Page 50 of Defending Casey

Chapter 9

As much asHale hated to admit it, Brian’s words had an effect on him. He woke up with those words in his head and he knew before the girls came out to his house later in the morning, he had to find a way to clear those thoughts out.

And to do that, he knew there was one visit he needed to make.

Pulling up in front of his childhood home felt like stepping back in time.

The house didn’t look different at all.

The paint on the outside of the house was still tidy, but it was worn. The grass was high enough to tangle up with the laces on his boots and the sun was still behind the house as if it was trying to keep it permanently in shadow.

He felt like he was walking into the past, and it didn’t feel good. There was so much of that past that he didn’t want to think about, let alone revisit physically.

Just two steps up he felt the runner give and creak under his boot.

His stomach twisted as he adjusted his step to walk up along the braces and made his way to the front door.

When he stepped to the side and knocked on the door, he didn’t expect the craggy voice that called out. “Go away!”

“Dad, it’s me, Hale!”

There was a moment of pause and Hale let out a breath.

He heard the subtle groan of sound and then the soft footfalls across the floor and could almost picture his father walking across the room from wooden floor to rug and back to wood.

The inside door opened up and he was suddenly face to face with the man who had tried to ruin his life and had almost succeeded.

His father narrowed his eyes and looked him over from head to toe and back again. When he was done, he gave a grudging nod and sighed. “You look healthy.”

All Hale could do was nod.

His dad crooked an eyebrow up. “You’re not gonna say anythin’ to me?”

Hale couldn’t stomach the idea of saying anything to the older man. Just the thought of it brought bile up on the back of his tongue.

His mother always told him if he didn’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all.

Glowering up at him, his dad showed he’d never learned that lesson.

“Coward.”

Hale felt any remaining reticence disappear. He squared his shoulders and gave his father a mirror image of his own expression. “You look older.”

His dad snorted out a laugh and gave the screen door a shove. “Come on in, son. Looks like you’re ready to growl at your old man.”

Hale grasped the screen door and pulled it open enough to slip inside after he knocked the dust off of his boots.

“You want a beer or something?”

Casting a look at the wall clock above the mantle, Hale winced. “You have beer for breakfast?”

His dad waved him off. “I didn’t put the coffee on. So if you want something to drink, it’s either water from the tap or beer.”

“I’m not thirsty, thanks.”

Shrugging, his dad sat down on his armchair and gestured at the couch. “Take a seat, unless you’re gonna shoot me ‘tween the eyes and make your getaway.”

Hale sat down and let go of the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I’m thinking it would be much easier than actually talking to you.”

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