Page 54 of Heartstring

“Mik?”

I turn around.

“Was it you who made the donation?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

One final nod, and I make my way outside to wait for Kay in the car. I turn the engine on to warm up the car, but no matter how much hot air blows on me, I still feel cold.

How has he gotten under my skin so quickly?

Why do I feel like there’s some deep secret I don’t know about?

An hour later, Kay leaves the building, running toward the car.

“God, it’s cold out here,” she says.

“Glad to have a ride now?”

She laughs. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go to your big head.”

I put the car in gear and head back home.

“Hey, Dad?” she asks after a while.

“Do you think Mr. David will keep our secret?”

“Yeah, baby. He will.”

“How can you be sure?”

I reach over and mess up her hair a little. “Because I’m a dad. I know these things.”

The truth is I don’t know, but I want to believe Tyler won’t tell anyone I have a daughter or where I’m living. My heart tells me I’m safe.

My brain? It lacks a lot of vital information.

17

TYLER

THEN

“Hey, are you okay?”Clyde, my dad’s best friend, asks.

I nod.I’m not okay.

“I’m here for you, Tyler. I mean it. Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean you’re on your own,” he says.

I nod again. It’s the only thing I can do right now. Anything more, and I’ll break down. I’ll ugly cry and tell everyone to leave me alone to grieve for the man who showed me I wasn’t just a kid no one wanted. The man who turned his life around when it was at its lowest and then decided that wasn’t enough and he needed to turn someone else’s life around.

My father. My best friend. My family.

I take a deep, steady breath and walk outside, avoiding all eye contact. I’d rather escape to the backyard, but some of Dad’s friends have gathered there to talk.

I should be absorbing all the stories, all the snippets of my dad’s life that I never got to know, but right now, it’s just too damned hard.