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“Mom, if going to work with Fallon is going to cause problems, I won’t do it.”

“Don’t,” Andi said. “Don’t do that. Your father’s reaction isn’t aboutyou.”

“He did say something.”

“Dave, you might not believe me—your father tried. In his mind, he was a good father and husband.”

“Yeah. I know. He was aprovider.”

Andi sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Dave apologized. “It just pisses me off. Dad’s great at some things. I don’t want to be that kind of father.”

Andi nodded, reached over, and squeezed Dave’s hand. “Get Fallon for me.”

Dave sighed and followed Andi’s direction.

“Hey, Fallon?” Dave called.

“Yeah?”

“Mom asked if you could give her a hand.”

“Sure,” Fallon said. She kissed Riley’s cheek and headed for the kitchen.

“Are you okay?” Riley asked Dave.

“Did she tell you what he said to her?” Dave asked.

“Not the details,” Riley replied. “Just that he’s not happy about you leaving school.”

“Yeah.”

“Dave, Fallon is okay.”

Owen ran full tilt into Dave’s legs. “Dave!” he screamed.

Dave laughed. “Man, you’re getting fast!”

“Yep! Can we catch?” Owen asked.

“Sure,” Dave said. “Let me talk to your mommy for a minute. Find Billie and ask her to get the ball and bat from the garage.”

“Okay!” Owen turned and sprinted across the yard. “Grandma!”

Dave chuckled. “He never stops, does he?”

“Not for long,” Riley said. “You’ll understand soon enough,” she teased him. “Listen, I don’t want you to worry about Fallon.”

“I didn’t hear everything he said. I heard Mom talking to him when I went back inside.”

Riley treasured all her relationships. There were times when she needed to tread carefully. People had a history in Whiskey Springs—a history that hadn’t included her. She tried not to make assumptions about the past, instead allowing Fallon and their friends to share their experiences and feelings openly. She never betrayed confidences. Riley tried to provide reassurances whenever possible. She didn’t need Dave to tell her that he felt overwhelmed by his impending fatherhood. Everyone she knew, even in the best of circumstances, worried about how they would handle parenthood. There were complications for Dave.

“There’s a lot of history there,” Riley commented.

“Do you mean between my parents or with Mom and Fallon?”

“With everyone here.”