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I called him and must have caught him at a bad time. “You’ve got about three minutes. Make it count.”
“Don’t worry about it. We can talk later,” I said.
“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Who were you talking to? Reanna?” I joked, knowing damn well she’d have had a snappy retort if he had said that to her.
“Nope, the dog.”
“Dog? What dog?” I asked.
“Reanna put in for the K-9 unit. They brought a puppy for her to work with. If you ask me, the only thing this dog is good at is eating and shitting. Oh, wait–barking, too.”
I laughed. “Consider it practice for when you have children.”
“Did you call for anything important, or can I hang up on your ass now?” Jerry joked.
“I was looking for some advice, but it sounds like I should be giving it, not getting it,” I said. I’d never heard Jerry sound…flustered. Then again, we never had a pet growing up. Mother liked the house tidy and said they made a mess. She had six boys and never let us make a mess, either. It was funny how all mother did now was talk about wanting a house full of grandchildren running around.
“Please ask me anything except how to train a puppy. I assume it has to do with PJ?”
Obviously.
“Yes.” I had no idea what I wanted to ask that wouldn’t paint me as a jerk. “I’m still in Orlando.”
“Since you didn’t show up for the family brunch this morning, I figured you were. And before you ask, you owe me.”
“What for?”
“I told mother you ate something bad yesterday at the camp and were trying to sleep it off.”
I laughed. “She bought that?”
“Nope. She said you probably have a hangover, and she will talk to you tomorrow. Be prepared for a lecture.”
That was nothing new. Mother believed that her role never came to an end. She was the matriarch of the family and it was her responsibility to advise us all. Normally I wasn’t the one under fire. But with all my brothers coupled up, I guess she felt like they already had a woman keeping tabs on them. That meant all her attention would be focused on me.
Oh, hell.
I would face whatever Mother had to say tomorrow. Right now I needed to know what to do with PJ.
“I’m leaving for Boston late tonight,” I said.
“I assumed you would be.”
“What do I say to PJ?” I asked.
“That you’re leaving for Boston. It’s that simple, Clark. She knows you live and work here. I’m sure she is expecting you to return home.”
“You make it sound so simple,” I replied.
“It is simple. Now, deciding if you are going to continue your relationship, or how that will work out? Well, that’s where it gets complicated.”
You’re telling me.
“You know I don’t do commitment,” I stated. Never have.
“Then I suggest making sure she understands that before you leave. You wouldn’t want PJ to wait around for you when she could be dating someone else,” Jerry said.
