Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Oh.”
“Yeah—oh.”
“Anyway,” she says above the sound of her feet trotting down steps, “are you working?”
I watch Jason talk to Robbie. He’s pissing him off on purpose. Why does he do that?
I sigh. “Yeah. But good news—I’ll be home tonight.”
“That’s good.”
“If I can get these guys to stop bickering with each other, we should be out of here late this afternoon.”
“I’m sure Megan will be happy to hear that.”
My breath stills. “Why? You haven’t been giving her a hard time, have you?”
Kennedy laughs. “Uh, no. She made me a peanut butter board last night. Ever had one of those?”
“Nope.”
“It’s delicious. She drizzled caramel on it and cut up apples and bananas—and had little cookie things. So yum.”
“That does sound good.”
“Maybe she’ll make it for you one day.”
There’s a hint of something in her voice—a tease, maybe, or a taunt—that I can’t put my finger on. But before I can figure it out, she changes the subject.
“All right, we need to talk about my birthday soon,” she says.
“You have a month before your birthday, Ken.”
“Yeah, but Neve and I want to do a spa day at the new spa in Bricksville, and I heard they’re booking out for about a month. So I need to get you on board so we can get on the books.”
I chuckle. “You and Neve need to slow your roll.”
“So I can go ahead and have Megan set up the appointment for me?”
“No. Why would you ask Megan to set up your birthday party?”
“I don’t know. It just seemed like the easiest way to get it done.”
Shaking my head, I sigh. “We’ll talk about it when I get home.”
“Cool.”
“I hope you have a great day today. Be good.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m always good.”
I hope that’s true.
“Megan is yelling at me to hurry,” she says. “So I gotta go. See you tonight, Dad.”
“I love you, Kennedy.”
“Love you, Daddy. Bye.”
“Bye.”
She ends the call like I’m an afterthought.
I hold my phone, staring at the screen. She’s all right. Kennedy is perfectly happy there with Megan. Everything is going to be all right.
Me: You up?
Kate: Can you calculate time zones?
Me: Sorry.
Kate: I’m up now. What do you want?
Me: Thank you.
Kate: You’re welcome. But what for?
I try to articulate what I want to tell her. Thank her for … being rational. Talking the truth to me. Getting our parents to her house so I could get Megan to mine.
Me: For not being another brother. They just got worse as they went. Mallet, Gav, Luke. Can you imagine yourself as a boy? Fuck my life.
Kate:
I laugh.
Kate: Since you’re here, I have a big meeting today with my boss. Whisper a little prayer or juju or whatever for me, okay?
Me: Okay. Good luck.
Kate: Thanks.
Me: Going back to work.
Kate: Learn about time zones during your lunch hour.
Me:
Kate: And also learn emoji etiquette. We do not thumb unless we want to fight.
I snort and swipe off her name. But I find another name before I put the phone down and return to work.
Megan’s picture, which I saved from the lake the other night, is in her contact file. Her cheeks are pink from the cold, and her lips are swollen from my kissing them. She’s a beautiful, wild mess, and seeing her smile fills me with hope … for me. Something I haven’t had for a long time.
Me: I can’t wait to see you.
Her response takes a few minutes, but it’s worth the wait.
Megan: I’ll be here when you get back. Hurry.
Me:
“I’m such a fool,” I say, laughing at myself.
I silence my phone and slip it into my pocket. Then finally, I get back to work.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Megan
“How are things going?” Maggie asks.
I put her on speaker and set the phone on the ottoman. “It’s going great. I think we’ve found a rhythm.” No pun intended.
“Is Kennedy behaving herself?”
“You know she is,” I say, folding a blanket left on the couch this morning. “I haven’t had any trouble with her at all. You painted her out to be this wild animal, and she’s been nothing but an angel for me.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. I’ve been checking in with Chase, and he’s been giving me good reports, but I thought it was time to check in with you and get your side of things.”
“No complaints here. How is Lonnie? Are you enjoying yourselves?”
Maggie laughs. “It's so much fun being with my daughter after spending every day with my rotten boys. Kate wants to shop, read books, and paint the dining room. I’m used to finding fishing worms in my refrigerator and mud tracked through the house.”
I laugh too.
“Kate got some great news today,” Maggie says. “She’s being sent to a workshop in Miami and then transferred closer to home.”
“Oh, wow. Maggie, that’s great. I bet she’s excited to be closer to you guys.”