“I’ll come with you,” she blurted.
Might as well get it over with.
She knew she would have to face her parents eventually.
Whatever came next, she had already stepped through the door.
No turning back now.
Four
JAKE
“Five-minute warning!” Jake shouted up the stairs to Marley, who was doing God only knew what in her bedroom. She was usually an open book, but lately, she’d become more private and nervous about certain things. Jake didn’t feel equipped to handle the needs of a teenager, especially a teenage girl, who had practically landed in his lap.
“Okay! Almost ready!” Marley’s voice was muffled behind the door she’d started keeping shut about a year ago. He respected her privacy too much to insist on leaving the door open, but he worried about her sometimes. She didn’t have many positive female influences in her life.
Rolling his eyes, Jake took a seat in the living room. He knew she wouldn’t be ready for at least ten more minutes. She operated on her own time. They didn’t have a specific reservation at The Lotus, only their standing Sunday dinner routine.
When Jake and Thao were kids, they used to walk from school to the restaurant, often dragging a whining Gia behind them, who wanted to go cliff diving instead. They’d claim the back booth to do schoolwork. In truth, Jake did all the work while Thao copied his answers and Gia provided commentary.Sometimes Thao’s parents let them help around the restaurant, washing dishes or taking out the trash.
Jake used to hate going home. He’d do whatever he could to delay the inevitable. Going back to a place that reeked of stale beer and old, painful memories was not his idea of home.
The sound of Marley coming down the stairs snapped him out of the past. He hadn’t thought about his parents for years. He checked the time. Nine minutes. A minute earlier than he predicted.
“You ready, kid?”
“Um… yeah.”
Jake glanced up to see her dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and pants, which was her usual outfit these days. She’d evolved from goth to grungy comfort. He made a mental note to talk to her about whatever she might be going through.
“All right, let’s go,” he said, jerking his chin to the door.
Summer had faded, and fall was in the air. A kaleidoscope of fall colors now framed the lake where the edge of his property ended. With the snow-capped mountains in the distance, it was a view he would never tire of looking at every morning for the rest of his life.
Though it was a short walk to The Lotus, Jake grabbed a light coat. Experience taught him how mountainside weather could be unpredictable. Brisk fall mornings could progress to balmy, sunny afternoons, with temperatures rapidly falling in the evening. It was not unusual to experience all four seasons in twenty-four hours in Willowbrook.
Marley waited on the sidewalk as Jake locked the door. He waved at their neighbors, Griffin and his wife, returning from an evening stroll with their oversized dog, Rover. They passed the couple’s house on the way to Main Street, where The Lotus stood. Occasionally they walked together, but Griffin and his wife preferred their alone time. Jake noticed their fat cat lounging on the windowsill, licking its paw as though it owned the place.
“How’s school going?” Jake asked, keeping his voice casual.
“Good.” Marley’s quick reply deflated him. They walked in silence for a beat.
“They’re having a father-daughter dance at school next weekend.”
Jake’s heart stuttered. He kept his voice even. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. It seems lame. I don’t want to go.” She said it fast, but he noticed the blush coloring her cheeks.
“Yeah, okay. If you change your mind, let me know. Next week’s looking pretty slow at the office.” It wasn’t. He was perpetually behind, but for Marley, he’d make time.
“Okay, cool.” Marley tucked a stray hair behind her ear and stared at her feet. “Thanks.”
Jake suppressed a smile. He’d known about the dance for weeks. The flyers had been circulating all around town. He’d debated about asking Marley about it, but figured if it was something she cared about, then she’d bring it up.
He was glad she finally had. It made him feel proud that she felt safe with him in her life, to talk to him. While he didn’t have a clue how to be a father, he could at least be there when she asked. It wasn’t much, but it was a lot more than what he’d had growing up with neglectful parents.
The pain and humiliation of knowing your parents couldn’t be bothered to make time for you was not something he’d wish on anyone else—much less Marley, who had one of the biggest hearts he’d ever known, despite her penchant for trouble and mischief.
