Page 90 of Movers and Shakers

“You should spend time with your kid. Not me.”

“He gave up within five minutes. And then told me to come. So here we are.”

“Oh, great,” Ruth said. “You have tea.”

“Don’t,” I hissed. “Lila gave that to me.”

“Okay, cranky. You get water. Where the fuck are your cups?”

I desperately wanted to be angry that she was riffling through my cabinets, but I couldn’t find it in me.

She gave me a full glass of water and sat on the couch. “What happened?”

“If you feel up to talking about it, that is,” Tom added.

I looked in between them, wondering why they seemed to care so much, wondering why they made the drive through traffic in downtown Nashville,again,because I’d called. I was the odd man out and they’d always cared more about their own goals.

Until now.

“You can talk to us,” Ruth added at my silence, sounding much kinder than she had moments ago. “And we won’t laugh.”

“And we’ve signed NDAs about Lila,” Tom said. “So you literallycantalk to us.”

“Are you two trying tologicme into talking about it?”

“Would it work?”

“Nothing is going to work. I’mfine.”

“Can you say that without the muscle in your forehead twitching?” Ruth asked.

I glared at her, but it had no heat in it. Because, despite everything, Ididwant to talk to someone.

“Her ex leaked her location,” I said. “I offered to help and she said no.”

“What kind of help?”

“The kind where I was there. For everything.”

“Oh,” Ruth said. “Did she say why she said no?”

“She did, but I have a feeling how I acted when I found out about the dad thing contributed. I didn’t mean forherto leave.”

“She wasn’t mad,” Ruth said. “She did agree to come check on you.”

“She did?” I asked. “I never saw her until recently.”

“She’s got to have a lot going on. Maybe she was waiting for a break to come and see you.”

“Or she was truly mad,” I said. “I’m not good at emotions around people. It’s why I choose to stay alone.”

“Emotions are messy,” Tom said. “But it’s important to have them, or else you’d do what I did for years and drink them away.”

My conviction faltered. “I did try to shield her from any other drama after that. Do you think that was the wrong move?”

“If you’re offering to be there for everything, then it’s a two-way street,” Ruth said. “So, kind of.”

“Then the damage is done. She said she couldn’t be a tornado in my life.”

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