Page 16 of Last Call (Open Tab #5)

Fallon forced herself not to groan. She easily understood why Jake Maguire would want his sons to get a college education.

She also recognized that it wasn’t the right choice for everyone.

Dave had always gravitated to the outdoors.

His natural athleticism and affinity for nature made him an ideal candidate for a job as a ski instructor or emergency responder at one of the resorts.

“But you never told your mom. Why not?” Fallon asked.

“I didn’t want to cause problems. I mean, you know better than anyone how hard things were for Mom.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Seriously? My dad wasn’t around. I don’t know.

I guess some part of me was always waiting for them to tell us they were getting a divorce.

That’s kind of shitty to admit. I know Mom would have supported me working at one of the ski resorts if I’d told her that’s what I wanted to do.

She wouldn’t like it, but she’d support me.

It would have pissed Dad off. They would have fought about it. And part of me wanted to get away.”

“I can understand that—the getting away part.”

“It was just weird after Jacob went to school,” Dave explained. “Like—How do I explain it?”

“You don’t need to explain anything,” Fallon said.

“It’s not like my parents fought much. I mean, they did, mostly when my dad was home for a few weeks. I think Mom got used to her routine. You know?”

Fallon nodded, keeping her eyes on the road.

“I just didn’t want to be there when he came home,” Dave muttered.

“Dave, I don’t know your dad that well.”

Dave laughed. “I don’t think anyone at home knows my dad except my mom.”

A hint of animosity and disappointment tinged Dave’s voice.

His observation was honest and accurate.

Jake Maguire spent little time in Whiskey Springs.

When he was home, he and Andi rarely went out.

She’d met him, of course. She’d sipped a few beers with him at Murphy’s Law and saw him at special occasions like one of the boys’ birthdays or Andi’s annual Christmas Eve gathering.

She didn’t interact with him often. He stayed close to Andi when he was home, which always made Fallon bristle a little.

She didn’t dislike Jake. He didn’t badger or abuse Andi, and Andi never spoke ill of him.

But his absences caused both Andi and the kids pain, and Fallon knew better than most how much his infidelity had hurt Andi.

“You don’t like him, do you?” Dave asked.

“I told you. I don’t know him that well.”

“Yeah. I just—I don’t know, Fallon. I always wanted to impress him. I think I thought if I could do that, maybe he’d stick around.”

Fallon felt her heart rise in her throat. Dave had never confided in her about his father—how he felt or what he thought of him.

“I think your father was just focused on providing as much for all of you as he could.”

Dave laughed. “You mean money.”

“Well…”

“Yeah, you do.”

“I think your dad wanted you to have everything possible,” Fallon said.

Dave sighed.

“Dave?”

“I don’t want to be him.”

“Be him?” Fallon asked.

“Yeah. I don’t want to be that guy—not for Becky or my kids,” Dave said. “I mean, I want to take care of them. But I want to take care of them. I don’t want Becky to have to deal with all the shit Mom did.”

“I know your dad’s…”

“I don’t mean his cheating. And face it, that was fucked up.”

Fallon chuckled softly. It was fucked up.

“It’s like our lives just stopped when he was home. Everything we wanted to do was put on hold for him. Mom’s life. The stuff me and Jacob liked to do—it stopped until he left again.”

“I’m sure he just wanted to spend time with you when he could.”

Dave shook his head. “Yeah. I get that. But he never asked what we wanted to do. It’s like he had everything planned, and we were all expected to be happy about it.”

Fallon needed to be cautious while wading into these waters. Over the years, Jacob had shared many of his frustrations with his father with Fallon. She’d always believed Dave enjoyed a closer relationship with Jake Maguire. He’d clearly given his father’s parenting some thought.

“You went a lot of places,” Fallon observed.

“You mean like vacations?”

Fallon nodded.

“Yeah. That was great. But even when we went away, he had a schedule.”

The picture was starting to come into sharper focus for Fallon.

Andi had expectations of her boys. She provided structure while also allowing them to lead when it came to their interests, friends, and activities.

Fallon suspected that Jake tried to direct the boys’ interests and activities more than Andi did.

“He was probably trying to make up for the time he was away,” Fallon said.

“Maybe. He never asked us what we thought. It’s like the time we went to California.

It’s not like we were little. Jacob was a senior.

I wanted to surf. Jacob wanted to go to a gallery.

Mom suggested that we just split up for the day.

You know? She didn’t care where she went.

She could take Jacob, or she’d go to the beach with me.

My dad got so pissed! Jacob and I went down to the hotel's pool. We didn’t do anything that day until dinner.

My mom barely spoke.” Dave shook his head.

“My dad can be cool. He’s also kind of an asshole sometimes.

If I had told Mom I didn’t want to go to college—Well, she wouldn’t have liked it.

I know she wouldn’t. But she would’ve listened to me, and if I still told her I really wanted to work at one of the mountains, she would’ve stood up for me with Dad. I didn’t want to do that to her again.”

Fallon gripped the wheel tightly, taking a few deep breaths before responding.

She could relate to some of what Dave shared.

Her father had traveled frequently during much of her youth.

At first, she hated his absences. As she grew older, her time became filled with activities and friends.

She sometimes resented the expectation that she should spend more time at home when he was.

But her parents had always worked as a team, even when her father was away.

Ida managed the family's day-to-day affairs, and he respected her, following her lead. It seemed Jake expected to lead, even if he didn’t understand how his actions affected the rest of his family.

“Your mom can handle herself, Dave,” Fallon said.

“Yeah, but she shouldn’t have to handle his bullshit. I told you. My dad can be cool. It’s not like he isn’t nice . He’s just—He’s selfish. I don’t want to be like him, Fallon. Sometimes I feel like he tries to compare me to him. It pisses me off.”

“I understand that feeling.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Not so much with my parents, but with Dean.”

“I don’t know,” Dave mused. “Mom took care of everything. She still does. Everybody wants to help. And it’s not that I don’t appreciate it. I do.”

“I know you do.”

“But it’s my responsibility,” Dave said. “I don’t want Billie and Mom paying my way, and Mom shouldn’t have to raise my kid while Becky and I go to school. That’s messed up.”

Fallon smiled. Most people immediately recognized the similarities between Jacob and Andi.

Dave was driven—perhaps not to pursue the same things as his father, but he always pushed himself to be the best at everything he attempted.

From what Fallon knew about Jake Maguire, that was also his nature.

Both Jacob and Dave loved Andi. Fallon thought many people failed to see how much Dave not only loved but also respected his mother.

That was one reason why his short-lived rejection puzzled her.

“Can I ask you something?” Fallon asked.

“Yeah?”

“Why did you ignore your mom for so long?”

“I don’t know,” Dave said. “Some of it was Becky.”

“You mean her parents?”

“Yeah.”

“But?” Fallon pressed.

“I was kind of pissed.”

“That she asked your father for a divorce?”

“Yeah. Kind of. I mean, why did she do that after we’d left home?” Dave asked. “Like, we left for school, and then she decided it was time to be with you?”

“Dave.”

“No. You don’t get it.”

“I’m trying to understand,” Fallon said. “I know you blame me."

“What? Do you mean for their divorce?”

Fallon nodded.

“Nah. I never blamed you for that. It’s just, you were always there,” Dave said. “With us,” he clarified.

“I didn't mean to overstep.”

“No. It was cool. Mom was happy when you were around. We did things—all of us. You know? It just didn’t make sense.

Why would she wait until we were away from home to leave him?

I don’t know. I’m not saying it right. I didn’t want it to come between me and Becky, Mom being with a woman—that’s true. That made me feel like shit.”

Fallon nodded.

“Things always felt more like home when you were there,” Dave admitted.

“Dave.”

“It’s true. Ask Jacob.”

Fallon didn’t need to ask Jacob about his feelings. He had expressed his disappointment that she and Andi didn’t pursue a committed relationship.

“I don’t know, Fallon. Since we found out about the baby and Mom met Billie,” Dave’s thoughts trailed off, and he sighed.

“Go on.”

“I just want my kids to feel the way I did when I was with you and Mom.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t get all weird,” David said.

“Weird?” Fallon chuckled.

“Yeah. I love Billie. I mean, it’s awesome having her and Mom together. But that’s new. You know? I guess I’m just saying that I liked it when you took me to practice, and we met Mom and Jacob at Murphy’s.”

“Me, too.”

“I liked that you were there. You were there for all of us,” Dave said. “Billie is there now. I want to be there for my kids.”

“Dave, I’m not sure what to say.”

“I knew it’d get weird.”

Fallon laughed. “It’s not weird. I understand what you’re saying. It makes me realize some things.”

“What things?”

“I liked it, too—being with you.”

“It sucked for you, too—when Dad came home, didn’t it?”

Fallon shrugged. “It did.”

“Did you ever tell Mom that?” Dave asked.

“No.”