Page 15 of It Never Happened
“I’m sorry.”
Joey shrugs and rolls the dice, but he still won’t look at me. “I like having you here.”
He’s killing me today. And it’s making me want to throw it all away and just stay here with them. I just need to convince Courtney to give me another chance first. Joey is already needing me, I know that, but if I come back here, I want it all.
“Can I tell you something?”
“What, Dad?”
“I miss being with you all the time too.”
“So come back.”
“I want to.”
“You do?” His eyes light up and he sits straight up in his chair.
“Shh. I haven’t told your mom yet. I don't know if she’ll want me here.”
“Of course she will!”
“I don’t know, pal. There is a lot of adult stuff we have to work through.”
“Just tell her you love her.”
“That doesn’t always fix things.”
“Sure it does. At school, when Mrs. Lattner gives us a day off from homework, she tells us it’s because we worked hard and she loves us.Youdo that.Youwork hard and you love us.”
“What your mom and I have is more complicated than just not giving homework.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be. You already love each other, so I don’t know what the problem is.”
I laugh at his simplicity. “How do you know we love each other?”
“You brought her caesar salad the other night. It’s her favorite. And I heard mom telling Aunt January how you still give her butterflies in her belly. So I think you should just tell her.”
I want to ask more questions, but I also know it isn’t right to put my kid under a spotlight trying to figure out if his mother likes me. I laugh to myself and say, “Isn’t it usually the other way around? Actions speak louder than words, right?”
“Exactly. But you’re already doing thethings,now you need to add the words.”
This kid is smart beyond his years.
“Know what? That may just be the best idea ever. Want to help me get your mom back?”
Chapter 9
Jack
I’m sitting at Swoops Nest with the bartender, who is a newer arrival here in town. I think this may be a good spot to sit as he doesn’t know my story, unlike everybody else in this town. After Joey and I finished our game at the library, I dropped him off at Courtney’s house. She seemed a bit frazzled and wasn’t giving me much conversation. Instead of pushing, I knew to leave her be for the night. When she’s stressed, she works through things differently. She folds inward and tries to sort out her emotions. I know this is her working through her feelings about me showing up early, and I also know I can’t help her work through those feelings like I used to. When we were together and she would get in her head about something, I used to sit with her on the couch and rub her shoulders, massage her back and neck. It seemed to take the stress away, and she was able to think clearly. Now, Iamthe source of that stress and there is nothing I can do to relieve it at this moment.
I told her to call if she needed something and promised Joey I’d see him tomorrow. But it’s not enough. I need more time with both of them. I couldn’t go back to my hotel andsit alone in those four walls again, so I’m taking a risk and coming out tonight.
I slide into my seat at the bar as he asks, “What can I get you?”
“I’ll have a scotch on the rocks.”
He raises a brow, takes in my button-down shirt and dress pants, grabs a glass and grabs a bottle from behind him. “You're obviously from out of town; are you here on business? There's a nicer bar over at the Bluemoon Luxury.”
