Page 83 of Every Time We Touch

I’m not sure how she will react to this, but Lauren just shakes her head.

“Aw, boo,” Austin coos, dissolving more of the tension. Juan flutters his long lashes.

Heather doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to—I feel her beside me all the same.

Something tells me that, despite everything—despite what I have done—the St Jameses will be okay.

Chapter 42

Clancy

My studio’s closed for renovations and I’ve been spending all my free time with Jen. She and Heather are hunched over the paperwork for the sale of Fluxx—to the guy Eric put Jen in contact with.

I’m just refilling their water glasses, pondering when to take Jen to New York to meet my family, when the bell rings.

“Do you want me to get that, babe?” I ask.

Neither Jen nor Heather reacts. I doubt they’ve even heard the bell. It’s something to witness them in their twin bubble, but combined with work, it’s as though the walls of that bubble have become impenetrable steel.

I walk into the hallway and I’m about to open the front door when Heather calls from the living room, “Clancy! Wait!”

But it’s too late. The door is wide open, and Eric stands in front of me.

Heather has rushed into the hallway. “I got so sucked in, I forgot I asked Dad to stop by.” She looks from me to Eric. Jen has turned up in the hallway as well.

“Dad,” Jen says with a slightly shaky voice. “Come in.”

Eric greets his daughters with a kiss on the cheek, then walks past me. Ouch.

I’m not sure what to do. Should I leave? The sale of Jen’s company is none of my business. I could make the drive over the Hill and check on the progress at my studio. But I’m not one to flee—and, even though I’ve hurt him, Eric is hardly a stranger to me. But this is the first time we’ve been in the same room since I got together with Jen, and you can cut the tension with a knife.

“I’m sorry,” Heather says, as we walk into the lounge. “My mind’s been on a million different things and I forgot, um… yeah, this.” She shakes her head. “I didn’t deliberately set up this confrontation.” She glances at Jen.

Jen nods, as though she knows her sister would never do that.

“Do you want me to go?” I ask Jen, despite my earlier resolve not to run away from this situation.

“No, stay,” Jen says. “Please.”

“It’s okay,” Eric says. “This was bound to happen sooner rather than later.” He cuts his gaze to me. “Hi, Clancy.” He gives a small nod.

“Eric.”

He chuckles awkwardly. It’s strange to see him like this—in this different capacity. He’s much more Jen’s dad to me than my ex-boyfriend.

“I don’t want to get into a whole song and dance about it,” Eric says, his voice a touch gruff. “But I will say this.” When he shifts his gaze to Jen, it becomes a whole lot warmer. “I was hurt by this, but it didn’t destroy me.”

Jen’s hunched up shoulders relax a little.

“That will take a hell of a lot more than this,” Eric says. “Okay?”

“Oh, Dad.” Jen takes a step closer to Eric.

The knot in my stomach loosens at the sight of them.

“Sad Dad does not equal Destroyed Dad,” Eric says.

It’s a trip to be both the source of Eric’s sadness as well as his daughter’s joy.