Page 7 of Contentious

“Ah, if only that were true. You can’t believe what it was like to be a teenager during the worst of it. The other kids were ruthless. What’s funny is we’ve seen a few of those kids through their own divorces while taking a bit of perverse pleasure out of watching them be put through the same meat grinder they thought was so hilarious for us back in the day.”

She chuckled. “That’s petty of you, Carson.”

“Guilty as charged,” he said with a laugh.

“Your grandfather seems like a great guy.”

“He’s the best guy we know, hands down.”

“How old is he?”

“Ninety-four in a few weeks, and other than some issues with his legs, he’s fit as a fiddle.”

“Where does he live now?”

“In an assisted living facility a few miles from here. He calls it rehab, but he knows it’s most likely permanent. He didn’t want live-in help, and we thought it would be good for him to be around other people, so we compromised. I was glad to hear he was playing cribbage, because he refused to engage with the other residents for the first two months. He said he had no time for a bunch of old people.”

“I already love him, and I’ve never even met him.”

“He has that effect on people. Tell me when you’re ready to go home. I don’t want to keep you out past your curfew.”

She laughed. “I have a babysitter for a rare night out, so I’m not in any rush, but I don’t have to work in the morning, and you do, so we can go whenever you want.”

“I’d like to sit here for a while longer, if that’s okay.”

“Fine by me.”

“Why is this a rare night out? You must have people you can ask to watch Ty.”

“I have a lot of people, but I only ever leave him with our nanny, Julia, my best friend, Marlene, or my Aunt Dee, who was always there for me while my mom was in and out of rehab. I don’t trust anyone else with him.”

“Because of his father?” Carson asked as he processed what she’d shared about her childhood. He wondered what she’d think of hearing that he, too, had been in and out of rehab once upon a time. After what she’d probably endured with her mother, she wouldn’t like him as much as she thought she did.

“I live in fear of him taking off with Ty. I’d never survive that.”

Carson turned to face her and was amazed again by how gloriously beautiful she was. The epitome of Southern California cool, she was blonde and blue-eyed, with dimpled cheeks and a smile that lit up the world. “I hate that you have to live with that kind of fear.”

“I’m used to it, but it never gets easier to let him out of my sight. I prefer staying home with him to leaving him if I don’t have to. Hayden and Flynn are longtime friends, so I wanted to support them tonight. This film is so near and dear to them.”

“It was incredible.”

“I love Flynn and Natalie’s story. They went through so much to have the life they do now, more than most people realize.”

Intrigued, Carson said, “So there was more to the story than what was shown in the film?”

“Isn’t there always more to the story?”

“I suppose so.”

“Suffice to say they worked hard for every bit of happiness life has given them.”

“He’s always been a great guy. Jules and I knew him in high school. Our parents were close friends.”

“Are you and Julian close?”

“Most of the time. Lately, we’re on different wavelengths.”

“Because of Isla, right?”