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“That’s all great.” Piper stroked Tink’s fur, not meeting Erin’s gaze.
“Are you nervous about your year abroad?” It was a big step.
“No. Well, a little. Dad’s been texting about him and Madison and Connor coming over for Christmas and traveling around Spain.”
“Oh. Kind of early to be planning that. What did your sister say?”
“That she and Connor where already going to Cancun with his family right after Christmas this year. Have you talked to Madison this week?”
“No. Why?” The weight in Erin’s chest grew heavier.
Piper grumbled a sigh so loud that Tink shot away. “Dad texted how he’d ‘have to come alone since Mom left me.’ Then, he started in with saying maybe he’d invite Lucille.”
“Is he dating?” She actually hoped he was, maybe then he’d give up the martyr routine.
“I don’t think so. He was texting a bunch of random crazy stuff.”
Erin nodded. It went with Phil’s pattern.
“Madison wanted me to ask you to try to get Dad to go to counseling again.”
Erin patted the space next to her on the sofa and waited for Piper to join her. “Madison hasn’t been home for longer than a two week stretch between school and moving to Austin after graduation. She hasn’t seen how bad it’d gotten the past two years. He’s your dad, and it’s not your place to tell her. She still thinks the car accident was because a deer ran out in front of him.”
“What? You never told her?”
“He asked me not to and said he would handle it.” There may have been a deer, but that wasn’t the sole factor, and the police officer knew it. Why would Madison suspect her father would already be over the legal limit at one thirty on a Sunday afternoon?
“Can’t you try counseling again? Before the divorce is final and can’t be undone?”
That was Madison talking. “Honey, you know I went. He came once.” And got all defensive. “The next week, he had business calls scheduled and couldn’t”—AKA wouldn’t—“go. And the same too busy scenario played out the next week.” But she’d continued to go. “I thought I could suffer through it, and it’d get better. But I wasn’t helping the situation with my attitude. After the accident, I couldn’t pretend or be complicit by being silent anymore. Next time he might seriously hurt himself—or some innocent person.”
Piper nodded, though a few tears still escaped. “If I—”
“No. It’s not your or Madison’s fault. It’s not just the stress from Dad’s job. We had other problems and suppressed a lot of things rather than communicate and work them out. I’m working on myself, and I’ve been happier in the past year than I have in a long time. I likemyselfbetter.”
“But you’re having to live in somebody else’s little apartment—”
“That’s my choice. It works well with being here at Bragg since it’s temporary. Part of the divorce settlement is to sell the house. I can buy or rent something practical once I decide where I want to be.”
“Are you going to move to California if the series gets picked up?”
“I’m not planning on it, and I shouldn’t have to be out there. They may even shoot here in North Carolina or in Georgia. Not that I need to be where they film. I’m tutoring seven students for finals and SAT. I’ll teach the summer session at Fayetteville Tech, then online this fall semester while I’m at the beach writing the scripts. I’ll know more after that. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. And if Dad comes to Spain for Christmas, I can come over Thanksgiving or spring break. His plans may change.”
Piper rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, he’ll probably have some project at work come up.”
“I only need a few weeks’ notice to get a ticket if he can’t come.” Though she’d suck it up and buy one last minute if he canceled.
“He keeps saying ‘Mom is going to marry some widowed two star general or divorced Special Forces guy now that she left me.’”
Erin laughed despite the question in Piper’s voice. “Right. Eventually, I may date, but right now, the idea of getting married again is not even a consideration. The only widowed generals I know are the fake friend requests on social media. Half the time they don’t use the right first name of the real military officer they’re pretending to be or spell it right. And the ‘I’m an honest man looking for a kind-hearted woman’ in their bio? Or saying they’re an Army doctor who went to Harvard?”
“I can’t believe anyone falls for those scammers.”
“You’d think everyone would be suspicious of those random requests by now,” Erin agreed. However, her friend Cyndi had spent weeks messaging with a man from a random friend request. After he’d sent Cyndi a gift, she’d reciprocate by sending an expensive gift. Once her kids found out about her online boyfriend, they ran a search using his profile picture and found it was from a stock photo site. Her poor friend had been so embarrassed at falling for it. Erin knew better. “People get lonely and want to believe it’s real.”
“What about you? Aren’t you lonely?”
“I don’t have a network of friends here like I did in Charlotte, but with teaching, tutoring, writing, and volunteering, I keep busy and interact with a lot of people. I’m liking the freedom and independence to eat what I want, when I want. Make decisions without having to get approval. I’m going to live at the beach for four months.”
“In the winter.”
“Still, it’s the beach. I have a real shot at the screenwriting for this series and it’s something I would love to do. More than teaching creative writing or how to write a fabulous essay for the SATs. Now’s the time to pursue my dream—before I’m chasing grandbabies.”
“Don’t look at me. I haven’t had a date in six months.”
“Maybe you’ll meet some hunky guy in Spain.” She tried to sound excited, though her stomach ached at the idea of her daughter and potential future grandchildren living overseas where she’d rarely see them. Madison had only been home once the past year, in part due to the tension from the separation. Hopefully, she’d come to accept it. “I thought we’d watch a movie tonight and tomorrow we can go shopping for anything you need for your trip. And you’re helping me volunteer at the USO’s bowling night.”
Piper had a way better shat at meeting a single soldier her own age than Erin did, not that either were looking for a boyfriend in the face of major life changes.
