Page 14 of When You Had Me Adapting

“Hawk Landing is popular, but it seems everyone had the same idea we had today,” he chuckles. “It’s a pretty day for a hike with your old man.”

“Definitely.” I stand to meet him.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks. “You seem a bit distracted.”

“Work.”

“Miss it that much?” His voice is low, as we begin to walk toward the trailhead. It’s no secret he wishes I would settle down and stay closer to home.

“I do, but I also think it’s been nice being home and around people I know.”

My dad laughs. “I thought you liked being alone all the time.”

“Very funny.” We move over to the right to let a man and his dog coming from the other direction pass by us. The golden retriever lunges in my direction, throwing itself on the ground and rolling to expose its belly. I bend down with a laugh and give it a few good scratches before the owner tugs him away.

“Before I forget to mention it, Joe called yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s he up to?”

“He needs help tearing down an old barn. Apparently, he reached out to Archie, but he’s not giving him a firm answer. You think you could drive up there and help him with it?”

“When?” I ask through gritted teeth. Joe is my dad’s older brother and the family nut. After his divorce, he moved to South Carolina and lives in the middle of nowhere. I’m pretty sure he spends most of his time preparing for the zombie apocalypse or searching for UFOs. Archie is his only son and while we were always close, he and his dad don’t get along.

“He seemed flexible. Just give him a call. It would mean a lot to me. I’d help, but this sounds like a young man’s job.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. So, what else is new with you, kid?”

“Not a whole lot. Enjoying the break from work and being home. Actually, do you remember Lacey Sims?”

“Remember her? You two were inseparable. It’s hard to forget the kid who practically lived at your house for nearly two decades.” He shakes his head.

“Yeah, so anyway. You remember my friend Logan, right?”

“Is he the one with glasses or the one with the hair that’s too long?”

“The glasses.” He nods. “He’s dating Poppy Collins, so I ran into her and Lacey a little over a week ago.”

“I see the girls and their parents from time to time, but you know it was never the same once your mom passed and I moved. She was the glue that held us all together.”

“I didn’t realize you had seen her.”

He’s quiet for a moment.

“Dad? When did you see Lacey and Poppy?”

“Oh, you know, around. It’s not a very big town, Jace.” I wonder why he’s just now mentioning this to me. I mean I’ve never asked, but you would think if he ran into them he would have brought it up when I visited or called. Then again, the few times my parents tried to talk to me about her, I told them I didn’t want to. It was too painful and I couldn’t bear hearing how happy she was when I felt so miserable.

“Were they happy to see you?” He smiles, causing the corners of his eyes to crease.

“Well, not exactly.” I shake my head and take a deep breath. “Actually, they both seem to still want nothing to do with me.” I chuckle, and step over a large root in the ground.

“I never understood what happened between you three. You know, your mom always thought you and Lacey would end up together even after all that mess. She used to go on and on about how some people were just destined to be together.”

My heart clenches. A distant memory of my mom reminding me everyone has a soulmate and Lacey was mine plays in my head. I shake it away.

“Any chance she has something to do with all the thoughts about work and the future this morning?” he asks.

---