It was as if neither one of them knew what to say or how to act around the other without guided prompts. Even then, Dad’s jaw ticked in aggravation every time Calum’s knees bounced. His brow furrowed at the way Calum kept fidgeting. It was like Calum was struggling to keep himself in the same room as him, and Dad sensed it and was reacting to it.
I did what I could to soothe ruffled feathers, and so did the rest of the women in the room. Asher made it a little easier for the two stubborn men to find a common ground. Anytime he spoke, Calum’s knees would stop bouncing and Dad would visibly relax.
Watching the three of them together was like seeing a time-lapse of the same man at different stages of his life.
When it was time for them to go, we watched Calum, Harper, and Asher leave through the living room window. When they’d pulled out of the driveway and driven away, Dad turned to face me. “Guess we should think about heading out. Are you all packed?”
“Yeah, I just need to grab my things from upstairs. Mom, are you coming?” I asked, looking at my mom when she didn’t reply. She was still looking out the window, lost in thought. “Mom?”
Mom shook her head, as if rousing herself from whatever thoughts she’d been lost in. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“You should come drop Connor off with us, Maeve. We’ll grab dinner in Halifax,” Dad suggested, giving her one if his special smiles.
“That sounds lovely, but I feel a migraine coming on. I think I’m just going to take an Advil and lie down for a bit.”
Dad’s smile faded, a look of concern replacing it. “Of course. Get some rest, love,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“I will. Love you, Connor,” Mom said.
“Love you too,” I told her. I hugged her goodbye before jogging upstairs to grab my things from my room. I descended the stairs and when I’d made it into the foyer, Dad took the duffle bag and my laptop bag from me.
“I’ll meet you in the truck,” he said, nodding in the direction of the driveway. “I might as well pick up that supply order while I’m there.”
Both Dad and I were too wrapped up in our own thoughts to really converse much, and I didn’t really know what topics were safe. I wanted to ask him how he was doing because I sensed he wasn’t okay. I could feel the stress and tension rolling off him, and the worry, the anxiety.
He had turned on the radio fifteen minutes in to check the traffic report and left it on for background noise. About thirty-three minutes into our drive, the radio show hosts started talking about The Forgotten Flounders being back in town and speculating about the newly rekindled relationship between Calum and his high school sweetheart.
Dad’s knuckles gripped the steering wheel tighter. His jaw tightened with aggravation. Just as the co-hosts were about to talk about “bassist Dare’s been bitten by the love bug too,” he switched it off. I almost let out a breath of relief but caught myself.
“I hate this. There’s zero privacy in what he does,” Dad complained, his brow furrowed and his lips in an angry line.
“Their interest will wear off in time, after he’s been home a while,” I replied.
“Maybe, maybe not. Maybe they’ll dig something else up and it will be an endless cycle of having his dirtiest secrets aired for public consumption.”
“Dad,” I said carefully, an unexplainable worry chipping away at my soul. Maybe it was brought out by his dire mood, or perhaps it was because his words weren’t wrong. I thought back to what Tai said about needing to control the narrative.
“What? I’m just saying. Reporters aren’t dumb, they’re cunning. They’ll find out the truth eventually, whether he willingly gives it to them or not. Either way, this is going to be a shitstorm. It will be like living under a microscope. I worry about how he’ll handle it.” Dad shook his head, and I could tell his thoughts were cumbersome. “People pass judgment on others for the choices they make without ever knowing what led them to make those choices. Life is made up by moments, moments that later define everything. Moments that could make or break a person. It bothers me that he can’t have those moments privately.”
I opened and closed my mouth, searching for something to say, while the weight of my father’s words hung somewhere permanently in my mind.
“Calum can handle it,” I assured him, hoping that were true.
Dad grunted, almost in disagreement. He glanced at me across the cab. “Are you looking forward to moving into Gramps’s place?” he asked, switching topics. I knew he wouldn’t say anything else on the matter, so I went with it.
“Yeah. I mean, if that’s all right with you and Mom?”
“Of course, it is. It’s your house now, Connor,” Dad said, smiling at me, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Your mother and I will get over there this week and start packing up some of Gramps’ belongings. There are a few things I wanted to fix a around the house I’d noticed last time we were there. The banister is loose, and I need to check the plumbing in the downstairs bathroom.”
“Okay, that sounds good. Thanks, Dad,” I said as we pulled into the parking lot of the dormitories. He came to a stop in front of my building, and I unbuckled my seat belt, reaching across the cab to give him a hug before climbing out. I opened the rear door, grabbing my laptop bag and duffle bag.
I tried the handle to the dormitory, finding it unlocked. I pushed it open and stepped inside, only to be bombarded by a mess of dark curls as Lara launched herself into me.
“You’re back!” she screeched in my ear, throwing her arms around me, and knocking my duffle bag to the ground. Luckily, I was able to hold on to my laptop bag. “I’ve missed you so much! It’s been so boring without you here.”
“Not like I’m sitting right here,” Chantal drawled from the common area. She was lounging on the couch, her laptop opened on her thighs.
“You’ve been boring,” Lara said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
