“Yeah?” He lifted his gaze to hers.
“Is there something you need to talk about?” If he was heartbroken, surely it wasn’t over Jackson since he’d sent Kyle coffee that morning.
He closed his eyes and slumped further into the swing.
Joy waited, knowing her son would only talk when he was ready. She could often get her two other kids to open up just by prodding them. But Kyle? No. He was the sensitive one who internalized everything and then eventually came to her on his own terms.
“Did you call Hunter and Britt?” he asked.
“Not yet.” She eyed his coffee cup and wished desperately that she’d waited for her pot to be done before heading outside. Her head was fuzzy, and she could really use a shot of caffeine.
He apparently noticed her longing and held the cup out to her.
Joy reached for it gratefully and took a long sip of the over-sugared latte. But that hint of caffeine was exactly what she needed. “It was late when we got home. I did call your father, though.”
Kyle’s body tensed, and his eyes flashed with anger as he looked at her accusingly. “I told you I didn’t want to call him.”
“Actually,” she said mildly, “you told me you didn’t want to see him. Which was a request we are both honoring.”
“I’m sure it’s a real hardship for dad,” Kyle said sarcastically. “It’s not like he wanted to be a part of this family anyway.”
Mild shock jolted through Joy at his outburst. But she really shouldn’t have been surprised. The separation had come as a shock to all of them. It was normal for her kids to have resentment. Still, she wanted them to have a relationship with their father, so she found herself defending him. “Just because we’re getting a divorce, it doesn’t mean your dad is leaving the family, Kyle. You know that. He’s still around. We’re just not living together anymore.”
Kyle gave her an incredulous look. “Seriously, Mom? He left you. He didn’t even give you a real reason. Hell, he didn’t give us a real reason. He just said you two grew apart and it wasn’t good to stay in a marriage where two people aren’t connected anymore. What the hell kind of bullshit is that? We all know you didn’t ask him to leave. So now because he doesn’t want to work on whatever it is, he just left. And we’re expected to do every holiday twice. Once with you and once with him. We won’t ever have family dinners with us all together, and what about other life events? Will he even show up? You know we’ve barely seen him since he moved out. It’s just totally fucked up!”
Joy winced at the sound of her youngest swearing but didn’t say anything about his language. He was right. About all of it. “You don’t have to do every holiday twice. We can switch off and—”
“Mom!” He pushed himself up to sit straighter and glared at her. But when he spoke again, his voice was softer. “Don’t think for a minute we’re not coming home for Christmas or Thanksgiving. This is our home. And you’re the one who always makes the holidays special anyway.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she didn’t bother to blink them away. She’d been doing okay with the divorce. Paul had been so emotionally distant the last few years that she’d almost been relieved when he said he was leaving. But when it came to her family, she was heartbroken that Paul had given up on them. And the vision she’d had of their future, growing old together, being grandparents, filling their home with love, had been forever altered. Paul had been a good father. They’d been in love once. It killed her that she didn’t know what happened. And it killed her that her son and likely her other two children were in pain, too. Just because they were older, it didn’t mean they didn’t care that their parents’ marriage had ended.
“Please don’t cry,” Kyle said, looking anxious. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t. I—I’m happy that you love being here for the holidays. That’s all,” she said, wiping her tears away.
“Really?” Kyle raised one skeptical eyebrow.
She let out a soft chuckle, admitting defeat. “Okay, maybe I am a little upset. I am touched that you love spending the holidays here, but I’m also sad that the future we’d all hoped for looks different now. I’m sure your father is, too. But as upset as you are that things are different now, that doesn’t change the fact that he loves you. He didn’t divorce you and Hunter and Britt, you know.”
“Not yet,” Kyle said, his expression turning dark again.
“Are you ready to talk about what happened with your father last night?” Joy asked.
Kyle looked down at Joy’s hand covering his. “We just got into an argument; that’s all.”
“About what? The divorce?” she asked.
“Yes. No.” He shrugged. “It was everything. He wanted to know when I was going to apply to law school, and I told him I didn’t know if that’s what I wanted to do anymore. Then he got pissed and accused me of thinking with something other than my head.”
Joy sat back in the swing, trying to process what her son had just told her. He’d recently graduated with a degree in English. She knew he was considering law school, but not that he’d decided against it. “What did your father mean when he said you were thinking with something other than your head? Are you dating someone here in Premonition Pointe?”
His face flushed, and he glanced away. When he turned back to her, he said, “I’ve been dating, but that’s not the reason I don’t want to go away. I just decided law isn’t for me.” He paused and then added, “I got an interview at Premonition Pointe News. It’s supposed to be Monday morning.”
“You did?” Joy exclaimed. “That’s wonderful. You’d be great at that.”
Relief flooded his face, and he gave her a small smile. “I thought that’s what you’d say, but Dad told me being a journalist for a small hometown paper is a waste of time with no room for career growth. He basically told me I’d be throwing my education away by working there.”
“He said what?” A spark of anger shot down her spine. And before he could say anything, she plowed on with her outrage. “How dare he? Money isn’t everything. And there’s a career in writing. You could freelance or work on a book or anything you want to do. Plus, you’re still waiting tables and working on the weekends with the adventure company, right?”
He nodded, his smile faltering slightly. “I was. But it’s going to be hard to lead ATV rides or wait tables with a broken leg.”
Joy winced. “Right.” Then she waved a hand. “I’m sure there will be a spot for you at both places once your leg heals. In the meantime, since you’re on a month-to-month rental at your apartment, you could let it go while you’re recovering here. That will save you some money.”
“I wasn’t planning on moving out of my apartment.” He swallowed, and she could see that moving home wasn’t at all what he wanted to do. “I have some savings. It’s only six weeks that I’ll be here, right?”
“That’s what the doctor said. It’s your savings. If that’s what you want to do, then okay. If you want to save it, I have four bedrooms, free rent, and free homecooked meals.”