Otis pressed his eyes closed and tried to listen to the Lord. He’d always aimed to be as honest as possible with hischildren, though he didn’t believe in telling them everything before they were mature enough to handle it. Joey would be twenty-three in February, and every cell in Otis’s body told him that she could handle this.
“I think he’s too old for you,” he said. “There, that’s it. I think he’s too old for you.”
On the other end of the line, Adam cleared his throat, but he said nothing.
“Yeah, he thinks that too,” Joey said.
Relief rushed through Otis. “So I’m not being completely unreasonable.”
“I mean, I think it’s silly,” Joey said. “One of your favorite country music stars is fifty-six and his wife is twenty-six.”
“Yeah, and I think he’s too old for her too,” Otis said. “I just don’t have to deal with them in my daily life.”
“Well, Adam’s not thirty years older than me,” Joey said.
“How much older?” Otis challenged.
“It’s like…eight years….” Joey said, her voice trailing off. “And some change.”
Eight years felt like a lot, but Otis ground his teeth together to stay silent. What else was he supposed to say? He only had the one complaint about the meticulously detailed band manager that Country Quad had just hired. Adam was clean-cut and professional, well-spoken, and excellent at his job. Otis happened to know the man’s salary, and Joey would be well taken care of.
So what’s eight years?The words slithered through hismind like a snake that had found the warmest, sunniest rock and could finally stretch out and relax.
“All right,” he said. “What about his job?”
“He has a good job.”
“Yes, he does.” Otis glared at the wall opposite of him, where he’d hung all the covers for Country Quad’s albums. “And what happens if it doesn’t work out between you two?” Otis was really asking if she’d leave town then, because Joey tended to go into avoidance mode rather than deal with contention and confrontation.
Joey remained silent, and Adam cleared his throat again. “Sir, if I may….”
“I know what he’s really asking,” Joey said into the resulting silence. “Coral Canyon is small, but it’s not like I’m involved in the band at all. I’m sure I can handle seeing an ex-boyfriend from time to time.”
“Mm.” Otis wasn’t sure he believed that, but he didn’t feel like perpetuating the issue right in front of the person who couldbethe issue. “All right,” he said. “Sounds like you have it worked out.”
“Wait—you’re not going to forbid me from seeing him?” Joey asked, and Otis wasn’t quite sure, but he thought she was teasing him.
“Have I everforbidyou from seeing someone?” he asked. “How dare you?” He laughed, glad when Joey joined in with him. His concern remained, but ultimately, he couldn’t control the situation. He could only offer love and support.
“We’d love to have you over for dinner,” Otis said. “Is he coming for Thanksgiving?”
A pause came through the line, and Otis could practically hear them talking silently to one another, using only their eyes, the way he could do with Georgia sometimes.
“Yeah,” Joey said. “He’d love to come for Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Well, it’s just us and the Whittakers,” he said, “I guess maybe Bailey, if OJ gets his way.”
“I’m sure it will be wonderful, sir,” Adam said, and Otis almost rolled his eyes.
“You don’t have to call me sir,” he said.
“Yeah, he doesn’t like that,” Joey said with a giggle. “Makes him feel old.”
“Iamold,” Otis shot back.
“Daddy, you’re only fifty,” Joey said. “It’s not that old.”
“All right, well, I love you, Roo,” he said.
