Junkyard Dog(58)

“I’m in love with Candy Wilburn.”

“Don’t blame you. She’s a looker.”

“I’m planning to make things official during our week in Disney World. That’s why I want you to come on the trip.”

“I don’t like traveling.”

“It’s one week. We’re flying first class. You’ll get your own room at the resort.”

“What about Lizzy Anne?” he asks, gesturing at where she stands listening.

“I’ll pay for her to come with us.”

“Will she get her own room? I don’t want to share.”

“You’re kidding, right? Why in the hell would I think she’d want to share a room with you?”

“You’re not always aware people have feelings, son.”

Frowning, I look at Lizzy Anne. “We’re staying at the animal resort where the kids can see giraffes. I was thinking of putting Dad at another nice resort where there ought to be fewer kids. I can get you a room on the same floor. They have room service and massages. It’ll be a paid vacation. Are you game?”

“What about Gladys?” Dad asks before Lizzy Anne can answer.

“I’ll pay to have someone come over and feed her. Clean her shit too. She’ll be fine.”

“I'm not sure. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

I frown at my father. “Look, I haven’t asked for shit in a long time. I’ve paid for this house and your care and that ridiculously expensive surgery for your cat. You owe me, and I’m calling in my damn markers. Pack up your shit, make sure you have your prescriptions in order, and prepare to have the time of your f*cking life.”

“You don’t need to be rude about it.”

“This trip is important. Candy and her kids are important. Don’t f*ck this up for me.”

Balthazar says nothing. I can feel how much he wants to bitch and moan. I’m asking him to vary up his incredibly boring schedule. If I hadn’t lost my temper, he’d tell me f*cking no and wouldn’t change his mind.

“Sounds like a good deal to me,” Lizzy Anne says, walking to the kitchen. “I’ll check the weather in Florida and start getting your dad packed.”

“Good. We’ll leave Friday night after the kids finish school, and we’ll be gone for their autumn break.”

“That’s a long time,” Dad grumbles.

“They have golf courses at Disney World,” I tell him. “Fishing too. I’m sure you and I can find things to do together and give Lizzy Anne a break.”

My father frowns at the TV, but I notice less irritation around his blue eyes. Back in the day, Dad took me golfing a few times a month. Once Mom died, he didn’t have much use for golf or anything else outside his house.

This trip can give him the sense of family he lost years ago. I think he worries about stirring up those old feelings. Life with Gladys the Cat and Lizzy Anne is easy, safe, and mind-numbingly dull. If he thinks he can avoid feeling anything when Cricket and Chipper are around, Balthazar’s in for a rude awakening.





THIRTY FIVE - CANDY


Honey and I sit on a bench while our six kids run around the busy park near her house. I check out the other mothers and think about making friends. As usual, I realize I don’t want to deal with their drama. Something about these women tells me they’re drowning in self-created bullshit. Uninterested, I focus on Honey.

“How are things with Andrew?”

“Okay.”

“What does okay mean?”

Honey shrugs. “He’s tense and blames me for getting Hayes involved.”

“Well, as long as he’s the one suffering, who cares?”

Honey shoots me a disapproving frown. “He’s my husband.”

“Why is that again?”

“Because I didn’t want to end up alone like Mom.”

Her honesty surprises me. Honey rarely talks about our mother or brother. She avoids upsetting topics. I’m proud of her until she opens her mouth again.

“Isn’t that why you’re with Hayes?”

Temper flaring, I think of a few cruel things to say to my sister. I force myself to remain civil instead.

“I know you’re going through a stressful period in your life, but you’d be smart not to comment on things you don’t know anything about. Okay?”

“He offers you security. How is that any different than why I picked Andrew?”

“Hayes doesn’t hit me,” I whisper angrily. “He doesn’t tell me what to wear.” Pausing, I remember when Hayes told me to stop wearing a shirt he thought was too revealing. “Fine, he does tell me what to wear, but he doesn’t freak out and hurt me when I ignore him.”

“I’m not judging you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel guilty for judging you?”

Honey shrugs, and I realize my bitchiness won’t faze someone beaten down for years.

“Hayes treats me well. If he didn’t, I wouldn’t be with him. I’m not afraid to be alone.”

“Mom was. That’s why she walked into the woods that day. All her life was about finding someone to love her, and that day she realized no one really would.”

“We did,” I mumble.