It's possible Jake was seeing a therapist and writing letters to her. It's plausible, but without knowing the contents of the letters I can't know for sure.
If Jake was having mental health issues, does that explain why he ran into the building with explosives? Our line of work can lead to dark thoughts, and it's not easy to reconcile the things we have to do. Did it get to be too much for Jake?
I scrape a hand down my face. I don't want my family to hear about this.
"Did you tell Avery about this?"
Marcus shakes his head. "I can't speak two words to your sister without Ed staring me down."
"Good. Keep it to yourself. I don't want to upset her."
"All good." Marcus grins. "I'm good at keeping secrets."
I look up as Joel strides onto the shooting range. He's carrying a hunting rifle, and he stops in the booth next to ours.
"You boys talking or shooting?"
Marcus fires off a round, and I do another while Joel sets up.
I rest my rifle against the wall to watch him.
"I hear you're taking on Jake's kid."
I'm not surprised word has spread about Jake's secret son. Half the veterans in town work for Joel.
"You heard right."
Joel lines up his rifle and pops off a couple of rounds. The rifle presses into his stubble-lined cheek.
"It's a tough road being a single parent."
Joel was a SEAL commander until his wife got ill. He left the military to raise their teenage girls after she passed away. Judging by the hole right between the eyes of his target, he hasn't lost his ability to shoot.
"I'm not his parent. I'm his uncle."
Joel nods slowly. "For all intents and purposes, you're about to become that boy’s father, the most influential role model a boy can have. Are you ready for that, Amos?"
It seems everyone in this town doubts my ability to raise a child. Hell, I doubt myself, but I don't want to show that openly to Joel. "How hard can it be?"
Joel fixes me with a steely stare. "Parenting is hard. Some days I long for the ease of the Afghan desert and the simplicity oftracking down bad guys. I'll take a SEAL mission any day over trying to negotiate with two teenage girls."
He shakes his head, but there's a smile on his face. "It's a tough gig. If you need help, I'm here for you. Dana is old enough to babysit if you need time out. Although I'm sure your family will be there for you too."
"Thanks Joel. I appreciate it, but what I really need is a job."
He grins. "I thought you'd never ask."
The construction for Jake's Retreat started five months ago, but it stalled over the winter so there's still a lot to do.
"You got any construction experience?"
I shake my head. "I'm a quick learner."
"I've got local contractors doing the building, but they need workers. If you don't mind hard labor, we've got a few months of work ahead of us yet."
"I'll take it. Whatever you can give me."
He nods appraisingly. "Good. That's the attitude you need now that you're a dad. Whatever it takes to provide for the boy."
