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“We gotta tell him,” I insisted. Rogan was my CO when we were in the SEALs, and he generally ran things at HLS Security, but I bit off every word with as much authority as an Admiral. “We’re a family. We got three kids together. We can’t keep secrets—not about the small stuff, and not about the big stuff. And buddy, this is a big thing.” I used the knife to point toward the Four Seasons. “You wanna make this mistake? Then own up to it like a fucken man.”
My words seemed to get through to him. Sometimes we all needed a little tough love. He nodded once and said, “You’re right. I’ll tell him.”
“Atta boy,” I said, kicking up my feet on the front console. “Now chauffeur me to Ginger’s Divine. I want some ice cream. Chop chop, driver.” I clapped my hands together twice.
Rogan stared back at me icily.
“Fine, all right, geez. I shouldn’t have pushed my luck.”
I climbed into the front passenger seat. Only then did Rogan start the engine and pull out of the parking lot.
“So?” I asked. “What’s she like in bed? I hear actresses getfreaky.”
“You’re pushing your luck again.”
“If you don’t tell me,” I explained, “then I’m just gonna use my imagination.”
He stopped at a red light and slowly twisted his head to glare at me.
“Fine, be that way,” I said, staring out the window. “You’re no fun.”
20
Heather
Things weren’t going as well with the kids as I had hoped.
During the day, it felt like I was making progress. Micah and Dustin were listening to me. When I told them to put their lunch plates in the dishwasher, they did so after only a few seconds of complaint. On the first day, they didn’t do it at all. And the star stickers I put on their schedule was the perfect carrot-and-stick system to start building good habits. They werelisteningto me.
But when I came back to the residence in the morning, it was like all my hard work had been undone overnight.
The boys chased each other around the living room with fingerpaint. They completely ignored me, even when I warned them that they were about to lose their first star of the day. When it came time to sit down and watch Trollhunter, they told me they wanted to keep playing arts and crafts instead.
“But that’s not the plan,” I reminded them. “Do we need to look at our adventure plan?”
“I have my own plan!” Dustin said, grabbing a couch cushion and hurling it at Cora, who had been quietly reading in the corner. She threw down her book and began crying. Her wails intensified when Dustin snatched up her discarded book and ran down the hall with it.
I was able to slowly get them back under control as the day progressed. The closer we got to when they could cash in their stickers for candy, the more well-behaved they became. But when I returned the next morning, it was like the reset button had been pressed.
“The candy bucket system might be flawed,” I admitted to the three dads that evening when they came up from the office. “Maybe I need something to incentivize them earlier in the day.”
“I suspect I know why they’re acting up,” Asher said while cracking open a beer. He gestured with it. “It’s because Brady gave them candy last night.”
I whirled on him. “You gave themmore candy?”
Brady took a step away from me. “What? They were being good. I wanted to reward them. Isn’t that the point?”
“The point is to make themearnit,” I said through gritted teeth.
Brady kept backing up like I was a rabid cat. “I thought they did earn it. They had a bunch of sticker things.”
I continued backing him into the corner, then jabbed my finger into his chest. “They were rewarded for their stickers. They got to choose their candy. When you give themmore, it undermines the entire system!” I jabbed him even harder. “Stop. Giving. Them. Candy. Understood?”
“All right, all right, geez.” Brady rubbed the spot I had jabbed.
I turned to Asher and gave him a look.
“What have I done?” he asked.
