Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Yeah, that’s how I found out you bought this place.”
“My dad likes beer,” Conor blurted out. When everyone looked at him, he shrugged. “Am I wrong?”
“No,” Hayden said. “But you also don’t need to broadcast it, and it’s not like I drink beer all the time.” In fact, he hadn’t even finished the one the waitress had brought him earlier.
“My mom likes beer too,” Conor said, as if everyone at the table needed to know. Hayden grimaced at Conor’s use of the present tense. He didn’t have the heart to correct his son, but he also needed to change the subject.
“Not now, Conor.” Hayden’s voice was stern, and it sent a message to his son. There were some things you didn’t talk about in front of strangers. Not that Colt and Devorah were strangers, but the others sitting near them were.
Conor opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly. Hayden was thankful Conor was sitting across from him so he could give him a pointed look. It wasn’t that Conor couldn’t talk about his mother and her passing. Hayden wanted him to do it in the comfort of their own home, where the walls held secrets and didn’t spread rumors.
They finished dinner, and when Hayden tried to pay his bill, Colt waved him off. Hayden still put cash on the table for the waitress. She deserved her tip, regardless of the meal being on the house.
“Thanks for the company. It’s really great seeing you both again,” Hayden said to Colt and Devy as he motioned for Conor to slide out of the booth.
“See you tomorrow, Maren.”
“Bye, Conor.”
“Stop by anytime,” Colt said, while Devy remained silent. Hayden hadn’t expected her to say anything. He suspected Maren’s comment about her father was weighing heavily on Devorah.
Outside, Conor and Hayden climbed into the truck. Hayden started it and sat in the parking lot for a minute before backing out of his spot. They didn’t have far to go, and in hindsight, they should’ve walked. He wanted time to think about how to approach the topic of Sofia’s death but didn’t have time before he’d be at his parents’. This being a school night, Conor needed to take his shower and get to bed.
Hayden turned left when he should’ve gone straight.
“Don’t we live the other way?”
“Yeah, we do. We’re going to drive around a bit.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“No.” Hayden sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want you to talk about your mom, Conor. You should talk about her. She loved you very much.”
“Just not the way she died.”
“The thing is, bud, people won’t understand, and I don’t want them to get the wrong impression of your mom.”
They drove by Maren’s house. Hayden pointed it out.
“Maybe Maren and I can walk to school together.”
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll talk to her mom.”
“Maren said her mom is sad.”
What an understatement. Hayden wished there was something he could do to help. While they were both going through a loss, the situations were entirely different. He’d lost his wife, whereas Devy’s husband had violated their vows. Hayden didn’t have experience there, and it wasn’t like he could tell Devy that everything would be okay. She was going to have to learn how to coparent with someone who’d slept with her best friend. He wasn’t sure he could get over something like that.
“Yeah, bud. She is.”
“Maren said she’s getting a new mommy.”
Ouch.
“I’m not sure about that.” And it wasn’t something he planned to ask Devorah about either. That was the last thing she needed from him. “But let’s not bring it up in front of Miss Devy. Okay?”
“I don’t want to make her sad.”
“No, we don’t want to do that.”
Hayden turned down another street, and, glancing at his son, he saw a little boy caring about a woman he barely even knew. He was a good boy, dealing with his own loss, and yet he found time to care about others.
“Baseball tryouts are this weekend,” Hayden reminded him. “We need to head into the city and get you some cleats.”
“Okay. How far?”
“It’s like forty-five minutes.”
“That seems far.”
“It’s not bad. Pretty easy drive. We can go to a couple of the stores, grab some lunch. Have a guy day.”
Conor shrugged. “Maybe Maren can come.”
“Sure, bud. As long as it’s okay with her mom.”
Hayden turned down their road and into the driveway. He parked, shut off his truck, and stared at his childhood home. He had every intention of splitting his time between his parents’ place and his camper because he needed space and time to think without any interruptions. His parents, though, wanted him to stay at the house, as did Conor. So Hayden stayed.
They walked in and found Lee and Darcy sitting at the island, eating pie. Last night it was cake. If his mother kept it up, Hayden was going to start looking like his father.