He nods. “Yeah, Dad, it’s good.”
“Cuz we could go someplace else if you wanted.”
“Naw, it’s cool. I like it here. It’s got good vibes.”
I sigh and nod in agreement. “Yeah, it sure does.”
I’ve been bringing the kids here since they were little. Saturday mornings in spring and fall, we’d go fishing, then come straight to the diner for a big old brunch. Sometimes, Gabrielle would come. Well, that’s a stretch; one or two times Gabrielle came. Mostly, she just stayed home and got a head start on thehouse chores. Forget about tidiness; the place could barely look lived in. If someone happened into the kitchen or entry room, they’d think they stepped into an unoccupied Airbnb, not a lived in home.
I shiver, glad to be out. Glad to be free. I wasn’t the one to initiate the divorce, but Iwasthe one determined to follow through once Gabrielle put it on the table. I didn’t deserve to be treated the way she treated me, and it wasn’t good for the kids to see that either.
Cam and I catch up on things like school, soccer, and the latest video game craze. Yet just before dinner is through, Cam drags his backpack onto his lap, unzips the front pouch, and pulls out a book.
My eyes go wide. "Are you kidding me?"
"Don't get pissed, Dad,” Cam says. “Parker brought it to practice yesterday and said Uncle Braxton and Uncle Beau thought it would be good for you."
I groan, irritated that my meddling brothers have now reached a new low. "Nice. They get my only son to do their bidding?"
Cam rolls his eyes. "They got it for you, Dad, it’s a gift. You should at least take it even if you don’t read it. It’s not a big deal.”
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, but itisa big deal to them. They’ll never let it drop. I'll be hearing about this until I'm married or dead.”
“Then why don’t you just read it? It looks good to me from what I read.”
Traitor."Let me see this dumb thing…" I grumble as I reach across the table. I smear the annoying book over a goopy pool of syrup and flip open the front page to read the flap. Only I'm not actually reading it. I’m skimming over the irritating words with their self-righteous judgment and know-it-all tone.
"Why are you being so stubborn?" Cam asks, a combative expression on his face.
I shift in my seat because Cam’s not what I would call confrontational. Callie, yes. Gabrielle calls her a piranha, which I don’t think is accurate or fair, but Cam, he’s like a Golden Lab. Gently, playful, loyal.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
“I mean, I think it's time that you practice what you preach so much, Dad. You tellmeto try new things all the time. You tellmeto get out of my shell, and you urgemeto look back on the stupid arguments I have with Callie to see what I can do better.
“So, I'm just trying to figure out why, when the people closest to you get you a gift, something that could make your life better, you refuse to take it. That’s weird, and it makes me think that you need it even more than I thought." He nods to the book in my hand.
I lift it up. "You think Ineedthis? You think this is going to magically solve all my problems, Cam? Is that what you think? I know you're still a kid and everything, but that's pretty idealistic thinking, man."
Cam scoots off the bench and shoots to his feet, which reminds me that we drove separately. Is he leaving before we even get the check?
"You know what? Ever since the divorce, you're not how you used to be. You can't makebeing the victim of a crap marriageyour entire personality.”
He zips the backpack closed and tugs it over one shoulder before glaring back at me. “You don’t thinkanythingwill solve your problem. I know you’re an adult and everything, but that’s pretty pathetic thinking,man.”
With that, Cam makes his way out of the diner.
CHAPTER SIX
Ashley
"Mom!”
My eyes open in alert at the sound of Lucy's voice. I'm flat on the futon in the dark of the night, though I have yet to fall asleep.
I pop up faster than a Jack-in-the-Box. "What is it?" My heart hammers as I wait for her response.
"Youhaveto watch this Tik-Tok.”
