Cassie glanced at his phone. “Nothing yet. Let’s go for ice cream. Still like salted caramel?”
“I guess… I haven’t had any since I came back.”
“What? Let’s go. There’s a parlor at the corner. And we’ll keep an eye on your phone.”
He stood, watching her fish a smaller bag out of that large one. “Cassie… thank you.”
“I’m here for you. Don’t worry, Dad. I had time to digest everything. You are back, and we can start something new.”
Watching her muscles ripple under that colorful shirt. “You’re so strong…”
She turned to him, grinning. “Pole dance. Have been doing it for three years.”
“Pole dance?” A bit scared, but she just smiled.
“Not that kind… I’ll show you. Let’s go. I need that ice cream, and you, too.”
“Ok.”
She waited until he slipped his shoes on and pulled him to the corridor, holding his hand tight. A stubborn will in her not to lose him again.
Chapter 20
Theysatoutside,lettingthat autumn sun lick their faces, a mild wind blowing. Licking their ice creams. A vague pleasure in Damian at that familiar sweet and salty taste.Too sweet. But he ate, not wanting to disappoint Cassie.
A huge cone in her hand, the sun glinting on her purple nail polish. She licked her pistachio. “Mhm… this is not too bad. So, still like salty caramel?”
“I guess…”
“Dad…” She reached for his left hand, and he let her take it, his heart racing. “It broke?”
“Yeah… when we crashed… probably. I can’t remember.” Watching her calm eyes. “I woke up on the island… and found Gabe. And we made a life there… somehow. These never healed… but I can manage. I still have three working properly.” He grinned and bit the top of his ice cream off.
“What did you have there?”
“Everything we needed… we hunted and fished, foraged some roots, honey, and so on… we had a hut, and loads of useful stuff out of junk that got washed up… and we had pigs.” He had to shut up, his throat squeezing, so he ate, letting that cool sweet cream slide down that aching throat.
“Pigs? Real ones?”
“Yeah…” he sighed. “Walter and Gisele. The parents. We… had to eat the babies…”
Her eyes went wide. “What? Wow…”
“I know… you don’t have a choice there… not really…”
“And you fell in love…”
Damian smiled, his eyes lost a bit. “Yeah… we did. We hated each other at the beginning… no wonder.”
“You don’t drink anymore?”
Damian looked at her. “No. I’m done, Cassie.”
She fidgeted, looking away to the slow traffic rolling down the street. “Plenty of temptation here. You’re back, and you just have to reach your hand out to grab a glass.”
He took her hand over the table, waiting until she looked at him. “No. Not ever.”
Her eyes welled up, but she left her hand. Their eyes on Damian’s phone pinging on the table. He took it, swiping it open. His eyes going wide.
