“Sakura, isn’t it? In spring, they have pink fraps. I want to go so I can try one.”
“I’m sure there’s a better reason to take a trip around the world.”
“Why would you go to Japan, then?” he asked while sipping his drink.
“Me? In the Land of the Rising Sun? Come on. I’d be stricken blind,” I teased lightly.
Max laughed. “What do you need done today?”
I took a deep breath and another sip of my nutmeg-caramel-mocha-soy-whateverthehellthiswas, which didnotgo well with taffy, and then nodded toward the back. “We ought to go through the boxes.”
“Finally?” he asked with a grin.
“Spring cleaning,” I replied.
“Little early for that,” Max remarked.
“I need a fresh start,” I said.
Hearing myself say that was—strange. Had I meant what I said to Neil the night before, about changing the locks? Did he understand what I had implied by that? DidIunderstand it in the heat of the moment?
I guess I had.
“Get a pair of gloves and the clipboard. Start with box one.”
“Yup, I got it,” Max said, leaving with his coffee to do as asked.
I fished my cell out of my pocket and raised it close to pick my dad from the contacts. I knew what he’d say about this. I didn’t even need to hear it.
Not really.
Maybe.
“Dad?”
“Hey, kiddo. Everything okay? I tried calling you yesterday.”
“Did you?”Uh-oh.
“Around eight.”
I had turned my phone off after Neil left. I wanted to make a point, on the off-chance he tried to call during the evening. “Sorry, Pop. I had my phone off.”
“What’s going on with Mike Rodriguez? A detective called me yesterday about your visit.”
“Mike’s dead, Dad,” I said quietly, glancing up, but Max was far in the back of the shop.
“Good lord!”
“It’s complicated—not really why I called,” I admitted selfishly.
“You have something that’ll top this?”
“Well, no, but…. Neil walked out last night.”
There was a long pause on my father’s side. So much so that I thought the call had been dropped. “Dad?”
“Is he coming back?” he finally asked.
