The Chance (Thunder Point #4)(92)

When he had one hundred miles under his belt, he stopped for a sandwich and Coke. And he called Carol. “Hey,” he said. “Listen, something came up. I’m afraid I’m not going to get home this summer.”

“Are you okay, Mick?” she asked.

“Yeah, fine. But I have a favor to ask. On that day... You know what day I’m talking about, right? Would you make sure there are flowers there? On that little grave?”

“Of course,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, just some business. I was working with this kid. Young kid who’s been trying to take care of a family and he’s... He’s only seventeen, Carol. I think he could use a hand. It’ll mean staying put for a while.”

“And you’re going to help him,” she said, her voice sweet.

“I’ll try. I might not be able to, but I owe it to him to try. I worry about you, though. Will you be okay if I don’t make it back this summer?”

She laughed softly. “Al, it’s been thirty-eight years and our Ethan has moved on. Time we did, too.”

“You know, if I could do it over...”

“Mick, I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said.

“You wouldn’t?”

“Mick, my first love...I told you once, I’ll tell you again, I’ll always love you. There’s a special place in my heart for you, the father of my lost child, the man I spent most of my youth loving and admiring. I treasured those years we had, you and me. So, we’ve had our pain? Show me a human being who hasn’t. We managed to somehow carry on, though it wasn’t easy. We rebuilt our lives but we always have that wonderful bond. Thank you, Mick. You’ve been so good to me and I do love you. I have wished for so many years that you would find true happiness. No one I know deserves it more.”

“Carol,” he said with a catch in his voice.

“You’ve waited long enough,” she said. “I’ll be sure that little grave is cared for. It’s time for you to try something new. I’ll be here if you need to talk about it.”

“I think maybe you’re the best woman in the world,” he said.

“You get going now,” she said. “I think you need to make up for lost time.”

He might’ve driven over the speed limit most of the way, but he wasn’t stupid—he was real careful. He just had this nagging fear that he’d be too late, that in the two weeks he’d been gone those people he cared about most had learned to hate him for leaving abruptly, no explanation, not even saying goodbye, not making contact.

He didn’t want to confront Justin in a public place so he decided to sit in front of his house until the boy came home from work. It was ten by the time he got to Thunder Point and the light on inside the little house suggested the boy was home already. Al took the duffel out of his truck and walked to the door. He knocked and the door opened right away.

Justin stood there in a pair of board shorts and that was all. His mouth was agog.

“I shouldn’t have left,” Al said. “I’m back. I want to help.”

“What the hell?” Justin said.

“I need a place to stay. I’ll take the couch.”

“Just wait a minute here. I thought you—”

“I didn’t know what to do, all right?” Al said. “First of all, seems like whenever I feel like I could be more problem than solution I just hit the road. It always worked for me before. I couldn’t let go of it this time—I couldn’t stop thinking about you working eighty hours, about Kevin’s black eye, about that goddamn shrew who calls herself a foster mother and those lazy idiots laying around waiting for someone else to do the chores. I wanted to let it go, but it wouldn’t go. But here’s the deal—no matter how hard I try, the program probably wouldn’t have me as a foster parent. I don’t have that much going for me. For starters, I’m pretty sure I can’t even fill out the paperwork.”

Justin grinned. “I’ve seen your paperwork,” he said. “Pathetic.”

“Yeah, well I’ve never been good at that stuff but the way I see it, we gotta give it a shot. We can go together and I can’t think of a reason they wouldn’t let you help with it. I don’t have a record or anything. I make okay money and have a little savings. I won’t be able to help with homework but you can. Between us, we can keep the boys clean and dry and fed.”

“Seriously? You don’t have to. I’m going to—”

“I know, you’re going to do it all. Listen, kid, I’m not feeling guilty or anything, that’s not what this is. This is something I can do. I think it will make me happy.”

Justin shifted his weight to one leg. “Yeah? And what if you get in it and find out you’re not so happy? Then what?”

“I know it doesn’t look like it, but I can keep my word. If you boys don’t turn into total juvenile delinquents, I can get you grown up.” He paused a minute. “I want to, Justin. I’m not the best choice, but I’m adequate.”

“When?” he asked.

“I think we should go to the DHS office tomorrow. The sooner we get this rolling, the sooner we go pick up the boys and get ’em home.”

Justin thought on this for a minute. Then he said, “Okay. You can have the couch. And listen, if you don’t come through for me, I can take it. But if you get those boys’ hopes up and let ’em down, I’ll get even. I swear to God.”