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I smile but don’t laugh and fold my arms over my chest. “I’m sorry. But no way. This is too important. Does your father know where you are, or is he putting out an AMBER Alert?”
He laughs then answers sarcastically. The universal language of the teen. “Like he’d do that. Whatever. He put me on the plane. I told him I forgot I had a big school project and had to go home early.”
“So you lied?”
“Again, not sure how any of this is your concern. You’re in my house. Questioning me like I’m wrong. I told her I was coming home early. Not my problem if she didn’t listen while she was working, then decided to have some kind of sex party while I was out of town.”
My voice is strong. “Knock it off. That’s disrespectful, and everything I know about you says it’s out of character.”
He shrugs, exhales, and looks off to the ceiling. My voice pulls his focus back to me. I have no clue what I’m doing, but as long as I focus on making sure Jillien’s respected, I feel as if I’ve done something.
“Clearly, Ethan, she didn’t know.” He winces a bit. He fucked-up our plans but has zero regard for her. “And no one thought to tell your mom you were traveling alone? How did you get back from the airport?”
“L,” he says proudly.
“Jesus, kid. Jill’s going to freak out.”
“I know. But I thought she’d be so excited to see me she’d overlook that part. And I find out she wasn’t missing me at all because some piece of strange has made himself at home in my dining room. Are you really just a friend?”
“First off, she’s going to be furious because she loves you. She missed you terribly. I never said we were just friends. I said we were old friends.”
“Christ.”
“Be kind to her. She wasn’t going to tell you about us until we figured it out ourselves. I’ve always cared for your mother, but I will admit, I care a lot more now than I thought I would.”
He throws his head back. “Stop talking. That’s enough. Eww.”
I smile. He’s a cool kid. Got his shit together much more than I did at thirteen. I close my laptop.
“Here’s what we’re doing. You’re calling your mother and telling her you’re home. I’m going to go put on some clothes. Then we’ll brave this bracing, bitterly cold city of yours and go in search of lunch. You pick where and I’ll buy. And I’ll answer all the questions I can, appropriately.” I stand next to him. He’s still trying not to make eye contact.
“You’re aware I fucking hate you, right?”
“You don’t, but you don’t know that yet. But if you do, that’s cool, too. Seriously, I promise I’ll always answer you truthfully. It’s all I have to give. That and lunch on me.”
There’s a long pause. He rolls the bat on the table. He peeks up at me.
“Really? No one ever tells me anything. She keeps her mouth shut about anything that isn’t about me. Her getting mad at Dad and letting me know was like a rare occurrence, like a freaking eclipse. I mean, you’d never even know if my mom was upset or whatever in the last couple of years. She keeps it all inside. My dad doesn’t tell me crap, either. He’s afraid of her.”
I move toward him, and he doesn’t back away. I put my hand out to his. “I’ll always be as up-front and open as possible. I won’t lie. You won’t always like what I have to say, but it will be the truth. So if you don’t actually want to know the answer, don’t ask. But I expect the same of you. As harsh as your truth might be, give it to me.”
I feel my dad in the room.
I pause, and he exhales. Then I add, “And for the record, I’ll never be afraid of your mother, only of losing her.”
This kid deserves to know I’m not going anywhere. And if she feels the same, I have a job offer to show her just how much I’m in this. And I can’t fucking believe I had the balls to think that based on how much I like this kid. The kid that she made. I’m gone. I’m fucking gone. A sense of calm comes over me, like listening to the opening music of The Great British Bake Off.
His eyes go wide. We sit across from each other, and I feel the détente. We’re not in a good place, but he doesn’t think I’m a murderer. He takes my hand and shakes it.
He grins weakly. “Ok.”
I nod sharply. “Ok. And you don’t have to like me. Just don’t be a prick to me, and don’t hit me with a bat.”
“I promise.”
I pick up my phone and dial Jillien. She answers instantly. “Hi, you sexy beast. I was just thinking of tickling the back of my throat with your cock—”
I nod to Ethan, who is squirming in his chair. “Let me stop you there, Jilly.”
