Bert stared out at the goat enclosure and Hank’s field. His expression shifted through a dozen thoughts before he finally landed on honesty.
“I’m worried. Well, hold on, Faust is worried, and I’m here because…”
“Because your life is better when he’s happy?”
“Hank is the son Faust never had. I never wanted kids, but he desperately did. Or maybe I did too, but I knew it wouldn’t happen, so I convinced myself not to. Anyway, Faust loved Hank the minute they met. It took me longer, but it’s there now.”
“Hank has parents,” I responded. Hank had mentioned his folks, and they were alive, so I wasn’t sure how this dynamic had happened. It was none of my business, but I was super curious anyway.
“He does, and they love him. The ranch was a reluctant obligation for them, and they handed over the reins as soon as they could to Hank. There’s the queer part too. They love him, but they’ll be the first to admit they don’t understand.”
Oof, that sounded like therapy-level unpacking, and I wasn’t getting that far into Hank’s business.
“What’s Faust worried about?”
“Hank’s focus has always been that ranch. He’s worried you’re going to break his boy’s heart.”
“And you’re worried about that too?”
“Yes, but not for all the same reasons. If it happened, it wouldn’t be deliberate or malicious. Sissy was a damn good judge of character. She talked about you all the time to me, but Faust wouldn’t know that.”
“She did?” I confirmed through the lump in my throat that wouldn’t go down, no matter how many times I swallowed. Annoyance that Sissy had shared my humiliating naïveté wasn’t a factor. I hadn’t needed to meet her in person to know she wasn’t a gossip. If she’d shared, there was a reason for it.
“Yep. After your ex screwed you over, Sissy was ready to burn the world down. That’s when she asked me to change her will.”
My throat closed, and I swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in my throat to go away. Of all the fallout from that mess, I hadn’t expected Sissy to be part of it. I wouldn’t have trusted myself to handle five bucks back then, but she gave me her home and enough money to start a business. Damned if I knew how she saw something in me that no one else did. That truth hit like a weight, but I wasn’t about to let Bert see how rattled or humbled I was by Sissy’s faith.
“I hadn’t realized she shared that.”
“Client confidentiality.”
“I’m not your client.”
“True, but I’ll risk it,” Bert said with a deadpan expression. “Faust worries that you’re here to try your hand and move on. That ranch is literally Hank’s blood. I’ve told him I think you’re here for the long run, but yeah…” Bert’s voice trailed off.
“So you’re here because Faust asked you, but you’re low-key worried about the exact same thing?”
“Yeah, that about covers it.” Bert never took his eyes off the field, which I was grateful for because my ability to go stone-faced was nonexistent at the moment.
“Hank and I are full-grown adults, and I’m not discussing our relationship. What I will say is that I care about him and wouldn’t ever want to hurt him. I think he’d say the same about me.”
“I think I underestimated you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Almost everyone does.”
“For the record, the tour was all me. I’ve been obsessed with decorating since I retired, and I have thoughts on how to finish down here if you’re interested.”
“I’d love that,” I said, already braced for a PowerPoint.
Daddy
Did you survive?
Jasper
Survive drinking tea on my porch?
It was touch and go, but yes.
