It took about one minute, during which Harlan tried to think what to say and couldn’t. Jennifer came back with a tissue clamped in her fist and an effort at a smile on her face that hurt him worse than the tears. She didn’t look at him, just sat down on the couch again and said, “So I guess I proved the point, Grandpa, that I’d say no. And Dyma, I think I should say that I was worried about you going to college. About how I’d pay for my part of it, and this helps us do it. You and Annabelle can keep each other company, too.”
“All right, first, Mom,” Dyma said, “you’re not doing some big noble-sacrifice thing for me. I told you, if I have to defer my school for a year, I’ll do it. Or I’ll apply for more loans. I’m not going to get off track. You need to do what you want to do. I can’t believe that’s having another baby, but whatever. If that’s the deal, I’ll help you. You don’t have to ask Harlan.”
It was all delivered with a scowl, but Jennifer seemed to think it was a declaration of love, because she got up and hugged Dyma and said, “Thank you, sweetie. I’m not just taking Harlan up on his offer for you, though. I’m doing it for me. I need to change my life.”
“Well,” Blake said, “that’s one way, I guess.”
“Also,” Jennifer said, “who has their boss sitting here for their life-implosion? Could this be a little more awkward, please?”
“Probably not,” Dakota said, “but it’s OK. Blake’s used to screwing up his life.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” she answered. “I’m used to it myself, if it helps.”
Dyma said, “There’s a problem with this plan, though.”
“Only one?” Jennifer asked. Still going for the cheerful thing, despite the earlier tears. He had a feeling Jennifer thought she wasn’t strong. He wondered how on earth she could think that.
“That my school year isn’t over,” Dyma said. “If this plan is meant to start soon. Except …” She got a faraway look. “My AP tests are over in about ten days. That’s four classes. You don’t do much in those classes after the exam’s over, and there’d only be another month of school.”
“If you’re asking whether you can share Annabelle’s tutor, the answer’s yes,” Harlan said.
Annabelle said, “That would be so awesome. I mean, I’m glad to be gone from home, but …” She gulped. “Sometimes, it’s a little lonely, you know? Especially with not going to school, and … everything.”
“And,” Dyma said breezily, “if your house is big, you can probably have guests, right, Harlan?”
He said, “If you’re asking if Owen can come to visit, the answer’s no. He’s got his own place in Portland. He can stay there. He’s always telling me it’s better anyway.”
Jennifer said, “Thank you,” like she’d been holding her breath.
Dyma said, “I don’t know why you guys are always making such a big deal of this. Who’s pregnant, exactly? Oh, wait, that’s you. Anyway, Owen won’t. He keeps saying he doesn’t sleep with high-school girls.”
Dakota said, “Wait. Which Owen are we talking about?”
“Owen Johnson,” Blake said.
“The center?”
“What, I didn’t tell you?” Blake said.
“Well, no,” she said. “You didn’t. That’s quite the detail to omit.”
“Never mind,” he said. “You can take it out of my hide later.”
Jennifer said, “Wait. Grandpa.”
Oscar said, “What about me?”
Jennifer looked at Harlan, and he sighed and said, “Of course your grandpa’s welcome to come, too. Dyma can stay in the big house. The guest quarters have two bedrooms, like I said.”
“What, I’m going to go live with this guy?” Oscar said. “No, thanks.”
“But you’ll be alone,” Jennifer said.
“How do you know?” Oscar said. “Maybe I’ll finally get Elaine Marks over at my place, sampling my meatloaf, if there aren’t so many people around all the time.”
“Ugh,” Dyma said. “Grandpa.”
“What?” he said. “I meant meatloaf.”
“No, you didn’t,” Dyma said. “That’s just gross.”
“Are you sure?” Jennifer asked him. “I know we’ve talked about it, but won’t that feel awfully lonely, if we’re both gone?”
He snorted. “Of course I’m sure. I’ve lived in Wild Horse my whole life. My favorite coffee shop’s here. My best fishing spots are here. My friends are here, too, at least the ones who aren’t dead yet.”
“You sound like Russell,” Dakota said.
“Russell’s all right,” Oscar said. “Course, he’s a Mariners fan, but you can’t hold a guy’s bad judgment against him. See, I could watch some sports with Russell, if there weren’t all these women talking all the time.”
“Careful,” Dyma said. “You just lost Elaine Marks and the meatloaf-sampling.”
Oscar said, “This doesn’t matter anyway.” He looked at Harlan from under his eyebrows. “So what you’re telling me is, you’re going to take care of Jennifer and Dyma.”
“Yes, sir,” Harlan said. “I sure am.”
“He doesn’t have to—” Jennifer started to say.
“Yeah,” Harlan said. “I do. That’s my part of it, don’t you get it?”
Jennifer said, “We’re friends. That’s it.”
“I heard you the first time,” he said. It was hard to feel warm and loving when a woman was giving you that squinty-eyed look, not to mention when your proposal had caused her to burst into tears, and not in a good way.
“Good,” Jennifer said. “Then I guess … we’re doing that.” She blew out a long breath. “Moving to Portland.”
“Good,” Harlan said. “And can I just say … I’ve never negotiated so hard in my life. I feel like I needed my agent.” He was smiling. Why? He hadn’t gotten what he wanted. Nowhere close. He’d just promised to be friends. Who the hell wanted to be friends? Not to mention her big, strong new boyfriend.
Yeah, that wasn’t happening. No way. She didn’t think he was good enough? He was going to be good enough.
“You don’t need to look like that,” Jennifer said. “Like you won. You didn’t win.”
“Oh,” he said, “I think I did. You know what? I think so.”
43
The Bigger Man
Jennifer was sitting in a chair on her driveway in the mid-May sunshine, trying to hold firm in her mind to her rock-bottom price of eighty dollars for her actually pretty nice couch, when a black pickup pulled up. A familiar black pickup.
Mark Mathison got out of it, looking fit and handsome and long-legged. Also annoyed.
He came over to her table, hitched up his belt like he’d forgotten he wasn’t in uniform, did the manspreading thing, and said, “What, you’re moving?”