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Relief ran through her gaze. "Thank you." She paused. "There's just one thing I want to say."
"What?" he asked warily.
"I know your memories are spooking you because you don't understand them, but there's love in your past. You don't know who Ellie was to you, but she said she loved you, and I think she loved your dad."
"My dad kept us away from her. He didn't want me to know her, and I don't know why. But I probably never will know. So, I have to make peace with that."
"Sometimes, that's all you can do," she said. "Accepting that sometimes there just isn't a good reason or a good answer is the sucky part of being an adult."
He smiled. "Truly sucky," he said. "I had fun today. Thanks for taking over for Joel."
"I had fun, too. So did Leo. You're great with kids."
"He's easy to like. He takes joy in simple things. You do, too, don't you?"
"Sometimes I forget to do that, but days like today, I remember how nice it is to just be in the moment. But I need to get back. Let me give Leo a two-minute warning. It's easier to avoid tears and complaining if he gets a heads-up."
As she walked over to talk to Leo, he dug his hands into his pockets and turned his head toward the train. The rides for the day had apparently ended. He was happy about that. He didn’t want to hear that damn horn again. He just wished he couldn't still hear Ellie's voice in his ear.
ChapterEleven
"Sorry about yesterday,"Joel told Decker Saturday morning as they met up in the parking lot next to the Lion's Club, where a pancake breakfast was being held. "It sounds like you had a good ride. Chloe said you went down to the beach and built a sandcastle. I bet Leo liked that."
"Leo loved the beach," Decker replied. "He's an easy kid to please."
"He seems to be," Joel said, as they walked toward the hall. "Wow, look at this line. I didn't think we were going to have to wait for pancakes."
"That must mean they're good," he said, noting that the line coming out of the hall had at least twenty people in it and the nearby picnic tables were full.
"I'd bail, but Chloe is flipping pancakes, so that's not going to work. And it's apparently for a good cause. I'm just not a big fan of pancakes. I'll be asleep in an hour."
"I love a good pancake with plenty of maple syrup."
Joel laughed. "You used to drown your pancakes in syrup, especially on Sunday mornings after a night of drinking."
"Best hangover cure," he said with a grin. "And you were right there with me."
"Not on the syrup, but definitely on the drinking. We had some wild times back then."
"It was college," he said with a shrug. "Everyone was wild. But it was a long time ago. I don't miss those days."
"You never miss anything. What is it you always say? Never look back?"
"That's right," he muttered as they joined the group at the back of the line. "But it's not always as easy as I'd like."
Joel gave him a questioning look. "Why is that?"
"Chloe didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"You know I came here when I was a kid."
"Yes. So?"
"Well, since I got here, I've been having weird memories about that trip, about my father arguing with an older woman."
Joel gave him a surprised look. "That's strange. Your dad was so easygoing. He never seemed to get angry about anything. The two of you were always chill."
