Page 29 of Pieces of Her (Andrea Oliver 1)

“Here.” Gordon offered the plate that Laura had given him. PB&J, chips and a pickle. “Your mom said to make sure you eat something.”

What else did she say?

“I asked for a bottle of wine, but got this.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pint-sized bottle of Knob Creek. “Did you know your mother keeps bourbon in the house?”

Andy had known about her mother’s stash since she was fourteen.

“Anyway, I thought this might help tamp down some nerves. Take the edge off.” He broke the seal on the top. “What are the chances that you have some clean glasses in this mess?”

Andy put the plate on the floor. She felt underneath the sofa bed and found an open pack of Solo cups.

Gordon scowled. “I guess that’s better than passing the bottle back and forth like a couple of hobos.”

What did Mom say?

He poured two fingers of bourbon into the deep cup. “Eat something before you have a drink. Your stomach’s empty and you’re tired.”

Belle Isle Andy hadn’t had a drink since she’d returned home. She wasn’t sure whether or not she wanted to break the streak. Still, she took a cup and sat cross-legged on the floor so that her dad could sit in the chair.

He sniffed at the chair. “Did you get a dog?”

Andy sucked down a mouthful of bourbon. The 100 proof made her eyes water.

He said, “We should toast your birthday.”

She pressed together her lips.

He held up the cup. “To my beautiful daughter.”

Andy held up her drink, too. Then she took another sip.

Gordon didn’t imbibe. He dug into his suit pocket and retrieved a white mailing envelope. “I got you these. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to wrap them in something pretty.”

Andy took the envelope. She already knew what was inside. Gordon always bought her gift cards because he knew the stores she liked, but he had no idea what she liked from those stores. She dumped the contents onto the floor. Two $25 gas cards for the station down the street. Two $25 iTunes cards. Two $25 Target gift cards. One $50 gift card to Dick Blick for art supplies. She picked up a piece of paper. He had printed out a coupon for a free sandwich at Subway when you bought one of equal or lesser value.

He said, “I know you like sandwiches. I thought we could go together. Unless you want to take someone else.”

“These are great, Dad. Thank you.”

He swished around the bourbon but still did not drink. “You should eat.”

Andy bit into the sandwich. She looked up at Gordon. He was touching his mustache again, smoothing it down the same way he stroked Mr. Purrkins’ shoulders.

He said, “I have no idea what’s going through your mother’s mind.”

Andy’s jaw made a grinding noise as she chewed. She might as well have been eating paste and cardboard.

He said, “She told me to let you know that she’s going to pay off your student loans.”

Andy choked on the bite.

“That was my response, too.” Her student loans were a sore point with Gordon. He had offered to refinance the debt in order to help Andy get out from under $800’s worth of interest a month, but for reasons known only to her id, she had passed his deadline for gathering all the paperwork.

He said, “Your mother wants you to move back to New York City. To pursue your dreams. She said she’d help you with the move. Financially, I mean. Suddenly, she’s very free with her money.”

Andy worked peanut butter off the roof of her mouth with her tongue.

“You can stay with me tonight. We’ll work out something tomorrow. A plan. I—I don’t want you going back to New York, sweetheart. You never seemed happy up there. I felt like it took a piece of you; took away some of your Andy-ness.”