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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

JADE

“So you just got back?” I ask Harper as I plop down on the couch. She and Sean were in New Hampshire visiting Sean’s parents.

“Yeah. I’m doing laundry at Sean’s place. We’re going out to dinner in a few minutes. Is Garret around? Sean wanted to talk to him.”

“He’s bringing groceries in from the car,” I tell her as I watch him go back outside. “I still can’t believe you spent all that time on a dairy farm.”

They were only supposed to stay for a week but they were having such a good time they ended up staying for two.

“I loved it. It was quiet and relaxing. So different than LA. Did you show Garret the photos I sent? The ones from our hiking trip?”

“Yeah, and now he wants to take me hiking there.”

“You should totally do it. It’s really beautiful.”

“So what’d you do yesterday? Anything fun?”

“I went to a movie with Sean’s mom and then we went out for coffee. The guys stayed home and did stuff around the farm. I already miss Sean’s mom. We got along great.”

“My mom loves her.” Sean takes Harper’s phone. “She’s making the wedding invitations as we speak.”

“She is not.” Harper’s laughing in the background.

“Is Garret out surfing?” Sean asks.

“No, he hasn’t surfed since we got here. We’ve been busy moving in and getting settled before his dad gets here tomorrow.”

Garret comes in with more grocery bags.

“Sean’s on the phone.” I hand it to him.

“Hey, Sean. Can I call you later?” He listens. “Yeah, I haven’t had time to get out there.” He nods. “Okay, bye.”

Garret gives me the phone and takes off again.

“Got any plans for when Garret’s dad is there?” Harper’s back on the phone.

“We’re going to dinner tomorrow night. Friday we’ll show him the campus. He has to leave on Saturday.”

“Ask him if I can babysit Lilly.”

“I’ll ask, but I already know the answer. Pearce will be okay with it but Katherine will say no. She doesn’t let anyone babysit Lilly.”

“What is her problem?”

“I don’t know. So are you staying with Sean until classes start next week?”

“I’m staying at his place through the weekend and maybe Monday night. But I’m moving my stuff in the dorms on Saturday. I didn’t want to move in later, when everyone else is. It’s too crowded.” I hear Sean saying something to Harper in the background. “I guess we’re heading out to dinner. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay, bye.”

I end the call just as Garret walks in.

“Harper really liked hanging out at the dairy farm. Crazy, huh?”

Garret doesn’t answer. He’s standing there in a daze, holding a grocery bag in each hand.

I jump off the couch and take the bags. “I think she even misses being on the farm.” I go in the kitchen and start unloading groceries. “How funny is that?” Garret still hasn’t moved. “Garret? Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, it’s funny,” he says, still frozen in place.

“Why aren’t you moving? Is something wrong?”

He finally snaps out of it. “No. Nothing.” He comes over and unloads groceries with me. I tell him what else Harper said but he doesn’t seem to be listening.

When the groceries are put away, I go in the bedroom and change into my running clothes. I have tons of energy and feel the need to burn some of it off. I feel really good today. Garret and I are back on track and I’m looking forward to seeing Pearce tomorrow. I wish Lilly was coming, too, but Katherine wouldn’t allow it.

“Where are you going?” Garret walks in as I’m lacing my shoes.

“I’m going for a quick run.” I look up and see the worry on his face. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m not running from anything. I just want to be out on the beach and run for a half hour.”

“I’ll go with you.” He says it really fast and goes to the dresser to get his workout clothes.

“Garret, I won’t be out there long. You don’t have to go.”

“I’m going.” He searches the top drawer, then shuts it and opens the one under it.

“Bottom drawer,” I tell him.

He finds his clothes and changes, then sits on the bed to put his shoes on.

I take a seat next to him and kiss his cheek. “Thanks for going with me. This’ll be fun. We can race.”

“Sure, whatever you want.” He’s talking fast again.

“You’re acting strange. You sure you’re okay?”

He smiles and his tense shoulders relax. “Yeah, sorry. Guess I’m a little out of it.”

After we run, it still seems like his mind is elsewhere. I ask him about it later and he says his shoulder’s bothering him. At least he told me this time. We make dinner and stay in the rest of the night and go to bed early.

The next day Pearce arrives at the house at 4:30. Garret and I go out to the driveway to greet him.

“Hey, Dad.” Garret gives him a hug. “How was the trip?”

“Very productive. I got a lot of work done on the plane.” Pearce comes over and hugs me. “How’s my daughter-in-law?”

Hearing him call me that makes me smile. “Good.”

He keeps his arm around me. “How’s my son treating you?”

“He’s great. I still love him.”

Pearce laughs. “That’s important.” He leans down and lowers his voice. “You didn’t let him try to fix anything, did you?”

“No. I wouldn’t risk it.”

“Hey!” Garret acts offended. “I could fix shit if I really tried.”

We go inside for a few minutes and show Pearce the house, then leave for dinner. We go to the seafood place Kyle suggested. It’s nice, very upscale, just like he said. Garret offered to go to the steakhouse given my dislike for seafood, but I insisted on the seafood place because this is Garret’s belated birthday dinner and he really likes seafood.

“How are Lilly’s playdates going?” I ask Pearce after we order.

“She struggled at first but it’s getting better now. She’s become friends with a little girl who’s even more mature for her age than Lilly. The girl talks like an adult and her vocabulary is impressive. It’s very funny to watch the two of them interact.” Pearce takes out his phone and swipes through some photos. “This is her.”

He shows us a photo of Lilly sitting next to a girl with straight black hair and black rimmed glasses wearing a pink dress and a white cardigan sweater. She has a pearl necklace and little pearl earrings. She’s sitting very straight with her hands in her lap.

“She seems very sophisticated,” I say to Pearce.

“Her name’s Jacqueline. And never make the mistake of calling her Jackie. I did that once and she nearly bit my head off.”

Garret takes the phone to get a better look at her. “She looks kind of crazy.”

“Garret, you don’t even know her.” I lean over to see the photo. “She’s cute.”

“She’s one of those kids who looks all sweet and innocent and then goes crazy when she doesn’t get her way. I knew girls like her.” He gives the phone back to his dad. “Does Lilly have any other friends?”

“She had a group play date last week and made friends with a little boy in the group.”

“You’ve gotta end that right now, Dad.” Garret shakes his head. “No boys.”

“Garret, he’s only 7. I don’t think we need to worry.”

“I know how boys think. Even at 7, I had my eyes on girls. You got a picture of this kid?”

Pearce swipes through his phone, then gives it to Garret.

“Yeah, I don’t like him. He’s got trouble written all over him.”

I’m laughing. “Let me see.”

Garret holds the phone out in front of me and I see a photo of a little boy with bright blond hair wearing a suit with a bow tie.

“He has a bow tie, Garret. I think you can trust him.”

“Decker wears bow ties and there’s no way I’d let a guy like him date my sister.” He points to the photo. “Look at the cocky smirk on this kid’s face.”

“You had a similar smile when you were that age,” Pearce remarks, taking his phone back.

“Yeah, and I was bad news. Parents should’ve been watching their daughters around me.”

Pearce laughs. “You were harmless, although the candy for kisses incident did concern your mother.”

“What’s candy for kisses?” I’m laughing just saying it.

“Garret started a business in the second grade in which he gave out candy to any girl who would kiss him. He even made up flyers and handed them out at school.”

I can’t stop laughing. “Did you really do that, Garret?”

He shrugs. “It worked.”

“His mother was mortified, but I thought it showed a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a mind for business. But after that, I encouraged him to use his business skills to find alternate ventures that didn’t involve young ladies.”

“How long did this business of yours last?” I ask Garret.

“About two recesses. By then I’d gone through all the girls in my class.” His cocky smile appears. “But I did have some repeat customers.”

“Must’ve been some really good candy,” I tease.

“Leftover Halloween candy.” His cocky smile remains. “Three months old.”

“He never ate all of his Halloween candy,” Pearce says.

“Because he was saving it for his shady business.”

“Probably true,” Pearce says as he picks up his water glass.

“It wasn’t shady,” Garret insists. “I was providing a service. The point is that you can’t trust 7-year-old boys. So keep bow-tie boy away from Lilly. I’d rather have her hang out with crazy Jackie.”

“It’s Jacqueline,” I say, smiling. “You better say it right in case you ever meet her. You don’t want to screw up and have her throw her pearls at you.”

Our food arrives and as we eat, Pearce gives us more updates on Lilly. She starts private school in a week and is starting to get excited about it. Crazy Jackie will be there so at least Lilly will have a friend. I get the feeling bow-tie boy will be there, too, but Pearce doesn’t want to upset Garret so he doesn’t mention it.

The entire dinner is great. The more time I spend with the new, improved Pearce, the more I like him. And I like how he talks about Garret’s mom now instead of pretending she never existed.

The new Pearce seems more like the dad Garret grew up with before his mom died. It’s really sad that Garret lost that dad for most of his teen years. It’s almost like he lost two parents after the plane crash instead of one. I blame Katherine for that. She came into their lives and destroyed everything. Pearce should’ve stood up to her and not let her take over and push Garret away. I don’t know why he didn’t.

I can’t believe Pearce got stuck marrying Katherine. I still think Holton is the one who picked her, but I don’t know why he’d pick her over someone else. Maybe he’s friends with her dad. Or maybe Holton knew Pearce wouldn’t like Katherine and chose her as punishment for Pearce marrying Garret’s mom. It sounds like something Holton would do.

On Friday, we take Pearce to campus and show him around. Garret hasn’t said anything about the swim team or his shoulder and I wonder if he will. It’s not my place to tell his dad so I’m not going to say anything.

But at lunch, the topic comes up.

“I talked to your swim coach the other day,” Pearce says to Garret.

We’re at a sandwich shop across from campus, sitting in a small booth.

“Yeah, I heard.” Garret takes the salt and pepper shakers and moves them back and forth between his hands.

“It seemed like he really wants you on the team.”

“He does.” Garret clears his throat.

“Did you swim for him?”

“Uh huh.” Garret’s eyes remain on the salt and pepper shakers.

“And? What happened?”

I’m prepared for Garret to lie to his dad, but instead he says, “I didn’t make the team. At least not yet.”

“Not yet? What does that mean?”

The salt and pepper shakers slide even faster between Garret’s hands. “I’m having problems with my shoulder and Coach won’t let me compete until it’s better.”

Pearce takes the salt and pepper shakers from him. “When did this happen?”

“Tryouts were the other day. Like two days ago maybe?”

“Not the tryouts. When did you start having problems with your shoulder?”

“Oh, um, it started in January, but it got worse in February.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone?” Pearce sounds both mad and concerned.

“I thought it would go away. But it didn’t so I’m going to see a specialist next week.”

“Who? Who are you going to see?”

“I don’t know. Some guy the coach recommended.”

Pearce sighs. “Garret, you should’ve told me this. You should’ve told me as soon as you were having pain.” Pearce checks behind our booth to see if anyone’s listening. Nobody’s around us, but he still lowers his voice. “You could’ve gone to the clinic. You know they’re better than any specialist you’ll see elsewhere.”

He means in the real world, where the rest of us don’t have access to fancy doctors with treatments only the rich and powerful are allowed to have. The “clinic” is code for the secret medical group I learned about last year. I still don’t know that much about it.

“Yeah, well, it’s too late now,” Garret says. “I’m sure this guy is good enough. I don’t need the clinic for this.”

“You don’t know that, Garret. You don’t know what’s going on with your shoulder. This wasn’t a sports injury. Your coach doesn’t know that, so sending you to a specialist who treats sports injuries is not going to help you. Is that who this specialist is?”

“I think so. I think he handles all kinds of injuries, but there was some stuff about sports injuries on his website.”

“And what do you plan to tell this man? You can’t tell him the truth about what happened.”

“I’ll tell him I shot myself cleaning my gun. It’s the story we told everyone else.”

“When he runs the tests on your shoulder and assesses the damage, he’ll know it wasn’t from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“Maybe he won’t be able to tell.”

“Even so, he’ll ask for your medical records. And you can’t give him those.”

Pearce is right. We can’t tell this doctor what really happened. We can’t tell him about the clinic. We can’t tell him anything.

“So what are you saying, Dad?”

“How bad is your shoulder? How bad is the pain?”

Garret stares down at the table. “Pretty bad. It’s not continuous but when it hurts, it really hurts.”

I wrap my arm in Garret’s and scoot closer to him. “You didn’t tell me that.”

Pearce sighs again and rubs his chin. After a long silence, he says to Garret, “Cancel your appointment for next week.”

“What? Why?”

“I’ll get someone out here to take a look at your shoulder and run some tests.”

“Someone from the clinic?”

“Yes.”

“You can’t do that. It’s not allowed. I lost all privileges.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

“They’ll find out. They’ll punish you.”

“Garret, how many times do I need to tell you that I don’t care what they do to me? You’re my son and you come first. When you become a father someday, you’ll understand.”

“What exactly are you going to do?”

“I’ll send Cunningham out here. He’s familiar with your injury and how you got it and he owes me some favors. He paid back most of them by taking care of Frank last year but he owes me a couple more.”

That explains it. I could never figure out how Pearce was able to get Cunningham to help Frank.

Why do all these people owe Pearce favors? I can’t ask but I still wonder. And does he owe people favors, too? He must. It can’t be all one-sided.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Garret asks his dad.

“Garret. This is what we’re doing. Call that doctor right now and cancel your appointment.”

Garret gets his phone out and steps out of the booth. He goes outside to make the call.

“Thank you,” I say to Pearce.

“You don’t need to thank me, Jade. I’m taking care of my son, like any father would do. I just wish he’d told me this sooner.”

“He didn’t tell me either until just the other day. He didn’t tell anyone.”

“He keeps things like this to himself. He always has. And knowing that, I should’ve kept a closer eye on him during his recovery. I should’ve noticed what was going on with him.”

“It’s not your fault. I see him every day and I didn’t notice.”

“It’s always your fault when you’re a parent. You always think you could’ve done a better job taking care of your child. And believe me, I know I could’ve done a better job with Garret.”

He’s not just talking about Garret’s shoulder. He’s talking about all the years before this when he sucked at being a dad.

There’s such sincerity in the way he says it, and so much regret for the past, that I realize that the new Pearce isn’t just temporary. He isn’t going to return to the way he used to be. He’s truly committed to being a better father.

I like Pearce even more now.