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There’s a hint of actual care in the question she asked, and I do wonder what else she knows about my brother’s current life. She researched everything else to an obsessive degree, but it never occurred to me that she would dig into my long-lost brother too. He’s not an issue or even a thought for me, but Jayme apparently wanted to cover all the bases, including any potential pitfalls. I should’ve known better. She’s nothing if not thorough.
She turns around to Dad and holds out her hand expectantly. Taking the hint, Dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out several hundred-dollar bills. I watch as Archer’s eyes widen ever so slightly, as though he’s eager to get his grubby hands on that much cash.
Jayme smiles sweetly. “Oh, no, Ben. Charity is for the children who need it, like the ones in the hospital. Archer only needs his ticket refunded, nothing more and nothing less.” She keeps three of the bills and tucks the rest in the belt on her dress.
“Here you go, Archer.” She holds the bills up, and he snatches them from her hand. Patting her belt, she says, “And this will go into the big Plexiglass box at the front of the Garden. Thanks, Ben.”
Dad chuckles as Archer glowers. “This isn’t over.”
He’s trying to save a little face, but it’s too late. Jayme’s already shown her hand, and it’s full of aces, so though she’s physically slightly shorter than Archer, she manages to look down her nose at him. When his threats don’t get the desired reaction, Archer spins on his heel and stomps out. We all watch until he gets through the gate of the Great Garden and disappears out of sight.
“Holy shit, I thought you two were bad. That one is definitely worse than you combined,” Jayme jokes as she turns her attention back to Dad and me.
“Hey!” I retort, but inside I’m smiling a little. I know what she means, and it doesn’t sting as much as it used to.
Dad, though, cringes painfully. “I know he’s . . . what he is, but Archer is still my son. I’m sad that the choices I made affected him so much, but I’m disappointed that he didn’t take control of his life and do better in spite of me.”
I’ve never heard Dad’s regret and pain quite so clearly. “Archer isn’t your fault, Dad. There are plenty of things you can be blamed for, and I’ve been doing a fair job of laying those at your feet for years. But he’s like that because he wants to be. You can’t make him get over his past. Only he can.”
I guess Jayme’s turned me into Dr. Phil too, or in healing some of my own shit with Dad, I don’t want him to blame himself for Archer’s failures.
“Thank you,” Dad chokes out, fighting down emotions I’m betting will come up again later when we don’t have an event to manage. To Jayme, he adds, “And thank you too. Are you sure you won’t reconsider that job offer?”
Dad melodramatically winks at me to let me know it’s a joke this time, and the three of us laugh.
“Glad things are going better over here,” Toni says, walking up. She’s holding hands with a guy I’ve never seen. “With everything going to hell on a speeding train, I figured it couldn’t get worse. What better time to introduce you to my date? Dad, Carson . . . this is Topper. Topper, this is my Dad. You can call him Ben. And Carson’s . . . friend? Jayme.”
Toni’s eyebrows lift in question as she tries to suss out what Jayme and I are, and Dad holds out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Topper.”
They shake, and then Topper offers a hand to me. It takes me a long second to react because I’m looking from Toni to Topper, trying to figure out the dynamic here. Toni is someone who’s never met a stranger and is bold and full of personality. She said that Topper was quiet, but this guy is tall, skinny, with tattooed fingers and hands, and looks like he might shit himself over meeting Dad and me. He’s polite, but judging by his rapid breathing and clammy hand, he’s also very nearly having a panic attack. “Hi.”
Next to me, I can see Jayme’s eyes tighten, making me suspect she’s going to be running an FBI level background check on Topper by the end of the night. Her protectiveness and thoroughness make me feel better about the situation . . . a little bit.
“You two look amazing,” Jayme exclaims after we let go, purposefully warming the mood up instantly. “Your dress is gorge! And your jeans and tux jacket combo is very fashion-forward.”
“Uh, thank you?” Topper says uncertainly.
“How did you two meet again?” I ask, hoping my voice doesn’t sound like an interrogation and probably failing.
