You don’t need to be married for that, Pop,” Connor said.
