Page 9 of Winning Bid

Why? What have you heard? “Uh, fine. Didn’t sleep much.”

He nods knowingly. “The older you get, the more important sleep becomes. I learned that the hard way.”

“Really?” It just comes out. I can’t stop it. I’m too freaked out, and I’ve lost my filter. “Because it seemed like you used to sleep like a baby when you were conning everyone we knew out of their life savings and screwing around on Mom.” Okay. It's not the nicest thing I could have said to him.

He winces, then gives a little shrug. “You’re not wrong. But in prison, I learned how important sleep really is.” He pauses and sips his wine. “You don’t get a lot of it in there.”

I’m not sure if that’s his gentle way of reminding me that he’s paid his debt to society, but point taken. “Sorry … like I said. I need sleep.”

“No, no, Junebug. You’re not wrong about what you said. I did those things. I’m ashamed of what I did back then, and there’s no taking back those mistakes. They were my choices. Not yours or your mom’s. It was my fault you girls had to pay for what I did, and no amount of apologizing or,” he gestures around us, “fancy lunches will make up for my crimes. I know that, and that’s not why I want to do these lunches with you. But I’d like to think that everyone deserves a second chance in life. Thank you for trying to give me one.”

This man is a master at telling people what they want to hear. I know that. But I want to believe what he’s telling me. That he means every word of it. Maybe it’s the little girl in me, but god, I want to believe he is who he tells me he is now.

“Yeah, Dad. We’re figuring this out together. I don’t mean to harp on you about that stuff, but?—"

He laughs warmly. “Junebug, you haven’t harped on it at all. In fact, you’ve been far kinder than I deserve. You have exceeded my every expectation.”

“What does that mean?”

“In the joint, you hear horror stories about the daughters of the guys in there. When a little girl’s daddy goes to prison, it usually messes her up badly. I’m not going to tell you what the other guys said about their girls, but those stories are a part of why it was so hard to sleep in there.” He sighs and stares out at the rain before looking me in the eyes. “Seeing you here, now, doing as well as you are, looking healthy, and now, with that fat diamond on your hand, I am in awe of you. You are flourishing in spite of me, not because of me, and I know I owe that to your mother.”

I’m not sure how much more of this my heart can take. Between the need to hear that out of him for a decade and a half to his glowing assessment being only partially true, I’m dying inside for the second time today. Those are words I never expected out of him. I rasp out, “Thanks.”

6

ANDERSON

By the time June gets home, I’ve already poured a scotch. I’ve gone round and round about all of this, and I’m not getting anywhere, so a scotch was in order. I smile and lift my glass to her as she walks in. “Want one?”

It’s only then that I realize something is very wrong.

Her brown eyes are puffy, and the look on her pretty round face startles me. I set my drink down and go straight to her, wrapping her in my arms. “Baby, what happened?”

She shakes her head, and for a moment, she crumbles against me.

“You can tell me. You know you can.”

“Let’s go for a walk.”

I frown at her. In all the time we’ve been together, we’ve never just gone for a walk, and it’s been drizzling all day. She is freaking me out. I lift her chin with a finger to get her full attention because whatever is going on in her head must be terrible. “June, baby, talk to me. What is going on?”

There’s a firmness to her now. Her jaw is tight. Her eyes shine fiercely. “I want to go with you on a walk. Can we do that or not?”

“Yeah. Let me get my coat.” I don’t know what the hell has gotten into her, but this seems vitally important, and she’s not letting it go. I shrug on my coat and let her take the lead outside. Clearly, she has someplace in mind.

Thankfully, it stopped drizzling before we left the apartment. The air is heavy and chilled, so the walk is still uncomfortable. We end up at the little park a few blocks away, and she doesn’t say a word until she dips to look under the picnic table. Once she’s satisfied, she sits and gestures for me to do the same, so I do. June takes a breath to steady herself. Her voice is barely over a whisper, even though there is no one else in the park. “I think we’re bugged.”

“Bugged, like with a listening device?”

Her lips tighten as she nods.

“You’ve seen too many movies?—

“Do not mock me, Anderson,” her voice cracks.

“I’m not. I just think you’re being a little paranoid, that’s all. What has you so rattled?”

“A pair of homicide detectives came to my office today. They knew things.”

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