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“Whoever she is,” said Hannah. “She can’t take all of us.”
38
Henry
2017
Luke was fussy, and Piper’s dad got up from the table to walk him around so that Piper could finish eating her meal and chat with her mother.
Henry followed the older man out of the dining room of the private club. It was family night, a Wednesday evening tradition that they’d observed with Piper’s family since moving back to Florida. They exited through the grand foyer, and walked together through the gate to the beach boardwalk.
The air was humid, the sky overcast, towering cumulous clouds blocking the still-blaring early evening sun. Luke always calmed outside. Henry and Piper never parked him in front of a screen the way they’d seen so many parents do. If they were out and he got squirrelly, they walked him. If it got really bad, they left. End of story.
“Oh,” Luke said, sticking out one doughy arm, pointing at the pelicans that drifted elegant and swift as fighter planes just inches off the water. “Pelicans.”
“Smart boy,” said Piper’s dad.
Piper’s parents doted on Luke the way they doted on Piper—totally besotted, neither one of them could do any wrong. Since they’d moved down, and Luke was born, Piper’s dad had even seemed to warm toward Henry a bit.
“Like his mother,” said Henry.
Henry and his father-in-law didn’t talk much, but the relationship was respectful, each acknowledging Piper’s love for the other and behaving accordingly.
The beach was empty, far from the area’s busy public beaches, butting up against the state nature preserve. Up here on North Beach was the club, a smattering of insanely big houses, and little else. There was a peace and a quietude that Henry cherished.
They chatted—about Henry’s work, about how Paul was adjusting to retirement, Luke’s obvious intelligence and stunning beauty.Just like our Piper—and you, of course, Henry.
“It’s nice of you,” said Paul after a long silence. “To have dinner with us every Wednesday.”
It was kind of an out of the blue thing to say. They’d just been talking about the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Do I have a choice?he thought but didn’t say. When it came to Piper’s parents, Henry didn’t feel like he had that much to say about it. Especially since he didn’t have any family of his own. Just Gemma who they saw at Easter usually, and when she came down to visit. Miss Gail was still a part of their lives. Henry helped at her group home when he could, had mentored some of the boys in her care.
“It’s our pleasure,” Henry said.
It wasn’t bad, really. The club was beautiful, and the food was delicious. Paul and Gretchen were good people, kind and generous. He just always had the slight sense of being on the outside looking in. But maybe that was just him; Gretchen especially worked hard to make him feel included, appreciated.
“I never thought you were the right man for Piper,” said Paul. Luke was pulling at the older man’s glasses.
Okay. Wow. No surprise there. But not sure it needed to be said out loud, right?
“But I was wrong,” he went on. “You’re a devoted husband. A loving father. You had a rough hand dealt and still you succeeded in your life. That’s—pretty amazing.”
Henry felt himself choking up a little, looked away. Paul gently wrestled his glasses back from Luke who yelled in protest.
“Easy there, buddy. Give PopPop back his glasses,” said Henry softly.
Luke chilled. He was easy. An easy kid, happy most of the time, and not prone to melt down unless he was tired or hungry. And he probablywasready for bed. Wednesday nights were late for him.
“I just felt that needed saying,” said Paul when Henry didn’t know how to respond. “If not now, when? Right?”
“You’ve been good to me,” said Henry finally, struggling through the awkwardness. “I’m not sure I would have survived if not for your family. You’re right. She did deserve better. But here we are.”
“No, son,” said Paul, looking away. “There’s nothingbetterthan strong, loyal, and loving. You’re all those things. And we’ll always be here for you all. That’s what family does.”
Family.
“Thank you, sir.”
