Dad hmphed.“Then why did you two pretend to be engaged?What are you playing at?”
“If you saw video, you saw her father, right?The bigoted asshole?Avery was scared of him, and he was holding her artwork hostage.I agreed to be her beard for a little while, until we could get her art to safety and she could leave his house.”I hadn’t precisely agreed, but that was between me, Rachel, and Avery.Maybe Logan, if I ever got the chance to explain all this to him.If he ever cared enough to listen.
“And is she safe now?Do you need me to come out there and play the furious father-in-law?”
All my irritation at my dad vanished with that question, because he was making a serious offer.Dad might not understand why I was ten times more interested in guys than women, or why I had to come out publicly, ever, but he’d supported me.When he’d heard about my engagement to a woman on social media, he’d still supported me.If I needed someone in my corner, Dad would be there.Probably saying the completely wrong thing, like a verbal bull in a china shop, but he would mean well.
“I love you, Dad,” I told him.“But no, I think I have any intimidation I need handled.”
Dad laughed.“I guess.Sometimes I still forget what a grown man you are.”
I’d gotten my size from Dad, though he’d never played pro ball.When I was a little boy, he’d been a mountain of a safe space, even when he pushed me constantly to be the best.One time, when I was being bullied at the playground, he made those high school kids run with just a glare and folded arms the size of dinner hams.I could imagine, even with his bad back, Dad would step up to Winters and obliterate him, if I asked.“I’m thirty-seven and two inches taller than you, so yeah, fully grown.”
“Part of being a parent, Son.You never stop worrying.So what are you going to do now?This seems like a mess.There’s all kinds of speculation out there about you and Avery and what kind of scam you’re pulling.I can’t imagine your school board’s pleased.”
“I haven’t heard from them,” I hedged, although there could easily be a message or call buried in the crap I hadn’t looked through yet.“I’ll figure it out.”
“I hope you do.Well, you know where to find me if you need advice.”
“Yes, Dad.”This was not a situation that would benefit from my father’s advice, but he meant well.“Thanks.Give my love to Mom and tell her not to worry.”
“Right.I will.”
Avery came yawning into the kitchen as Dad signed off.“Hey, Miles, do you have—” She spotted the coffeemaker and made gimme hands.“Ahhhh, yes, caffeine, come to me.”
I waved her to a stool at the island, poured a big mug full, and handed it over.“How are you?”
“I’m…” She sipped her coffee, her eyes unfocused.“I don’t even know.This week has been ridiculous.A week ago, I was living at home, hiding in my art, and waiting for Rachel to get home from her tour.Now?”She shook her head.
“Unsettling?”
“That, yeah.And, you know, some stupid little part of me hoped Dad wouldn’t live down to my worst expectations.Just this once.”Her voice shook at the end.
“I’m sorry, Aves.I can’t imagine how rough that must feel.”Dad hadn’t embraced my gayness right away, but I’d always felt like he was trying to understand.I couldn’t imagine a parent saying the things Avery’s father had screamed at her.
“Well.”She drank more coffee.“My art’s all safe, right?”
“In the storage locker till you decide what to do with it.”
“I feel weird.Today’s the first day in years that I don’t have the studio waiting for me, if I need to get out of my head and create something.I’m not sure what to do with myself.”
“We should check around town, see what kind of space we can rent for you.”I’d have done that already if I’d had more than a few days’ notice.“Maybe you can go through listings online while I’m working, and then after school, we can check out likely candidates.”
Avery slid off her stool and came to me, laying one slim hand on my chest.“I feel so bad for how this all worked out.There I was, all noble about not taking your money, and now I’m taking your moneyandyour reputation.I feel so stupid.”
“As long as you don’t get noble and decide to leave your art locked in storage till you can afford to do something else with it on your own.”
“I really should.”She tugged the lapel of my heavy shirt straight.“But if I try to wait a month without my art, till Rachel comes back, I’ll go insane.It doesn’t have to be a big space, though.I can work on smaller pieces for now.”
“We’ll see what we can find.”My phone chimed, then rang.I turned it back off and set it face-down on the island.
“Don’t you have to get that?”Avery asked.
“Nope.”I went to the fridge.“Right now, I’m going to make us both breakfast.While I’m eating, I’ll take another look at the gazillion messages.”
She flinched.“We went viral, huh?”
“Sure looks like we did.”
