This boy.
He’s the biggest surprise of my life in the best way.
9
Trent
Danny was going to call a car to take him to the small airport in Albany where he’ll catch a short flight to Philly before going all the way to Phoenix. I offer to drive him to the airport instead. He’s been looking at me kind of funny ever since Gretch and I returned from our trip the other day and we need to have a chat.
Watching him say goodbye to the twins is both sweet and sad. They each cling to one of his legs and make him promise to come back again.
“As soon as I can.” He hugs them gently and I see his chin quiver for a second. He glances at the end table photo of Jules and a shadow falls over his face.
“Do I get a hug too?” Gretchen asks.
Danny swings one arm around her and she stands on tiptoe to embrace him.
“I’ll take care of them,” she murmurs.
“I know,” he nods. “Take care of yourself too.”
“I will.”
He steps back and looks at her. Though they are close in age they never really clicked when they were kids. But there’s nothing Danny wouldn’t do for his sister. He feels shitty about leaving her here under these circumstances. I know he does.
Gretchen knows that too. She tilts her head and gazes up at him wistfully. “Make your dreams come true, Dan-O.”
The twins go to her side and she automatically puts an arm around each of them.
“Goodbye, Uncle Danny.” Caitlin waves the arm of the doll in her hand.
Mara chews on a piece of her brown hair.
“I love you guys,” he says to his family and throws his duffel bag over his shoulder before he gets too emotional.
Danny’s quiet as we leave Lake Stuart behind. He flips the radio around until he finds the sports news and settles back to listen.
“So you’re jumping right back into things?” I ask him because the silence is getting to me and I can’t shake the feeling he’s pissed.
However, his voice is free of anger when he says, “Yeah, I’ve got three days to work out before I need to report. You know, last season I was going to give up on the game. I’d been offered a job as an assistant coach at a Phoenix area high school. Jules knew I didn’t want to take the job. She’s the one who told me not to give up. Jules is the only one who’s ever really believed in me.”
“I believe in you, Dan. Gretch and the girls believe in you.”
He rakes a hand through his shaggy hair. “I’m shit for leaving them.”
“No. Don’t even think that. If it helps at all, I’ll be around.”
He moves in his seat and I can feel him staring at me.
“What’s up?” I ask even though I already know.
“I need to ask you something.”
“I’m listening.”
“What’s going on with you and Gretchen? Don’t even bother denying it. You’re a crappy liar, Cassini, and I’m not fucking blind.”
“I like her.” The words sound inadequate and they are.
“How much do you like her?” he demands.
“A hell of a lot, Dan.”
“Huh.” He nods. “Didn’t see this coming.”
“You mad?”
“Nah. Gretchen marches to her own drummer and she hardly needs my help with making choices.”
“I’m not playing games here. Just so you know.”
“Good to hear. Because Gretch is authentic so you damn well better make sure you deserve her.”
“Doing my best.”
He slugs me in the arm. “Do your best and then do better. I’d hate to beat the shit out of you now that we’re all friendly again.”
“You won’t have to,” I promise.
With that awkward part out of the way, we both relax and switch the talk to baseball.
Danny Aaronson was my very first friend. When I think back over all the connections in my life, I believe he’ll always be my best friend no matter what’s happened before and what might happen in the future. My time at Tavington erased my trust in people, even him. I retreated without even realizing I was retreating.
That was a mistake.
“Call me when you get back to the big leagues.” I wave at him as he climbs out and flings his duffel bag over one shoulder.
“Count on it,” he answers and his cocky grin takes me back to vanished summers and reckless days, when we both expected that life would always work out in our favor.
I’m not a believer in wishes but right now I’m wishing with all my might that Danny gets another shot at making his dream happen.
I wait until he disappears through the glass doors, then I pull away and head back to Lake Stuart. A call comes in along the way and it’s from Darren Graves but I’m not in the mood to deal with unpleasant business today. I’ve been busy thinking about Gretchen and when I think about Gretchen I don’t have room in my head for much else.
Gretchen Aaronson is proving to be everything I never knew I wanted wrapped into one hot, feisty package.
She’s crazy beautiful. She’s extremely intelligent. She’s got a heart of gold. She stands up to any challenge and doesn’t tolerate bullshit.
I’ve also learned that she’s fantastically filthy and nothing is off limits.
It’s kind of funny how the girl I overlooked when we were kids is now my fantasy come true.
I’m very aware that her life isn’t simple. There are two four-year-olds who now depend on her for everything. I never saw myself as a guy who would ever become attached to a situation that included kids. Then I remember when Mara offered to let me hold her favorite doll or when Caitlin gave me a cute picture she drew of something with large ears that might be a dog.
I’m not fooling myself that I’m ready to dive into instant fatherhood but I also won’t be looking for an exit. For a very long time I’ve been without a family and I never counted on that changing.
I’m beginning to see that it could.
The ping on my phone means Darren left a voicemail. He’s already given me a heads up that Liam’s cash flow situation is getting desperate. Liam is all out of credit and his vendors are balking about extending more when the bills aren’t getting paid in a timely manner. Unbeknownst to Liam, a shell company I set up has already purchased some of the shares he farmed out to investors, all of them eager to unload their interests in a dying company. I now own thirty five percent of Cassini Brewery. I’m currently negotiating to purchase another twenty percent, which will leave Liam with a minority share. Then there’s nothing he can do to stop me from kicking his ass out and seizing the reins. Liam has done nothing but trash my father’s legacy and I’m going to bring it back. I’ll enjoy leaving him with nothing.
I should have explained all of this to Gretchen already. She’s too smart to have no curiosity about my plans. It’s just that when I’m with her I don’t want to focus on ugly themes like revenge.
Or my asshole brother.
Or Tavington.
Especially that last subject, which includes details I’ve kept locked up for a long time.
When I was released from Tavington I felt like a caged animal who’d finally been set free. After freezing my ass off for two years I didn’t want to freeze my ass off anymore so I went to Florida. I would have been on the streets if not for the comfortable cushion of my mother’s life insurance policy. I knew that was the only chance I was going to have so I needed to figure shit out pretty fucking quick. I watched dozens of online real estate seminars. I struck at the right place at the right time and cashed out when the market was hot. In the beginning, much of my success was luck, however luck can be a lucrative building block. I turned one million into two. It multiplied from there.