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5
Faith was servingthe after-school rush on Monday when Dylan wandered into The Shack and lingered in the back. She hadn’t seen him there alone before. Usually he came with Shane, Bex, or a couple of his friends. Keeping an eye on him, she scooped ice cream onto one cone after another until the line of kids and parents cleared out, leaving only her, Megan, and Dylan in the shop. Still, he didn’t make a move to approach the counter, nor did he make eye contact.
“Dylan,” she called. “Where’s your dad today?”
He took a deep breath, almost as though he were psyching himself up, and lifted his head, meeting her gaze head-on. “He’s at work, but I’m allowed to be here.”
“Sure you are.” Although the very fact he’d felt the need to tell her that made her doubt it. If Shane was working, he should be with Bex, or visiting with a friend, not wandering around town. “Can I get you an ice cream or a cupcake?”
He crossed his arms and stuck his chin out. “No.”
Wow, that was blunt. Dylan was a polite kid. Usually he’d have added a “thanks" on the end. What was up with him? And if he didn’t want ice cream or a cupcake—the two things they sold in The Shack—then why was he there?
“What did you come here for, then?” she asked, baffled.
He shrugged but didn’t say anything. Okay, this was too weird.
“Meg, why don’t you give us a moment?” she suggested to her friend, who’d been watching the exchange with interest.
“Okay, I’ll be in the back if you need me.” She left the room, closing the door gently behind her.
“What’s wrong?” Faith asked, coming around the counter to sit at one of the stools in the front window, hoping he’d join her. He didn’t.
“People are saying you’re dating my dad.”
“Oh.” She winced. While she and Shane had been careful about how they behaved in front of the boys, it hadn’t occurred to her that the gossip might get back to them. “Well, people shouldn’t believe everything they hear.”
Dylan grunted, sounding far more like a teenager than an eleven-year-old boy. “I hope it’s not true, because Dad can’t love you.”
Her jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
He narrowed his eyes, looking so much like a miniature version of Shane that it made her heart ache. “Caleb’s parents broke up for two years, and they just got married again because they still love each other. You can only be in love with one person, and Dad must love Mum since he married her.” His hands fisted at his sides. “It doesn’t matter if you’re his girlfriend right now. Mum will come back when she gets too old for Hollywood, and then we’ll be a family again, just like Caleb’s family.”
Whoa. Faith’s hands trembled. Where had that come from?
He’d never spoken to her like that before, and she didn’t know how to react. She was used to taking heat from some of the more conservative older folks around town, as well as the people she’d gone to school with, but a child had never spoken to her so bluntly. Especially not Shane’s child. She had to admit, it hurt. She’d thought they were friends of a sort.
His words also made her sad for him. She could tell he honestly believed that his mother was coming back and that his parents would reunite, just like his friend Caleb’s had, but Diana had been gone for four years, and during that time she hadn’t visited once. Faith sincerely doubted the woman was ever returning.
“Honey,” she said gently, trying to mask her shock because some things were more important than her feelings. “I really think this is a conversation you need to have with your dad.”
He paled. “Are you going to tell him?”
She sighed, weighing the pros and cons. “I don’t want to get you into trouble, so I’m going to pretend this never happened, but you should talk it through with him. It’s important that he know how you feel.”
“It should be obvious,” he mumbled. “And you should remember that he loves my mum.”
Ice pierced Faith’s heart. The worst part was, he could be right. Shane hadn’t dated since his wife left, and it was possible he still had feelings for her despite everything. Faith shouldn’t care about that because this was all pretend, but she did. That wasn’t important though. The biggest thing was to make sure that if or when Shane started dating again, he knew what kind of headspace his son was in.
“Talk to him,” she said firmly.
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, I will.”
She questioned whether he meant it. But since she’d be seeing him plenty, she could remind him until he did. Perhaps once he realized there really was nothing going on between her and Shane, he’d warm toward her again. One could hope.
As soon ashe finished marking his students’ math tests, Shane grabbed his keys and left the school. He headed straight to Bex’s place to pick up the boys, parking a block away and walking the distance to The Hideaway. He let himself in the front entrance and turned right to knock on the door of Bex’s private apartment. She lived there with her daughter Izzy, but he expected to hear any day now that she was moving in with her boyfriend—his boss—Michael Briggston.
He knocked once, then entered. “Hello, everyone.”
