Page 9 of Subtracting the Heart

Shock and disappointment were his emotions that weekend… the shock that his father had two other children, and disappointment that Hudson didn’t care it was his birthday. He needed a babysitter and Cade had been the only option.

“Hello. May I speak with Ashton?” Cade had no idea how the kid showed up at Clark Street Shelter, so it was better to get a little background information first.

“Oh, he’s not home from school until tomorrow. He goes to Fernwood Academy in…” The girl began speaking before the phone was taken.

“Amy, you don’t give out private information on the phone.” The woman’s voice was somewhat muffled as if a hand was held over the receiver00.

“This is Cheryl Hayes.” Cade was surprised the woman was using Hudson’s last name.

“Hayes? Are you married to Hudson?”

“Yes. We’ve been married for seven years. Who is this and why do you want to talk to my son?” The woman’s voice was protective.

He didn’t have time to contemplate his answer, so he stated, “It’s me, Cheryl, Kincade Hayes.”

“Kincade? Oh, his son from his first marriage? I don’t think he’d like it that you’re calling for Ashton, Kincade. He doesn’t talk about you or your mother at all in front of the children. Is there something you need?” she asked. She was either as dumb as a box of rocks or she was so blindly in love with his father she didn’t see the forest for the trees.

Of course, the lawyers were keeping the divorce out of the papers, but how did Hudson’s colleagues not discuss it? His mother had hosted several parties when he was growing up,and Hudson’s employees were always in attendance, as Cade remembered. How could Cheryl not know anything about what was going on if his father still entertained his employees and clients at their home?

“I, uh, is Father having his usual post-Christmas party on the twenty-seventh?” Cade asked.

“Oh, you mean his annual trip to Naperville to see you the week between the holidays? No, he doesn’t do that anymore. We travel now, as a matter of fact. We’re all going to England this year. We’re leaving on the twenty-third and we won’t return until after the school term starts for Ashton in the middle of January. We’ve rented a house in the country, and we’re thrilled about it. We’re considering moving there permanently.

“Hudson wants Ash to attend his old boarding school in Kent. We’re going to look for an apartment in London and split our time between Chicago and London for Hudson’s business. Maybe after we get Ashton settled at school and return to Chicago, you could call and speak with your father. I know he misses you, Kincade. He has a file on all your accomplishments in his office. Hudson mentioned he caught Ashton looking through it on Thanksgiving.” Cheryl spoke as though Cade was an old family friend.

That was enough to hear. His father had gone to prep school in Boston, attending Northwestern for his undergraduate degree before he started his career. As far as Cade knew, his father had never attended school in a foreign country. He wasn’t sure what sack of shit Hudson had sold to Cheryl, but Cade knew none of it was close to the truth.

Cade needed to speak with Ash before he pursued another conversation with the boy’s clueless mother. “Maybe so, Cheryl. Well, happy holidays to all of you. I don’t think I’d mention this conversation to Father if I were you. No need to put a pall overyour holiday with news about me. Let’s take it up after the new year, shall we?”

“Sure. Are you still dating that football player, Kincade? He’s beneath you, dear. I know your orientation isn’t something you can do anything about, but maybe if you picked a young man with more standing in the community, your father would be able to accept it? He says your mother let you run wild when you were younger, but I doubt that had anything to do with you being gay.”

Cade bit his tongue. Clearly, his father had woven a rich fantasy history for Cheryl. “Yes, well. Thank you, Cheryl. Goodbye.” He hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

There were many things Cade needed to discuss with Ashton, but he didn’t want to scare the boy by being aggressive. Much of what Cheryl had said made no sense. It made perfect sense Hudson would want to get his family out of the country so they wouldn’t hear about the divorce, but the business about him spending part of the time in London didn’t add up.

He went on the internet to find Fernwood Academy, which was Ashton’s current school, located outside Milwaukee. Cade phoned the school and asked to get a return call from Ashton Hayes, only to be told he’d been sent home early due to an illness in the family. After Cade hung up, he was a little shocked, but some things were becoming clear. One of them, alarmingly… he needed to speak with his own mother.

He phoned her cell but it went directly to voicemail. “Mom, it’s me, Cade. I know you’re on holiday, but I need to speak with you desperately about Hudson. Call me back, please. Love you,” he signed off.

He called Jax’s cell. “Yo?”

Cade laughed. “Is that how you answer your cell?”

“Time-out, man,” he heard. The booming noises stopped, thankfully. It was ear-splitting. “Hey, chére. How much longeryou on duty?” He could hear Jax moving and then he heard a door gentlysnickclosed.

He glanced at his watch to see it was five thirty. “I’ll be there by eight. I’ve got to speak with Sammy for thirty minutes when he gets here. Two of the kids told me he’s bringing a tree, so I need to make sure they’re all set with it before I leave. How’s Ash? Giving you guys trouble?”

“Not at all. We were planning to order pizza when you got here, but maybe we better feed the kid sooner than later. What time does he go to bed?” Jax asked.

Cade laughed. “Since he doesn’t have school tomorrow, I’d guess he’ll be up later than you, Lucky.” It rolled off his tongue without effort at all, just as if nothing had changed between the three of them.

Jax chuckled. “Yeah, you still love me. Anyway, the kid’s great, but he had a little meltdown earlier. We kinda explained to him how webothlove you, but I’m not sure how well it went over. I’m sorry if we overstepped, but we didn’t know what to tell him when he asked. He thought Ford was cheating on you with me.”

Cade thought about his phone call with Cheryl. “Don’t worry too much about that. I have a feeling he knows a lot more than he’s putting on. He didn’t end up at Clark Street on accident, Jackson. I’ve just got to figure out how and why. Anyway, I’ll be there to pick him up as soon as I can. We’ll get an Uber to take us back to my apartment.”

“One, you’re still on the car service, Cade. Use it. Two, we hoped the two of you would stay here instead of going back to wherever you’re living. Please think about it. We have lots of room, okay? You don’t have to sleep with Ford and me but knowing you’re under the same roof will help me sleep easier.” Cade heard Jax’s voice shake, and after everything they’d been through, he needed them as much as he hoped they needed him.

“Okay, then, eight thirty. I need to stop at my place and get clean clothes. I’ll be there as quick as I can.”

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