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“What does Melissa have to say about it?” Theo asked.
I glared at him. My ex-wife was a touchy subject. If he were anyone else, I would have told him to fuck right off. But Theo and I went way back. We served together, worked together. He was the closest thing to a brother I had, apart from my actual brother, Devin, but the metaphor still stood.
“Everything out of that woman’s mouth is a jab at me,” I retorted. “She thinks I’m being too hard on him, but what does she know? She skipped off to Florida with that son of a bitch when Wallace was eleven and left me to do all the parenting. What she has to say holds no weight.”
Theo smirked. “Need another drink, bud?”
“No.”
He gave me a knowing look.
“Fuck it, fine,” I grumbled and waved down the waitress. One more beer wouldn’t kill me.
Ava smiled gently. “I’m sure everything will work out. Maybe he’s doing all his studying at school?”
“Doubt it. He’s been skipping classes lately.”
“Aren’t you at work all the time?” Theo asked. “How would you know? You’re not having one of the boys tail him, are you?”
“I don’t use my employees to keep tabs on my son. That’s ridiculous.” My fresh beer arrived, and I took a heavy swig. I could sense the faintest trace of a buzz coming on. I hated that I’d built up such a heavy tolerance over the years. What I wouldn’t give to be twenty-one and a lightweight again, just for the night. Just for this conversation.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“I can just tell,” I said. “When I ask him how his day is, he avoids eye contact.”
“That could mean a lot of things.”
“I know my boy. He’s hiding something, and I think it’s that he’s been ditching class. He’s always home by the time I get back, and I know for a fact that his last class is a three-hour lecture that should end at ten in the evening.”
“Maybe his professor’s been letting them go early?” Ava suggested.
“Every class for a whole semester?”
Her brow furrowed. “Okay, you might have a point.”
I gave a little bow. “Thank you.”
Theo’s phone pinged twice, alerting him to a text message. He reached into his pocket to pull his phone out, squinting at the screen in order to read. “That’s our sitter,” he announced. “Something’s come up. We need to pick Cory and Cassie up early.”
“So you’re already sick of me, huh?”
Ava giggled, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. “Don’t be such a big baby. You’re still coming over for a barbeque next weekend, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Theo was just about to pull out his wallet, but I waved him away. “I’ve got it.”
“You sure?”
“I already gave the waitress my card. Everything’s been put on my tab.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll get the next one.”
“You’d better. Run along and give Cory and Cassie my love.”
Theo slipped an arm around Ava’s waist and kissed the top of her head. “Ready to go, sweetheart?” She nodded, smiling sweetly up at him before they left our booth and disappeared into the crowd.
I only had half a glass left, but I didn’t feel like finishing it. It wasn’t much fun drinking by myself, and the bar’s demographic was slowly shifting from after-hours businessmen to the partying sort. I didn’t feel like being caught in the transition, so I raised an arm to flag down my waitress. As I did so, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
No, not something.
