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“Maybe I can dog sit occasionally,” his dad conceded. “As long as it’s not during my chess games.”
Jackson grinned at him. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You heard from your mom lately?” his dad asked, his voice casual.
“She called the other day. I haven’t had a chance to call her back yet.” Jackson looked at his dad, taking him in. At the age of fifty-eight, Ryan Lewis kept up a good appearance, his grey hair perfectly trimmed, his body lean and tight. Before Jackson was born, his dad had been a champion surfer, winning competitions both in the US and abroad. Once he settled down with Jackson’s mom, and they’d had him, he’d gone to work at Newton Pharmaceuticals as a book keeper.
And that’s where he’d stayed until he took early retirement last year. He’d worked through his marriage, and the breakup of it, when Jackson’s mom had left without a backward glance. Now he spent most of his days hanging out at the beach with his friends, or playing chess at the coffee shop.
“It’s okay. She needed a bit of help, I sorted it.” Ryan waved his hand.
“You gave her money?” Jackson’s chest tightened. “I thought we talked about this.”
His dad looked down at his beer. “She was short on cash, I had some. That’s all.”
A wave of frustration washed through Jackson’s body. This was so typical of his mom. She’d be silent for months, only contacting them when she needed money or some other kind of help.
It angered him that his dad fell for it every time.
“How much did she want?”
“That’s between me and her, son. There’s nothing to worry about. It’s all sorted now. You just concentrate on working out how to look after that damn mutt.”
“Why do you keep giving things to her?” Jackson asked. It was crazy. “She’s the one who left, Dad. More than twenty years ago. She’s not your problem anymore.”
His dad exhaled heavily. “She’s your mother. She gave me you. I owe her for that. And believe it or not, I loved her like crazy. She was this whirlwind twisting into my world and opening my eyes to what life could be like. You won’t remember what she was like then, but everybody wanted to be close to her. And I was the lucky guy she chose.”
“But then she left. And you never moved on. You haven’t even dated since.” As a kid, he’d loved that it was him and his dad. But now… he worried about him being lonely.
Yeah, he was the pot calling the kettle black.
“I tried dating. It didn’t work.” Ryan shrugged. “And excuse me if it’s rude, but I don’t need to take dating advice from you. It’s not like you’ve held down a relationship.”
“I was engaged once,” Jackson reminded him.
“Yeah, about a hundred years ago. And you haven’t had anything serious since.” His dad caught his eye. “Try not to worry about me and your mom. We’re old enough to take care of ourselves. And anyway, it’s not as though I’ve got anything better to do with my money.” He shrugged. “You’re doing well enough to not need anything from me.”
Jackson finished his beer, putting the bottle on the counter in front of him. “You’re right. We’re both big enough to take care of ourselves.”
“Amen to that.” His dad grinned.
“I’m not sure about taking care of a dog though,” Jackson admitted, as Eddie started to sniff around his ankles. “You wanna walk him with me?”
“Yeah, okay.” Ryan nodded. “As long as you’re the one picking up his crap.”
“Hurricane Lydia strikes again.” Autumn couldn’t stop laughing as Lydia recounted the story of finding Eddie in the brush above Angel Sands. “I bet Jackson didn’t know what hit him.”
“I can’t believe Brooke let him take a dog home.” Griff shook his head. “She knows better than that. Jackson can barely take care of himself.”
Lydia rubbed her face with the palms of her hands. “I feel terrible,” she admitted. “He looked like he’d been hit by a steamroller when we put Eddie in the car. I’m not sure he realized what he was getting himself into.”
Autumn and Griff exchanged a glance. “Well, maybe it’ll be good for him,” Autumn said, lifting Skyler into a comfier position. “He’s been living alone too long. The dog will keep him company. The responsibility might change him.”
“This is Jackson Lewis we’re talking about, right?” Griff asked Autumn. “Tall guy, dark hair, thinks he’s good looking. Always stressed and running from one place to the next?”
“Well, he is quite good looking,” Lydia offered. Autumn muffled a laugh behind Skyler’s head.
“And he does run his own business.” Autumn shrugged. “That’s a responsibility in itself. We should know that.” She glanced at Lydia and Griff. “Plus he’s going to be Skyler’s godfather. Taking care of a pet isn’t much different to caring for a child. I think he’s a good guy for volunteering.”
