Ty comes out in a clean tracksuit looking a little less rough, but very tired. And young. My heart cracks a little bit. He’s a kid. Just a kid. The adults in his life are failing him. And he doesn’t have a Harry and Stella to be there to pick up the pieces. I guess the role of responsible adult is falling to me. God help him.
“Time for a chat, mate.” I steer him back into his bedroom. I’ve had enough come-to-Jesus talks from Harry over the years to know how they go. And now I get to pay it forward. Fun times.
Chapter Sixteen
Greer
BythetimeJoshcomes out of Tyrone’s bedroom, I’ve almost finished clearing away the mess in the lounge room. The dishwasher is running and there’s a load of smelly teenage-boy clothes in the washer.
This situation is a nightmare. Part of me wishes I could just go home. This is nobody’s idea of a good time. And after our conversation the other night, when he made it clear there would never be anything between us, I feel like it wouldn’t be unreasonable. The expression on Josh’s face stops me. He looks exhausted. And worried. And more than a little scared.
Right now, he needs a friend. And as much as I want more, being his friend is the least I can do. Because if there’s one thing we Carters are good at, it’s being there when a friend is in need.
Even though they look nothing alike, I can’t get over how much Tyrone reminds me of a young Josh. Maybe a little ruder—I can’t remember Josh ever disrespecting my parents the way Tyrone disrespected him—but they have the same wounded animal vibe going on. Which gives me hope for Ty. Josh made it through. He will too.
“How did you go?” I’m not sure I need to ask, based on his drooping shoulders.
“He’s having a sleep. Didn’t get much last night, apparently.”
“I can imagine. Do you want a coffee? There’s no milk, but I found some pods in the pantry.”
“Yeah. Sounds good, thanks.” He glances around at the now tidy room. “Wow. What a transformation. You didn’t have to do all that on your own.”
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty still in the kitchen for you to clean up. It’ll take a few loads of the dishwasher before this is over. I think he used every cup, plate and glass in the place.”
Josh follows me into the kitchen, and I put a pod in the coffee machine while he pulls a cup out of the dishwasher mid cycle.
“Did he open up to you?”
“A bit. Yeah. He didn’t even bother trying to call Dad. You know why? Because he never picks up. He knew he was on his own. He’s seven-fucking-teen and has a fucking sports car and enough money to buy himself all sorts of drugs, but his father won’t pick up the phone. How fucked is that?” Josh’s voice is laced with disgust and despair.
“Where’s his mum?”
“Some clinic in Thailand, getting another face lift. Or boob job. Or something.”
“And she left him here—alone?”
“Hmm. She gave him a note to give the school about boarding on the weekends while she’s away. Seems he might havelostit.” Josh air quotes, signalling Ty chose to keep his living arrangements to himself.
We settle on the sofa, Josh with his coffee and me with a glass of tap water. The fridge is completely empty, other than a tray of ice cubes and a couple of pizzas in the freezer. I see there’s more Josh wants to say, so I wait.
“Why the hell did he even have another kid? Didn’t he fuck me up enough? He had to go and do it again? It’s not Tyrone’s fault. He’s just looking for attention. And there’s not a single person he could call.” This whole situation must be triggering all sorts of bad memories for Josh, and it speaks to his character that he’s even here.
“That’s not true. He had you,” I remind him. “And you dropped everything and came. Bailed him out. Found him a lawyer. Took care of him even though he gave you attitude.”
“Fuck. It’s the least I could do. I haven’t even seen him since he was tiny. What sort of a brother am I?”
“Hey, this situation is not on you. It’s entirely on his parents. And you’re here now, when it counts.”
“He said he called me because he couldn’t think of anyone else. It was blind luck Dad had given him my number. Or good planning on Dad’s part. Anything he can do to kick the can of responsibility down the road until it’s someone else’s problem. If I hadn’t answered, he would’ve had to wait for social services.”
“Well, he didn’t, because you came. And you’ve been great with him.”
Josh huffs a humourless laugh. “If he thinks he’s getting away with this shit, he’s sorely mistaken. Someone needs to get him under control before he fucks his life up completely, and it looks like that someone’s going to be me. He’s not getting his damn car back, for a start. And he can work off every last cent of the lawyer’s cost and anything else this clusterfuck costs.”
I don’t even try to hold back a laugh. “You sound like Dad.”
Josh’s face lights up. “Huh. Well, maybe there’s hope for Ty yet. Because more than once, Harry was the only thing standing between me and a long stay in juvenile detention.”
