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Patience couldn’t argue with that. She’d often thought the same thing. If only her father hadn’t made such a big deal about Jack not attending church, not supporting their religious beliefs, not setting the proper example for Ari, taking Patience from her job at the church to help build his trucking company—and on and on. “So what are you going to do?”

He didn’t answer. He just sat there staring glumly at the Christmas tree.

“Jack?”

“I’m done. Like I said, I can’t take her back. I don’t even want to look at her.”

“Maybe it’d be better to wait until after Christmas to make that decision.”

“Are you saying that would be best for Ari?”

“I’m saying it’ll probably be best for you. It’s hard to face something like this, especially during the holidays, which are so sentimental.”

“I’ll find it a relief even at Christmas. But how do you think it’ll affect Ari?”

Patience considered the question and decided, after how Ari had behaved about Glenda recently, that she wasn’t worried. “I doubt she’ll mind. She saw this coming. She expects it.”

“But I’ve been so careful,” he said. “It’s not like we’ve been fighting in front of her. Well, last night we did. I tried to get Glenda to calm down, but the fact that I wouldn’t let her talk me out of donating to the festival sent her into a rage.”

“Ari’s a bright kid.” Patience blew on her hands to keep them warm. She should’ve brought gloves. “Picks up on much more than I expect sometimes.”

He shoved his fingers through his hair, which had outgrown his normal cut by a few inches, adding to his general “I’m going through hell” dishevelment today. “I’m relieved she’ll be okay with it,” he said and heaved himself to his feet, moving as if he suddenly weighed a thousand pounds. “The next few months will be easier to manage if…if I know I’m not hurting our daughter all over again.”

“I appreciate you trying to protect her despite what you’re facing.”

“I love her. And part of me will always love you,” he added before trudging wearily away.

* * *

Patience deliberated on whether to tell Ari that her father and Glenda were splitting up. It was so new. She thought that maybe they’d get back together. Except Jack had been pretty adamant. And he wasn’t typically someone who flip-flopped once he made up his mind. She remembered how firm he’d remained once he’d asked her for a divorce. The rejection had hollowed her out. But there’d also been an element of relief. Giving up meant they no longer had to fight to hold everything together.

Ari swung her backpack into the car before climbing in herself and flipping her long, dark blond hair—the same color as Patience’s—over her shoulder. She was turning into quite a beauty, with big blue eyes and a set of dimples. The eyes she’d gotten from Patience, but the dimples came from her father. That she was starting to garner so much attention from boys made Patience uncomfortable. Teen years could be difficult. She hadn’t made it successfully through them—not like she should have—and wasn’t excited about her daughter running the gauntlet of high school. So much hung in the balance…

“Can we get an Oreo shake on our way home?” Ari asked.

Ari asked to go to Flip-n Burger almost every day, which boasted over thirty different kinds of shakes. Patience usually said no. A shake almost always turned into a shake with a burger and fries, which ruined her dinner. But after the talk Patience had just had with Jack in the park, she craved a few minutes to adjust to what she’d learned and to decide how she was going to handle it where Ari was concerned.

“Okay,” she said.

Ari looked over in surprise. “Did you just say ‘okay’?”

“Yup,” she confirmed.

“Why?”

“Because it’s been a while since we went. And I think we could both use a treat.”

Ari’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you need a treat? Don’t tell me you and Grandpa got into another one of your fights that isn’t really a fight—according to you guys—and you don’t want to go back to work quite yet.”

That happened occasionally, but Patience sent her daughter a remonstrative look for her slightly disparaging tone. “Do you think you could handle your grandfather any better?”

“No,” Ari admitted sheepishly, sinking deeper into her seat.

“Exactly. A lot of those ‘fights’ are because I’m running interference for you.”

“I know.” She pulled her hair around to the side. “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just…he gets mad when we stop at Flip-n.”

“Because then you miss out on what I’ve made for dinner, which is a much healthier meal,” Patience said. “He has a point.”