Page 63 of Summer Holiday Lifeline

“What I thought,” Jet said.

Myles closed the wardrobe and went to sit next to Jet. “Maybe that’s something we need to talk about.”

“What?” Jet had his phone in his hand, and he glared at it, though he had stopped scrolling.

“Calgary.”

“Home, you mean.”

“I noticed in the weeks before we left that you spent very little time at the house.”

Jet scowled.

“I understand, you know.”

“You don’t know shit.”

Myles clenched his teeth, counted to ten, then let out a long breath. “I’m trying to have a conversation here. Maybe the least you can do is try looking at me.”

Jet clicked his phone off with aggression as he twisted around to half face Myles. “What?”

“I miss your mother as much as you do.”

“I doubt that. You hardly knew her.”

“I grew up with her.”

“A million years ago.” He wasn’t wrong.

“We drifted apart for a while. I can’t deny that. But she saved my life, I think.”

“You think?”

“I know. She was there for me when she didn’t have to be. She put up with a lot of crap. I know that. You saw it, so I know you know it too. I’m not trying to pretend I’m perfect here, or that my relationship with Nat was perfect, either. I’m a human being. I made a lot of mistakes. Your mother was there for me in spite of all that.”

“What’s your point?”

“That I owed her so much.”

“That why you’re putting up with us? Because you owe her?”

“I’m putting up with you because, despite what you think—and how you sometimes behave—I care about you both. Have I been doing the best job of showing it? Probably not. Have I been doing the best job of helping you through all of this? I doubt it. I’m struggling too. And yes, I brought us all here because this is where my friends are.”

“Not mine.”

“I doubt you’re ready to really talk about your friends. If that’s what they are.”

Jet frowned but didn’t argue the point.

“And we both know that Shelly was deeply unhappy in that school. Right now, you have to see that she’s doing better.”

Jet bit his lip but nodded. “Yeah.” If there could be any more resentment packed into that one little word, Myles didn’t see how.

“The truth is, Shelly and Steven get along really very well. He’s excellent with her.”

“You can’t pawn her off on him just because it’s easier.”

“I’m not. But I am watching how he handles her. Trying to learn something. It might surprise you to know that parenting doesn’t come with a manual.”