Frigid Affair(34)

“That slop is called oatmeal and it’s good for him. You should eat it too. It’s beneficial for the heart.”

“I’m afraid to tell you, my heart is too far gone to even want to try that stuff.”

“Do you have medical issues? It’s probably good for me to tell Christopher’s pediatrician.”

“No. I’m healthy. My dad died of kidney failure, but it was because he’d gotten into a bad accident years ago and it messed him all up. I had to keep in shape for the fire department.”



“Do you miss it?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Sometimes. Mostly I miss bringing home a steady income. I don’t have much left in the bank, so I’ll need to find something once the weather breaks, plus your neighbors are going to want their house back.”

“Have you thought about what area you want to move to?”

“A little. Everything is up in the air now, though.”

“Why?”

“Do you have to ask?”

As soon as he said it I realized we were the reason, or for better argument, Christopher. “I guess not. I’m trying to keep my thoughts at bay. I’ve been selfish with him. It’s hard to adjust.”

“I still can’t believe he’s my kid. I never thought it would happen, not after Alice.”

“Did you want kids before?”

He froze. I could tell he wasn’t going to answer me. His posture changed and he seemed like something bothered him. His face tightened. “Enough about me. Where did you work before?”

“I was a bank teller.”

“Wow. You, the hermit, worked in public? That’s hard to imagine.”

“I’m highly likeable, I’ll have you know.”

He smiled. “I never said you weren’t.”

“Do I sense sarcasm?” I asked.

“Well, you haven’t been very forthcoming with me since I’ve been back, even after I told you the truth, and in my defense, I’ve never done anything to hurt you or your son. In fact, I came and offered you a safe place to ride out this storm. I don’t know how long it’s going to take but we’re going to be friends. We need to be.”

“Are you telling me, like I don’t have a choice?”

“Maybe I am. Does that piss you off?”

I stood there for a moment watching Christopher sit quietly next to his father. You could very much tell they were related. “No. It might have earlier, but I can see how this is the right thing to do. I might not love it, but I have to be okay with it.”

“Good, because after spending five minutes with him I know I’m not going to be able to stay away.”

“So you’d move to town just to be close to your son?” This was what every woman wanted for their child, yet it scared me. What if he got him for the weekend and never returned him? What if he was planning his kidnapping scheme as he stood there stirring the soup.

“Amantha, I just found out I’m a father. Why would I go anywhere? I have nothing else. You of all people know what that’s like.”

“No thanks to you,” I accidentally said out loud.

“True,” he sadly agreed. “If I could change the past I would, but then we wouldn’t be here, and he,” he pointed to Christopher. “He wouldn’t exist.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s hard to look at it that way for me. It’s like I’m having to choose lives, both of which mean everything to me.”



“Just so you know, I never pictured my life ending up like this. I owned a home. We were planning to grow old together, or at least I was. I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t there for her enough. According to my ex-friend, they’d been involved for over a year behind my back.” He shook his head. “Sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about Alice.”

“It’s okay. It’s weird, but I feel like it helps.” Was it wrong to want every detail leading up until she drove that truck out on the tracks?

He motioned toward a certain cabinet. “Can you grab us a couple bowls?”

“Sure.” I did as he requested, accidentally brushing against him as I walked by. Immediately I got chills in certain parts of my body. When I came back with the bowls I walked clear across the kitchen to make sure it didn’t happen again.

Christopher gave me a fit about getting down from the counter, until he saw that Jensen had put everything on the table. I let him down, only to watch him run in that direction. “Did you bribe him with candy?”

“No. I think he likes me though. I was always good with kids for some reason.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters? I think I remember you telling me about them.”

“Yeah. I’ve got sisters. They’re all a pain in the ass, but I don’t see them much. One lives in New Hampshire. One is in the Airforce. She’s overseas in Korea for the next two years. I haven’t seen her since before…” He wasn’t able to say it out loud. “Since everything happened. My youngest sister is in college. She lives in a dorm in Texas. Ever since my dad died none of us keep in touch like we used to. I think they feel sorry for me, but they don’t know how to approach it. Only two of them came to the funeral, and once they knew I lost my job and then the house, they pretty much figured I was giving up on life. One of my sisters let me come and stay with them for a while, but it didn’t help. I knew I was the only person who could make myself get through it.”