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“Your cabin is perfectly fine, but she knew you’d do this place proud. And you’re a fisherman…You were always meant to be lakeside.” And it’s true. I can picture Lawrence casting off from the shore at the edge of the property, can picture him teaching Ethan how to bait a hook. “But I know exactly how you feel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful and all, but I’m still reeling from this morning.”
“Want a beer? I’m dying for one.”
I waggle my eyebrows. “I’d love one.”
“One time deal, a toast to Janelle. She’d tan my hide if she knew I was giving your underage butt a beer.”
“She’d tan my hide.” I laugh as he pops the cap and hands me the bottle. “What was up with that? You’d think Janelle and my dad grew up on a farm in Wyoming or something.” I can’t help but smile. “Life is simpler when you plow around the stump, Charlotte.”
“Always drink upstream from the herd.”
It takes me all of ten seconds to come up with another one of her winners. “Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than getting it back in.”
“When you wallow with pigs, best expect to get dirty.” Lawrence raises his bottle to mine. “To our Janelle.” Looking up, he adds, “We miss you, angel.”
I take a long pull off my beer. “I’m rich.”
“In my book you’re rich, but I’m thinking most people would say you’re just comfortable. What’s important is that you’re able to provide for your son. Independence and peace of mind…What a gift she’s given you.”
“When she said Paul taught her everything, I never would have guessed.”
“He seems like a good man.”
“He does, right? Solid move flying out for the service, wasn’t it?”
Lawrence finishes his beer and takes the half of mine that’s still left. I don’t protest, even though I do like the taste of it. He gives me a pointed look. “Don’t dwell on it.” Lawrence knows my praise for Paul is an indirect dig at my father.
“Please don’t tell me to forgive him. This was about the last straw for me as far as my dad is concerned.”
He puts his hands up and shakes his head. “Wasn’t going to suggest it. I’m saying don’t dwell on it because you can’t change him. People don’t change.”
“I know.”
“So tell me about Simon. What kind of person is he?”
“This feels like a trap.”
“It’s not. I’m truly curious as to why you think this young man will react negatively.”
“He’ll flip! Can you imagine getting news like this?”
“No doubt it’ll be a shock, for sure. It’s just…I never had children, and now having Ethan in my life, I could never imaginenotwanting him in my life. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Then give it some thought, that’s all I’m asking.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Simon
“You clean up nice.”
She’s looking at me in the mirror, her chin perched on my shoulder. It’s true, I look nothing like the boy I was four years ago. Tonight is calling to mind the prom I missed back in Pennsylvania, even as I stand polished and ready to escort Samantha to her Commencement Ball. I didn’t go last year when I graduated, even though I had a girlfriend, even though Samantha nagged me incessantly. But my attendance at this event is nonnegotiable. It’s her big night and I will be there for her. I’ll slip into the tailored shirt, the hand-stitched wingtips she picked out for me, and the fitted suit, one of three purchased on credit when I realized I needed to dress the part I was playing.
She straightens my tie and then wraps her arms around my middle. “I’m going to have the best looking date in the room.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I tease back through gritted teeth, turning around and taking her in from head to toe. In her pale blue dress adorned with just a bit of sparkle, she looks like some golden haired angel walking among mere mortals.
