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“I can understand that,” Elmer said. “Can you?”
“I guess,” Max said. “But was I just anyone? You know I wondered for years where she was and what’d become of her. If you hadn’t run into her mom that one time at the grocery store, I would’ve thought she was dead.”
“Who are we talking about?” Linc asked when he joined them in the kitchen.
“Lexi,” Molly said. “Max saw her at the reunion and found out she’s been battling cancer all this time.”
“Oh wow. Sorry to hear that. She’s okay now?”
“She is, but she’s got four years until they consider her cured.”
“Are you angry with her, Max?” Molly asked.
“I was,” he admitted, “before I saw her and found out where she’d been. I was surprised she didn’t tell me what was going on. We’d agreed to see other people in college, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about her anymore.”
“She was so crushed about that,” Molly said. “Remember?”
“I do, but we were going to colleges three thousand miles apart. I was trying to be realistic.”
“And she had hoped you two were forever,” Molly said.
“Is anyone forever at eighteen with three thousand miles between them?” Max asked.
“I suppose it can be done, but I always supported your decision. You were old enough to know that wasn’t what you wanted.”
“It wasn’t about her. It was about the situation. Ten minutes with her last night took me right back to all the things I loved about being with her. It was always so easy.”
“Hmmm,” Molly said with a satisfied smile.
“Don’t say too much, son,” Linc said, “or you might regret it.”
“You hush,” Molly said to her husband. “You want the scoop as much as I do.” She nudged Caden off her lap, got up and then returned to the table a minute later, handing a hundred-dollar bill to her grandson. “Take your daddy skiing this weekend.”
“Can we, Dad?”
“If we get the snow that’s forecast.”
Caden handed Max the money. “You’d better hang on to this. I tend to lose stuff.”
If Max had one frustration with his son, that was it, but they were working on him being more responsible about keeping track of his belongings. “I’ll keep it safe for you, pal.”
Molly took a sip of the coffee Linc had poured for her. “How long is Lexi in town?”
“Just through the weekend.”
“Did you invite your friend to my party?” Caden asked.
“I did. I hope that’s okay.”
“Sure, that’s cool.” He looked up at Max, seeming uncertain. “Grammy said Chase and Molly are sleeping over tonight and I can stay if I want to. She said I’m a big help with them. Would you care if I stayed another night?”
Caden knew that Max missed him when he slept out, thus the uncertainty. “That sounds like fun.” Caden adored his cousin Chase and never missed a chance to be with him. The time he had with his cousins kept Caden from being lonely for siblings, or so Max suspected. “What about Murphy?”
“He’s staying home with his mom and dad,” Caden reported. “He’s too young to sleep over.”
Thinking about his baby nephew sparked the oddest thought. Could Lexi still have children after her treatment? And honestly, what business was that of his?
“Another night off, son,” Linc said without looking away from his morning copy of theBurlington Free Press. “Whatever will you do with yourself?”
