Page 83 of The Sky in Summer
“There’s something you guys don’t know.”
Shit.
“What?” Tyler says, sounding defeated.
“She doesn’t think of me that way. It was her idea to stay friends. You can’t force a woman to love you.”
“Love? You love her?” I say, taking back the phone.
“Hold the phone up! We all want to see!” Sam yells.
I do as ordered.
“You love her?” I repeat the question.
He sits with the question and then, “That isn’t something I’m willing to share with her sons or my nephews.”
“Are you willing to share it with her, if she feels the same?” I spike the football in the end zone.
God I’m good.
“What do you know?” His voice changes. It has a much more serious tone. Like if we don’t tell him what we know the guillotine is waiting.
“Tyler and I know plenty. She sits around the house like E.T. when the life force left him. We’ve never seen her like this, and we have never seen her like she was when she was with you. It all adds up. She is way more into you than she lets on. You messed her up but good.”
“And we don’t like it,” Tyler adds like a badass.
Van repositions himself on his couch. A smile appears and it stays.
“I have been rethinking things. My choices. But I thought…”
“Quit thinking. It fucked everything up. Start feeling.”
That’s about the most profound thing Tyler has ever said. I am proud of the little shit.
“Has she said anything?” Van asks with a kind of hopeful tone.
“She doesn’t have to,” I say. “But Tyler and I know. Now what?”
“Now you let me handle this. Don’t let her know what I just said. Let me talk with her. Okay?”
Shit. What about the second part of the plan? The four of us are thinking the same thing. There were plans to get our mother alone and lay out our case. Tell her we think she’s making a mistake and Teddy and Sam agree. Now it’s in the wind.
“But she should know. It would make her feel better.”
As soon as it comes out of my mouth, I change my mind.
“Wait. Okay. We will leave it to you.”
Three faces look at me in doubt.
“It’s better he take it from here. I think he’s right.”
“Thank you, David. Don’t worry. I’m going to get everything straight. Thank you all. You may have made my life.”
“Okay. Shit. Don’t fuck it up,” I say with fake authority. Actually, I am happy.
When we disconnect, I see tears in Tyler’s eyes. They’re in mine too. Shit. What pussies.
