Neither of them answers. Keegan is staring at the ground now. He seems embarrassed. That’s good, right? It means he feels something.
“Are you in a hurry to get going? Because if you have a minute, I think your sister would like to go over a few things.”
“We’re in no hurry,” Josh says hastily.
I wish he’d stop staring at Riggs like he’s Jesus comeagain. But I’m guessing both Riggs and Ash are used to this kind of thing.
“Is Dad home?”
Keegan shakes his head.
“Tell me he’s not at the casino.”
Again, neither answers. Figures. It’s business as usual around here. Why am I not surprised? “Let’s go inside and talk. It won’t take long.”
They nod and lead the way.
The kitchen is a total mess and beyond embarrassing even though I warned Riggs in advance. Maybe I should have called when we landed to let them know I was on my way and that I was bringing a friend, but if I had, I’m pretty sure they would have made it a point to not be here, and the kitchen still would’ve looked like this. Thankfully, Riggs is acting like he doesn’t notice.
Josh quickly clears the table, tossing dirty dishes in an already full sink, while Keegan gathers all the trash and starts stuffing everything in an already overfull waste bin. Are they embarrassed? I think they are. Serves them right.
I don’t help. Instead, I get sodas out of the fridge for everyone and pour them into glasses with ice. When we’re all finally seated, I start the conversation with, “Where is Mom now?”
Keegan takes a soda, looks at Riggs, then back at me. My new boyfriend is bigger than both of them combined. A lot bigger. “Thanks,” Keegan says softly.
Knock me over with a feather. He actually thanked me?
“She’s at the morgue,” Josh says. “They came and picked her up last night.”
“Does anyone know what happened?”
Keegan sets his soda down. “Dad said her heart probably just gave up. He talked to the doctors about everything. That’s what they said.”
Josh turns to me. “Does this mean you’ll move out?”
“Probably.”
He looks distraught. “But what about us?”
I bite my tongue. I’m tired of fighting with them, and now isn’t the time anyway. “I’ll stay for a little while, but I’m not going to support you anymore. You’ll have to learn how to live on your own. That means working, paying the bills, and buying your own groceries. We all know Dad isn’t going to be any help, so it’ll be up to you two now.”
I can tell Keegan wants to blow up at me, but he doesn’t. “Work where? Dad never shows up, so there aren’t any roofing jobs besides the occasional repairs we find on our own.”
“Sounds like you two are going to have to take over the business,” Riggs says. “I think it’s the only way.”
Keegan is looking at him like he has a new best friend. “That’s what I thought. I’ve been trying to get Dad to let me run things for years. At least to let me give it a try. I have all kinds of ideas about how we could make it grow, but he always says no.”
That surprises me. “I didn’t know about that. What’s his reason?”
“He says it’s his company, and he isn’t going to let meand Josh steal it from him.”
“Then you start your own,” Riggs says. “What’s stopping you from doing that?”
Keegan thinks about it for a minute. “Money, I guess.”
A smile tugs at the corner of Riggs’s mouth. “Would you be open to taking on a partner?”
“Sure, but who? I don’t know anyone who would do that.”
