Page 133 of Absolute Certainty
“The only part of that man you inherited is your height,” she punctuated.
Stepping closer to where he stood at the end of the island, she continued. “Listen to me carefully, sweetheart. You had this same fear when Ellie was born, and as I told you then, I’m telling you now: you havechoices. You arenotgoing to wake up one morning possessed to a point where that gentle heart of yours is replaced by a monster’s. That’s not how this works. You’re an incredible father, and you’ll be an incredible partner to Sahar.”
He sighed, trying desperately to take her words in. “Thanks.”
She squeezed his arm. “I need you to do everything in your power to actually believe me. You deserve to be happy, my darling. You both do. And I look forward to seeing her again,” she added.
Agreeing, Jay bobbed his head up and down. He was about to say that he wasn’t sure how to tell Eloise, when they heard her stomping down the stairs. “Grandma! I decided to wear my Converse instead, so the Vans can dry.”
“Sounds good,” his mom replied.
Jay shifted his attention toward the foyer where Eloise would step in from.
“Are we going straight to art class, Dad?” she asked him.
He glanced at the stove’s clock. “Nope. We’ve got three hours.”
“Good, because I have some things to discuss,” she said.
Jay’s eyes widened, and he turned to look back at his mom. She gave him anI have no ideashrug, then bent down to hug Ellie. After, he reached his hand forward for her backpack. She handed it to him with a dramatic huff.
“Alrighty then,” he noted aloud as she strode out of the kitchen and toward the garage door.
He had three full weeks left with Eloise, and every part of him was crushed under the weight of sending her back to Philly. Alex was right. Everything was brighter when his little girl was home. He’d promised her he’d visit more often, and he was going to make good on that. God, how he hoped thatEvery Speck of Dustwould perform better—be the one thing that’dmaybelet him leave the coffee shop so he could be in his kid’s life more.
Opening the car door for her, Eloise jumped in the booster seat as he set her backpack down beside her. She buckled herself in as he got into the driver’s seat.
Before starting the engine, Jay eyed her from the rearview mirror. “So, what’s this bone you’ve got to pick with me?”
“It’s about movies,” she began.
“Should’ve guessed,” Jay returned.
“Uncle Patrickwas over.”
He put the car in reverse. “I’m aware.”
“Well, he told me that if you didn’t teach me how to make movies, he would because he’s my godfather, and that’s a big, big deal.”
Jay huffed out a laugh. “So, the moral of this story is that you’re now going behind my back to get intel on filmmaking? Cool, got it. Betrayals hurt, Eloise.”
He smiled at her through the rearview mirror. She scrunched her nose.
“Thenyoushould teach me, father.”
A hearty laugh flew out of him. “So, I’m ‘father’ now? What is this 1812?”
“Yes, because I’m mad!”
His lips curved into a pout. “Will you still be mad if I let you have ice cream before dinner?”
“Perchance,” she answered.
He let out another laugh. “Who’d you hear that from?”
“Aunt Lexie said it today when Uncle Patrick invited her to something. And then she told me it meansmaybe.”
“I mean, if the whole directing thing doesn’t work in your favor, you could be an English lit professor. Specialize in Shakespeare or something?”
