Page 29 of Faithful

Gin gives me one of thosego figureshoulder shrugs and returns to her chair in front of the computer. “Close the door.”

I do as she says, and my growing anxiety becomes fear. It’s small and not quite solidified but I’ve gotten fairly decent at reading my boss’s moods and the one she’s in now doesn’t promise good news. Particularly if it’s delivered in the confines of her office.

“I suppose that’s not why you called me here, right?” I ask. “To discuss my coworkers?”

Sure, they can be fucking frustrating, but I know they don’t mean any harm. They’re simply trying to keep things interesting. Why I’ve become the center of their attention all of a sudden is a mystery to me. Probably because Steven stopped frequenting our office. I only see him when he has an appointment. No more unannounced visits and cakes.

Truthfully, Val is better off.

Gin rests both hands on the desk. “The new children's hospital in Renton will be up and running early next year,” she says. “The department is about to finalize the dates.”

“Yeah. I remember.” How could I forget? Gavin has been all over the news these past few weeks, promoting his good deeds. “Why are we talking about it anyway?”

“Because we’re one of the sponsors at the opening gala.” She pauses, her eyes still locked with mine.

“I see.”

“Your father is the guest of honor.”

She doesn’t need to explain why. He’s been part of the project since the beginning. It would be weird if he didn’t show up at the opening event. It would be weird because that’s a lot of spotlight and a lot of potential votes during his next run for Senate. Gavin doesn’t miss opportunities like this.

“I expected that much,” I tell Gin honestly.

“Is this going to be a problem, Dylan? Do I need to remove you from the team working with the organizers?”

I think about it for a second. My first instinct is to say yes. I don’t want to see Gavin’s face. I don’t want to see him pretending to do good when in reality he doesn’t even know the meaning of good. Then I remember my promise to myself not to be a coward.

“It won’t be a problem,” I say, looking back at Gin. “I’d love to be part of the team.”

* * *

Kai and the rest of the band fly out to Nashville on the first day of October when my aunt Amelia arrives from New York.

We meet up in the evening after I get off work at the address she texted me earlier.

It’s a high-rise building in one of the nicer and more affluent parts of downtown and I have to check in with the security guard downstairs and give her my aunt’s full name. Then I’m escorted to the elevator and sent off to the top floor with the press of a button that readsP.

P for penthouse. In case you didn’t know.

The ride seems to go on forever, and I take this time to mull over the questions I have for Amelia. There aren’t many, but they are the ones I’ve been afraid to ask since I was a child, and getting to the truth now–even though Ava is gone forever–is important to me.

The ding of the elevator snaps me back to reality. I blink and the stainless-steel doors whoosh open, revealing a huge hallway bedecked with abstract artwork, the shapes and colors of which are flashy and grotesque and don’t seem like something my aunt would like, but I don’t know the Reids all that well except for that they are just as loaded as the Watsons.

“Dylan!” Amelia calls from somewhere. “Is that you, sweetie?” Her voice, bright and melodic, reminds me of my mother’s voice back in the day and I follow the sound of it on autopilot. It’s almost like a little trip back in time to when things weren’t so fucked up.

“Oh my god!” My aunt rushes over to hug me when I enter the living room area. “You’re a man now, sweetie.”

The last time we saw each other was at Ava’s funeral and I was so messed up then that I hardly remember much. Figures in black and raindrops on my face and the emptiness in my chest.

Now that I’m able to see the only relative on my mother’s side who still cares about me (even if it’s just a little), I feel strangely emotional.

“Let me look at you for a second.” Amelia pulls back and grasps my shoulders, her dark brown eyes studying me for a long moment. “You’re so skinny. Are you eating enough?”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes?”

“Yeah. Promise.” It’s not a lie. I am more or less okay now that I’ve moved out. I think mainly I owe this calmness in me to Kai. I’m still not sure what to call us, but I know it’s not just sex anymore, and it’s making me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

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