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“You ordered food?”
“Oliver ran to get takeout from some Italian place.”
My body aches when I stand up. “Ugh, I’m going to need a hot bath tonight.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Right after we break in your old bedroom.” He bounces his eyebrows up and down, making me laugh. I’d be willing to bet that waits until tomorrow. We’re both going to be dead on our feet by bedtime.
Alden has distributed paper plates and plastic utensils around the dining table. Oliver unpacks the large cartons of food, and I grab everyone a bottle of water. We serve ourselves pasta and garlic bread, then sit down to eat.
Oliver has been in a good mood all day while he helped, but he’s quiet while we eat. I assume he’s tired until he sits back and looks at Alden. “I need to tell you something that’s going to piss you off.”
Oh no.
Alden wipes his mouth on his napkin. His voice is even when he asks. “Are you drinking too much?” It’s a fair question after our prior intervention a couple of years ago. I’ve only seen Oliver drunk once since then, at the engagement party, but I know he drinks socially.
“No, it’s about Dad.”
Oliver has started talking more to their father over the last year. Alden isn’t thrilled about it, but he’s stayed silent, and Oliver has done the same. He never brings up their father around Alden and there’s a tentative unspoken understanding that Alden won’t interfere but won’t be involved.
“I’m listening,” Alden says.
“I’m taking him on a trip. To Costa Rica. We leave in two weeks.”
Alden blinks at him. The only thing he knows about his father is that he’s nearly destitute. Oliver is clearly funding this.
The silence in the room weighs heavily on all of us while Alden stares at Oliver. “Why are you telling me?”
“Because I was hoping you’d go with us. He’s dying. Stomach cancer. I don’t want to leave things the way they are with him. His wife moved to Costa Rica when she left him. I’m taking him there to say goodbye. Then we’ll spend a couple of weeks together.”
Alden’s jaw tightens. “You think he deserves that?”
“It’s not about what he deserves. It’s about burying the past and moving on. I understand if you don’t want to, but I promised I’d tell you and ask you to come. He said you have him blocked from calling you.”
Alden nods, and his lips press together. I can feel his effort to weigh his words, the way he always does when the subject of his father comes up with Oliver. “What does Breanna think? Is she going with you?”
“We broke up. She moved out last week.”
Alden’s hands thump on the table as he drops his arms and leans forward. “Last week? And you didn’t say anything?”
“I didn’t want to worry you while you were moving and shit. Because I’m fine. I left her. I’m not drinking or wallowing in it. Things just didn’t work out.”
“I’m sorry, Oliver,” I tell him, and he gives me a quick smile.
Alden nods and some of his anger drains away. “What happened?”
“I don’t love her. Not like she wants me to. I tried, but it isn’t there for me anymore, if it ever was. I think this trip will be good for me too. To get away.” Oliver sighs and runs his hands through his hair, like his brother often does. “I’m sorry to dump this on you now. I probably should’ve waited.” He gets to his feet. “We can talk about it later.”
Oliver pauses by the doorway when Alden calls his name. “How long does he have?”
“A year, maybe. But he won’t be healthy enough to travel for that long so we want to go now.” After a moment of hesitation, he adds, “He was also hoping you guys could talk, that maybe he could attend your wedding. Whatever you decide to do, there’s no hard feelings from me, Den. Okay?”
Alden nods and gets up to hug his brother. “I’m sorry about you and Breanna. Thanks for the help today. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I won’t be in the shop tomorrow. I want to go to his oncologist appointment to see what I need to know if he gets sick on the trip.”
“No problem. I can do the bank drop.”
Alden is quiet for a while after Oliver leaves. I clean up from dinner, giving him a few minutes to process things.
