Page 12 of Nothing But It All
It is?“Why doesn’t she come by the shop and get a new one?”
“Why don’t you take it to work one day and fix it while you’re there?”
I lift a brow. “I’ve been a little busy.”And I didn’t know it was flat until now.
“Well, she’s been kind of busy too.”
“I’m aware. I saw her office.”
Michael grips my headrest and pokes his head into the front. “Did you notice the new shelves? She’s had me in there for the last week building crafting tables and shelving units. If that’s what adulting looks like, I’m done. Seventeen forever, man.”
I laugh at the look on his face—one of abject horror at the thought of manual labor for the rest of eternity.
The day Michael was born was one of the best days of my life. He wailed, wrinkling his nose, and screamed for all he was worth. I stood beside Lauren’s bed, gobsmacked that this heroine had just birthed a nine-pound baby, while Michael protested at the top of his lungs. When they put him in my arms, I swear he screamed louder. But when I placed him on Lauren’s chest?Silence.
He has had an affinity for his mother from that day forward. He’s her fiercest protector, her biggest fan. I used to tell myself that he got that from me. But lately, I’m not so sure that’s true, and that’s hard to justify.
The last few weeks have been different with the kids now out of school. Michael has hung around the shop. Maddie and Elodie have walked up to get money to go to the movies or to get a milkshake. As the days have passed, I’ve found myself wanting to go home. I’ve thought about pulling out the grill and seeing if Lauren will make her potato salad. Or seeing if she wants to take a drive at sunset like we used to.
But I haven’t done either thing.
If I go home, Lauren ignores me. If she’s not ignoring me, she’s making it clear she’s annoyed. And she’s not really to blame.
But here we are, and I don’t know how to get us anywhere else.Do I leave her happy and stay out of her way? Or do I press my luck and potentially make things worse?
Michael slinks back into his seat. “I borrowed your drill. The battery is on the charger if you go looking for it.”
“Why didn’t you ask me for help?” I pull out of the driveway. “We could’ve worked together and done it in half the time.”
“Correction: we could’ve done it together in a third of the time. I had no idea what I was doing. But you’re never home and she needed it done, so I just figured it out.”
Wow. Okay.
I glance quickly at him in the rearview mirror and then back at the road.
What else don’t I know?
I make a right onto the highway toward Maddie’s gym.
“Are you okay, Dad?” Maddie asks.
“Me? Yeah.” I exhale harshly. “Just thinking about your mom. I’ll never understand that woman.”
“She’s not hard to understand, you know,” Maddie says, sliding her sunglasses down her face.
“I beg to differ.”
Michael grips my headrest. “I wouldn’t worry about her too much. Mom is pretty self-sufficient. It’s not like she’s sitting around waiting on someone to take care of her, you know?”
“Sit back,” I say, shoulders tensing.
What the hell is happening?
There’s a cloud of uncertainty swirling around.Why do I feel like I’ve missed a conversation?
“Where are you guys going camping, anyway?” Maddie asks.
“Hocking Hills,” I say, thankful for the topic change. “But first, we’re going to stop and see Pops. It’ll only cost us a little time to circle up there on our way.”
