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“Do you promise to call me if he gets in the way?”
“Ryle’s never in the way—”
“Harper—”
“Yes.” She nods and squeezes her eyes closed. “Yes, I promise.”
4
Truman
I’m distracted when I park my BMW in the circle drive in front of my sister’s house. The voice on the other end of the phone is filling me in on the details about the latest club I’m looking at in Vegas. This one isn’t on the strip. In fact, it’s old and outdated, and I’m trying to decide if I want to invest or walk away. I was supposed to fly there yesterday to meet with the owners, but I cancelled the trip at the last minute.
It's summertime, and I want to spend more time with Ryle. Actually, it was last winter when I realized I wasn’t necessarily getting bored on my job. But where the traveling used to be fun, exciting, it just doesn’t appeal to me as much these days. It has everything and nothing at all to do with Julie, but even more so with Ryle.
My son is growing up, and I’m missing it. I was in Reno when Julie did the pregnancy test. What’s a guy in his early twenties want with a baby? I was living the dream—traveling first class all over the states, eating in the best, trendiest places, and making more money than I knew what to do with. More money than I needed, considering my parents are real estate tycoons and I was brought up in money.
“Okay, thanks Jack.” I end the call and rub my eyes. I’m exhausted. They let Harper go home last night, but it was late when we left the hospital. I could have gone on home, but since Jules had come to pick up Ryle, I didn’t have any immediate need to leave. And the rest of my family was in the waiting room, so I stayed. Twain and I traded insults for a while until Dad shut us up. We watched hours of mindless TV. And Mabry and I walked down the block to a fast-food taco joint when we got hungry. Twain stayed back with Dad.
But even when I got home at midnight, I couldn’t sleep. I was keyed up about Harper, but I also just felt off. I’d spent the evening with my family, and then I had to break away and be by myself. Twain and Mabry aren’t living together yet, but they left the hospital hand in hand, and that only drove home the fact that I was alone.
With a yawn, I grab my keys and phone and climb out of the driver’s seat. And that’s when I realize I’m parked behind Julie’s car. What’s she doing here? I stand for a moment and stare at it, like it might give up some answers. Why is she here? Would she ever forgive me? If she did, could she love me again? I’m standing in the drive, staring at her car like it’s a Magic 8 ball—like maybe if I pick it up and shake it, I’ll figure something out.
Well, no, the car’s not going to give me answers, and a Magic 8 Ball would probably tell me to concentrate and ask again. Whereas a look at Julie tells me no, period. She’s coming down the drive as I walk up toward the house. She slows when she sees me, but she keeps walking.
“Hey.”
Usually, we can speak to each other like adults. No matter the things said between us back then, we decided when Ryle was born that we would be friendly. Today, though, I stare at her blankly, my social skills apparently on hiatus.
“Ryle wanted to see Harper,” she tells me.
“Is he still here?”
Jules bits her lip and nods. “Yeah. Harper asked if I would let him stay and play with Ethan for a while.”
“Okay.” I nod and shift my weight on my feet. Jules is wearing cut off denim and a loose-fitting sleeveless blouse. No makeup. No jewelry. She’s never been prettier. She eyes my golf shorts and then meets my eyes.
“Playing today?”
“No.” I tuck my hands in my pockets and rock up on my toes, uncomfortable with how things are between us but in the dark about how to fix anything. “Just thought I’d see how Harper is.”
Jules stares at me silently for a moment, and I get the feeling she wants to say something else. But she doesn’t. She simply nods and moves past me on the drive.
“I could…” I turn to watch her and shrug awkwardly when she looks at me expectantly “I could bring Ryle home later.”
“Sure.” She nods and takes another step away from me. “Or, if you’re too busy, just have Harper call me.”
I wish I had a comeback for that. But I don’t. I watch her watch me as she walks backwards to her car, and then she turns her back to me, rounds the car, and gets in. She drives off without waving or even looking back. I watch her until she’s out of sight, and then I look up at the sky and around at Harper and Keith’s property. The place is beautiful.
But maybe the best thing about their house, their lives, is their kids, their family life.
At least I’ll get to see Ryle, I remind myself as I turn and continue to the porch. I tap on the door and let myself in just as Mom is about to pull it open. She smiles at me and puts her finger on her lips. Harper must be sleeping. I almost laugh at the argument that probably went on between the two of them before Harper crashed.
Harper thinks napping is a weakness. She rarely sleeps more than five hours a night. And she insists she’ll sleep when she’s dead. Until then, she’s got far too much to do to lounge.
“The boys are out back,” Mom whispers to me. I nod and hurry through the house only to go out the back door. Ethan and Ryle are head-to-head in the grass, bent over something.
“What’re you doing?” I holler.
