From the other side of the table, Chris said, “I added coconut milk.”
“You milked a coconut for me? That’s sweet.”
Chris smiled. “Melissa and I took a cooking class last year when the twins started to appreciate food.”
It once more struck Jay how different their lives were, and how they seemed to get further apart with each passing year. Yet here they were, sharing dinner, and it felt good.
Jay took another mouthful. The steak provided a perfect conclusion to his not-so-great day. Although he hadn’t gotten any more visitors from his prison days, he still jolted every time a new customer walked intothe garage. Stu had noticed, of course, and asked the annoying questions one could expect. His big brother didn’t know anything about what went down in prison, and for both of their mental stability’s sake, Jay hoped he never would.
“How did it go with Mickey?” Jay asked.
Chris leaned back after barely touching his steak. “Good. He took it seriously.”
As he damn well should.
“He’ll take a look at the will and also get some other people involved.” Chris shifted in his chair. “He arranged for me to meet with Oscar tomorrow.”
“Oscar? For real?”
Chris shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. I’m meeting with him tomorrow at six.”
“At the club?”
“At the damn club, yes.” Chris sounded less than thrilled, and Jay couldn’t blame him.
“I’ll go with you, unless you think Oscar won’t like it.”
Chris seemed hesitant. “I don’t want to become too much of an inconvenience to you.”
“How about you stop worrying about my precious schedule and focus on what’s important?” It came out blunter than he’d planned, but this wasn’t the time for Chris’s issues with asking for help.
Chris nodded. “I don’t think Oscar would mind if you came. Thank you.” He took a swig of beer and looked around. “It’s weird having the house so quiet at thishour. It’s right before the twins’ bedtime, when they run around wreaking havoc.” Chris’s eyes turned glossy. He cleared his throat. “I’ll see them next week, and we’ll have video calls in the meantime. It’s fine.”
It wasn’t, and both of them knew it.
“How are you?” Chris asked.
“Me? I’m good.”
“Yeah?”
Jay wiped his mouth with a napkin. “What do you want me to say?”
“The truth.”
“All right. I was edgy all day. Every time a customer walked in, I thought they might be Ben or another asshole from prison.”
Chris seemed doubtful about how to respond, but his phone rang before he could decide. He reached for it and frowned. “It’s from an unknown number.”
“If it’s Trevor, say that you’re taking care of the will. Nothing for him to worry about.”
Chris answered on speaker. “Hello?”
“Hey there, little brother!”
Based on his voice alone, Trevor sounded like a douche. Chris turned a few degrees paler, but his voice remained steady. “Hi, Trevor.”
“It’s so weird picking up the phone and calling you, man. I missed our talks. How’s it going?”
