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“Prove it,” Bethany said.
The therapist eyed me as she shifted in her chair, easing in, readying herself to pounce. “Would you say you’re moving on, Mr. Lane?”
I have no idea why I said what I said next. Maybe it was the fact that they were coming at me like a firing squad. I only know that the words just rolled off my tongue. “I’m seeing someone.”
The look on my ex-wife’s face alone was almost worth the price of the lie. Whatever that turns out to be.
Bethany’s head whipped around. “Since when?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Does it matter?”
For the first time in a long time, I was met with silence.
“This is good,” the therapist remarked. “This is progress.”
“It’s not serious,” I said.
“But you’re dating,” the woman replied gently. “That’s a good first step.”
I cocked my head proudly. “Is it?”
Bethany stared at her hands. As usual, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Eventually, tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so glad, Ethan.” She drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “This has been so hard—”
She has no idea.
“Tell him how you feel,” the therapist pressed.
“What I mean is—I thought you were never going to get over me. You don’t know what a relief this is, or how much guilt I’ve carried around.”
Typical Bethany. Ever the narcissist. High on drama. She positively glowed when everything was about her.
“It has nothing to do with you,” I said, leaning back in my seat. “I was just waiting for the right person to come along. Like you did.”
* * *
“Dad!”Kelsey screeches. “Now can we?”
My mind flits back to the present, to the coins overflowing the cup, spilling over the side, dropping onto the floor. “Now can you what?”
Nick is already collecting coins, keeping an eye out for anyone who might dare encroach.
His sister could not care less. She tugs at my shirt. “Now can we go play?”
“You said we could play games first tonight,” Nick says, shoving a fistful of tokens in his pocket.
My daughter looks at me expectantly. “Yeah! You promised!”
“That I did.” I hand the cup to Nick. “Split this with your sister.”
Kelsey beams. “We can go?”
With a nod, I pat my son on the back. “Be sure to subtract what you’ve already stuffed in your pocket.”
Once they’re successfully immersed in side-by-side games of pinball, I locate an empty booth by the exit and move the drinks from the table they chose to one that gives me a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the place. Then I take out my phone and tap the dating app.Beacon.
The idea came in traffic and solidified itself in the midst of the therapy session. If my client is right, and her father was murdered, I realize if I’m going to catch the killer, I have to think like one. Sometimes the simplest answers are the most obvious ones.
I also think of my ex-wife and how it’s better not to be a liar.
