My mother called the morning after. She heard the segment, the same as everyone else. She didn’t say much. What was there to say? I opened myself up to this by agreeing to the radio show. I knew the consequences going in.
Is the show worth the knife in my chest?
Today’s answer is yes. Bex and I, along with Paige, have built something fun, amazing, and I enjoy talking to people. Is my advice the best? Probably not but if you’re calling into a radio program to talk to a musician about whether or not you should take the trash out without your wife having to ask or make a chore chart, you need more help than what I can offer.
In the beginning, the answer would’ve been no. I would’ve never expected in a million years that my estranged father would reach out this way. Honestly, if anything, I would expect him to knock on my door or walk into Whimsicality and insult my wife.
Today I’m back at Ralph’s, the same as I’ve been most of the last two days. With Noah in charge, I’m the silent partner who wants to play bartender every now and again. Ralph’s has a more than capable staff though, so mostly I’m in the way, unless someone wants the day off.
I sit at the end of the bar, next to Mason’s chair. What sucks is, I can’t escape who I am here. I did that when I was eighteen, and what a relief it was to be out from under Sterling’s thumb. In Beaumont, everyone knows about my father, and how he treated me. He didn’t hold back if I had a bad game that still resulted in a win. If I didn’t play well I was the embarrassment.
And now everyone gets to relive the past with me.
What I hadn’t expected from all of this was Nick. I don’t know if it was Noah who called him or if Nick did this all on his own, but for the past two days, he’s been at Ralph’s when I’m there.
The first day he came in, I figured it was because Noah was behind the bar. The next day, I knew it was because of me. He’s trying to be the friend I need because he knows I would’ve turned to Mason, if things were different. It would make sense for me to turn to Harrison, but I can’t bother him with this stuff. And JD would give me some crass response because he has his own daddy issues.
Come to think of it, 4225 West is a mess of daddy issues. We’ve all got them.
Totally chose the wrong band name.
Nick is as close as I’m going to get to having a real friend around here, even though he’s my frenemy. When he sits, he doesn’t say a word about my father. He talks about the ice machine making some strange noise, to which Noah tells him that the repair person is on his way. Nick tells me the boosters stuck him on the setup crew for their next fundraiser, which makes me laugh because Josie probably did that and knew Nick would show up even though he really doesn’t have time for it.
Then, much to my surprise, he brings up Teagan.
“Lowery ran me ragged over my annoyance with setting up,” he says. “I’m a doctor. I have office hours, rounds at the hospital, a football team to run, and my complaint is valid. I don’t have the time to work setup. Take down is much easier.”
I can’t tell if he’s upset about his PTA responsibilities or the fact that Teagan, the woman he sees every day, and just spent a full minute talking about, didn’t side with him when he questioned his assigned duties.
“You’re worked up,” I say, “over a woman you see every day.”
“She’s impossible.”
Nick looks at me with his mouth gasping for air because he knows he’s been caught red-handed. He drinks his beer and doesn’t answer, which to me screams loud and clear, Nick has a crush.
“When you see her next time, don’t lead with football or with anything about the fundraiser,” I tell him. “Ask her how the fuck she is and when she starts talking about work, gently interrupt her and say, ‘I’m asking you, Teagan. Not Ms. Lowery.’”
“Why would I do that.”
“Because you’re lonely and I may puke after saying this, but you’re family. My wife and son worry about you . . .” I look at Noah who nods. “The shit Aubrey did, you gotta move on. I get the whole, I’m going to be single for my kids, but your kids don’t want that. They want to see their dad happy. I see the way you look at Teagan, the way she gravitates toward you. She won’t make the first move because she’s your boss, so you need to do it.”
He calls me an ass and finishes his beer. But he doesn’t say no.
He stares into what’s left of his beer for a long minute, and then he asks me how. It’s just the one word, so quiet I almost miss it over the game on the TV. This is a man who has told parents their kid needs surgery without his voice catching once, and he can’t get the rest of the sentence out of his mouth.
I make him ask me anyway because this is Nick Ashford and I’m not giving him anything for free.
“How do I talk to her without it turning into things about work?”
“Let’s practice. Pretend I’m Teagan.”
His eyes widen and he does that gasping for air thing again with his mouth. “Wh-what?”
“You heard me.” I stand and pull his knees around so he’s facing me. I try not to look at Noah because he’s smirking and if I stare at him, I’m going to lose it.
“I’m Teagan, let’s go,” I tell him.
“Um . . .” He looks over his shoulder at Noah, who thankfully has his back turned and is doing inventory. Nick clears his throat. “Hello. You’re looking well.”
