Page 29 of Dodge

Stop it, Fauna. Dodge has enough shit to deal with, and you don’t need to add any soap opera drama to the mix. If you can’t be part of the solution, at least don’t be part of the problem.

I cleared my throat. “Wait here for a minute.” I hurried into the walk-in and pulled out two small go-box containers. “Take this to your dad. Just heat it up in the microwave. That’s one task you don’t have to deal with.”

Dodge stared at the two white cardboard clamshells in his hands. “Thanks. Very kind, but you don’t have to—”

“Pshhhht!” I copied Betsey’s favorite noise and flicked my fingers in perfect imitation. “You’ve been helping me ever since I got here. No reason not to give back a little. It’s just chicken parm. Don’t get too excited.”

His eyes met mine, and he opened his mouth to say something, but his phone buzzed again. “He’s gonna call me until I get over there. Thanks for this, Fauna. I owe you one.”

I smiled. “Friends don’t owe friends. Get going, and I’ll see you soon.”

* * *

Dodge crankedthe screwdriver one last time. The repair was a simple one. The rubber O-ring in the faucet handle needed to be replaced. Something his father had done in the past but now chose to call his son to come out and do. The excuse was the retaining screw was too tight. Boyer said he tried dozens of times but couldn’t get the thing to budge.

Yeah, the screw was really tough to break free, but it wasn’t so bad to need anything more than a bit of strength. It was possible his dad really didn’t have the hands for it. Stuck or frozen parts were a daily challenge at the garage, and Dodge was used to that kind of torque. Luckily, he found the right-sized ring in his toolbox of random bits and was able to complete the repair.

He tested the handle several times, turning the water on and off. “There ya go, Pop. All done.”

Boyer grunted something that sounded like “Thanks,” then left the kitchen to plant his butt in the old recliner and click on the TV. The channel was one that showed old game show reruns from the seventies. Dodge shook his head. He couldn’t imagine anything more boring, but then again, different people had different preferences. Some of his friends liked sports, and some liked movies.

He washed his hands in the newly fixed sink and wondered what Fauna watched during the tiny periods of downtime she had. Did she even have a TV? Probably some sort of Food Network type of show.

That reminded him.

“Hey, Pop, did you eat dinner already?”

“I’ll microwave me some popcorn later” came the reply from the recliner. An episode ofThe Hollywood Squaresstarted up, and Boyer’s eyes were glued to the screen.

“My friend sent you something nice. Homemade chicken parm. I put it in the fridge earlier. You can heat that up instead of popcorn.”

“Is that the restaurant friend you mentioned? Fauna?”

Dodge was pleased his dad remembered her name. “Yeah, that’s her.” He took a breath. “I like her a lot, Pop. She’s good people.”

“Mallory still living with you?”

Another breath. “Yeah.”

Boyer kept silent a few seconds. Dodge waited for him to say something, then continued himself. “I was hoping she would move on by now, but she says she ain’t got anywhere else but here.” A frustrated sadness rose up in his chest with an unexpected dart of pain. “I have one woman in my house and another one in my heart. I’m not sure what to do about it, but I can’t help the way I feel.”

Canned laughter came from the TV. However, Boyer stayed quiet, and Dodge thought perhaps his dad had fallen asleep.

“Tearin’ me apart, Pop. I held on to the hope for a long time that Mallory would someday be in my life, but I finally realized after the third or fourth time she left me that it would never come true. I gave up on ever having a future with someone, but then I met Fauna.” He chuckled. “Crazy night when we got together. I thought I’d lost my chance, but she showed up here, in my town, workin’ her ass off to make her big dream happen. I’m scared as hell to believe it, but I want this to be a sign that good things are comin’ for me. That I finally found the person I’ve wanted and needed for so many years, and she’ll stick with me.”

Boyer still didn’t say anything as Peter Marshall talked about the night’s prizes. Ones given out years ago and were probably somewhere in a landfill by now.

Dodge gave a long sigh. Confessions like this weren’t in Boyer Plott’s wheelhouse, and seldom did the man have any advice on matters of the heart. Dodge didn’t particularly expect the man to have some profound words or ancient wisdom on the subject of love and relationships, but once in a while, he wished his dad would open up.

Dodge picked up his tools and placed them in the box. “I’m beat. Gonna head up to the Lair and crash there tonight.”

“Before you drive off, put that chicken whatever-it-is in the microwave for me. Your girl made it, so I might as well try it.”

“Your girl.”Dodge’s throat grew a small lump, and he had to swallow a few times.“Sure thing, Pop.”

CHAPTER15

I closedmy eyes and rubbed the last of my mascara from my lashes to my skin. My vision blurred from so many hours at the computer, setting up a website, plus all the social media sites. I was behind in advertising for the restaurant, but I finally had a launch date targeted, and now I had to build up excitement about it.

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