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“I’m not defending her, Thane. But she is his mom and the only mom he’ll ever have.”
“I know, and she also has a really bad shopping addiction that rules her life. To me, it’s no different than if she was an alcoholic. It’s caused us a lot of problems, and pretty much ruined our marriage. She needs help for it.”
“Does she not want help?”
“Now she does. But up until he hurt himself, she’s fought me on it, acted like nothing was wrong with her. But when she has Jack, her mind is preoccupied, and she just carts him around from store to store and isn’t a good mom. They had been out all day when he got hurt. The poor kid was fucking starving and trying to make himself a sandwich for dinner when he cut his hand.”
“I think you gotta put Jack first, Thane.”
“I do…I always do.”
“Then if she is agreeing to get help, start there and see it through. But don’t jump to conclusions and take away all of her rights. Look at Braxley, he’ll never see his dad again, and one day that’s gonna really affect him, but I don’t have a choice in the matter. You…you have a choice.”
He looks at me and slowly nods, his eyes are as clear as day. His stare flips and turns my stomach, and I find us drawing closer and closer together. Then his phone buzzes again interrupting our moment and I back away. Frustrated, he rubs the back of his neck. “So, you really think I should give her a chance, even after he got hurt?”
“If she will get the help she needs…then I’d say yes. Children are always a parent’s number one priority, but when someone like Char has a problem, their priorities can get clouded. Show her that so she can get the help she needs to fix it. I really think you’ll thank yourself down the line.”
“Jesus, you make a lot of sense, Faye.”
“I’ve been through a lot in life.”
“Unfortunately, you have. How’s Braxley doing with things? I’ve never really asked.”
“He’s okay. I think he’s at that age where he doesn’t really understand that Ben is really gone. You know?” Thane nods and places his hand over mine. I swallow, looking down at the gesture.
“Do you and Jack want to come over and have dinner tonight?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Great.”
He looks at me, his eyes are so consuming, and hidden deep within them is a resemblance of Ben, a resemblance I guess I’d overlooked until now. Maybe that’s why I feel so drawn to Thane in the first place because he does remind me so much of Ben. Staring back at him, I get lost, and as I close my eyes…I can feel Ben here with me.
***
“I hope you’re not bailing on dinner, ‘cause I just left the store,” I tell Thane as I answer his incoming phone call.
“No way. But I kinda need a favor.”
“Who ‘kinda’ needs a favor?” I tease him. “You either do, or you don’t.”
“Fine, I do. This might sound a little crazy, but I just got a call to take a client to LA today, and with things the way they are between Char and I, I don’t want to call her. So, do you think you could pick Jack up from school if I’m late getting back?”
“Of course I can, I don’t mind at all.”
“Thank you, I’ll probably be back before he’s out, but just in case.”
“It’s not a big deal. We are already having dinner together, so the boys will love it.”
“Thanks. I’ll email Mrs. Leeper and let her know. Also, I meant to ask you earlier, did you ever get your garage door fixed?”
“No, I’ve just been parking in the driveway.”
“Okay. I’ll look at it again today. Sorry I dropped the ball.”
“Thane, would you stop apologizing? My garage door is not your responsibility. I shouldn’t have asked you in the first place.”
“I’ll stop apologizing, but I’m gonna look at it tonight.”
“Fine.”
“I’m gonna head to the airport. I’ll text you and let you know how things are going later on.”
We hang up, and I love how easy it is to talk to him. We have our banter back and forth, and it’s all in good fun. He’s such a good guy, and I’m really looking forward to dinner. ‘Cause when I’m around him, the pain is less, which is a huge relief, and even though it’s only been a week, I’ve missed him.
