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He sighed. “It’s Thanksgiving, Lauren. When was the last time either of us was able to be home with our families for this?”
Every year, both sides of the Stone family crammed into one house for Thanksgiving. Hosting duties alternated, and this year the responsibility belonged to Augie’s parents. It was an overwhelming number of people, but it was a family tradition. Most of the time, Augie and Lauren could never make it—they’d end up calling from some crazy venue where they were doing a show.
“I know.” She ground her teeth. “But I’m not dealing with Jackie.”
“Don’t let her be the reason you miss seeing the rest of your family. Or mine.”
The thought of not seeing her other sisters—or Augie’s brothers—hurt. But she shook her head. “I don’t think Jackie will keep her mouth shut. And if she starts it, youknowI’ll finish it.”
“Seriously, dude. Think about it. Once we leave on tour, it will be at least a year, maybe two, before we can spendanytime with them at all. Don’t waste this chance.”
Lauren stuffed her hands into her jacket and leaned against the car. “You and your damn logic.” She scowled. Sometimes she really hated it when Augie was right. Two years was a long time, and a lot could happen. She’d seen first-hand what touring without resolving a family issue could do. It was what had ended Ox’s first marriage, and the damage had been so bad, he hadn’t seen his children for three years.
“Fine.” Lauren pulled out her phone and dialed her father’s cell. She put it on speaker. After some pleasantries, she got to the point. “So, I know I put Mom in a tailspin about Thanksgiving when I said I wasn’t coming. Can I change my mind?”
“Of course! You’re always welcome, you know that.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you at Aunt Viv and Uncle Bobby’s, but I need you to do something for me. I need you to tell Mom and Jackie—especially Jackie—that I don’t want to hear a peep about what went on between me and Danny. Not a word.”
“I’ll tell them both, I promise.”
“Thank you. See you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too, sweetie.”
“Satisfied?” Lauren asked Augie when she hung up.
“I’ll drive us both,” Augie said. “Pick you up at eleven? That should get us there in plenty of time to hang out before we eat.” He got into the Mustang and put the window down.
“Sounds like you don’t trust me to show up on my own.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Augie’s answer was almost drowned out by the growl of the Mustang’s engine.
ChapterForty-Eight
Thanksgiving morning, the grass and leaves were coated with frost. But the morning sun melted it away. Danny didn’t get roped into working the holiday shift, so the Padovano Thanksgiving was in the early afternoon. The kitchen was crowded, and Joey was in the back yard roughhousing with his nephews. Inside—while Deb held court in the kitchen—Richie asked Danny to take a couple boxes upstairs and put them in his old bedroom. Danny managed to scoop up four of them, and Cole grabbed the last one.
He thanked Cole for, and she hustled back down to help set the table. One box didn’t have a lid. Inside was a pile of old photos. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled a handful out. There was one of his father shoveling the walk after a winter storm, all the kids playing in the drifts behind him. Another was of Maggie holding Joey when he was just a baby. And another was of him and Joey in that very room. And there was one of his Uncle Larry in his police dress blues, with a five-year-old Danny looking up in admiration as he saluted his hero.
He flipped through a few more and then stopped. The picture that caught his eye was of a family vacation when he was about seven years old. He was sharing an ice cream with his grandfather at a small wooden table. Holidays always made him miss his grandfather—he’d died a few years after that vacation. They should have had a lot more time together.
He put the photos back in the box and slid all of them inside the closet before shutting the door. He sat back down on the bed again, remembering when he was a kid and he, Maggie, and Joey would play together on rainy days.
Across from him was a small bookcase. Years ago, the shelves were filled with kids’ books, baseball cards, and model cars. Now they held a mix of books, pictures, and a few other things, including what looked like an old t-shirt. He pulled one book off the shelf: his yearbook.Dad must have put this up here after Cole did her report.
He flipped through the pages of candid photos, the simple act of flipping the pages reminding him how hard he and Lauren had laughed the first night he went to her place. There were five pictures of the two of them. In one, he had his arms wrapped around her. Another was from the prom. The third was a random shot in a classroom with Lauren making a goofy face behind him. The other two were of them with friends, cheering at a football game. In one, he had Lauren on his shoulders. He thought about that last night with her and felt worn out.
He heard Joey’s footsteps coming up the stairs. “C’mon, bro,” his brother said. “Dad says the turkey’s ready.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll be right down.” Danny didn’t turn around.
“What you looking at?”
Danny held up his yearbook. It was open to the picture of Lauren. The unexpected rendezvous with her had lingered in his memory. More than once during the interminable sessions with the therapist and Father Rob, Danny had questioned all his decisions. But then his guilt had brought him back into line, re-orienting his focus on his sons. Danny touched the photo with his fingers and then shut the book.
“I fucked up. End of October, I went to see Lauren.” Danny hadn’t told anyone about that night. Joey remained silent, and Danny wished he’d say something. Anything. And he heard Joey’s unspoken question in the quiet.
“Go ahead. Ask,” Danny said.
