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Mom watched them with an affectionate gaze. “Your father is in the garage, Jake. He was working on that old bike out there. Maybe he could use a hand.”
Taking the hint, I turned and passed through the kitchen for the garage. Dad was muttering to himself as I walked in; he had an old motorcycle that he hadn’t driven since I was in school, and he was up to his elbows in grease. I figured the potential for mess, let alone unexpected expletives, was probably why Ethan was inside instead of out here helping. I cleared my throat loudly, so he’d know I was here.
Dad glanced up at me with a crinkly-eyed smile. “Jake, glad to see you. Hand me that wrench over there, would you?”
“Sure thing, Dad.” I passed him the requested tool and crouched down beside him. He slid under the bike where it rested on wooden blocks. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, about as well as you’d expect. I’ll never get this fool thing to work. I should just take it to the dump.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“I mean it this time. I think I’m through. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. I swear I’ve tried everything.”
“I have faith in you. You can do it.”
“Hmph.”
We stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, my dad cranking at some bolt he couldn’t get loose. I waited, but he didn’t ask for my help, so I didn’t offer it.
“The kids talked about Ellie a lot today,” he commented eventually.
I stiffened automatically. “Yeah, Olivia saw some pictures of her yesterday from a gala on Friday.”
“Oh yeah? Did you go?”
“No.” My voice was surly, despite my best attempt at neutrality.
“Why not?”
“Because she didn’t ask me, Dad.”
“I see. Did she go with someone else?”
“Well, if she’s to be believed, she went alone. But her ex justhappenedto be there.”
“Ahhh. That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“Explains why you look like a kicked puppy right now.” He peered up at me from beneath his bike. “You two okay?”
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “We broke up. Well, sort of. I guess we weren’t technically a thing yet, so I can’t really say we broke up. But we’re not seeing each other anymore.”
“And that was her idea, I take it.”
“No, it was mine.”
“Because of this other guy?”
“Partially.”
“But you said she didn’t go to the gala with him. He was just there.”
“Right.”
“So, what are you upset about?”
I sighed. “Because Aspen Ridge is her priority, not me or the kids. And I don’t want to have them get more attached to her, only for her to walk away when she decides it’s too much commitment.”
