Page 72 of Forget About Me

“Raccoons. They had the lid off of the garbage can, but I got there before they made too much of a mess.”

“He was a good boy to scare them off.” Shucking off my clothes quickly, I flip the covers down and climb in. “Lose those clothes and come snuggle.”

Doing just that, he says, “You have me well trained.”

“Yeah, I’m good that way.”

We get back into the comfy spoon position again, his warm body relaxing mine. With a yawn, I say, “He wasn’t perfect. But he was the best big brother I had.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Girl U Want” - Devo

Lucy’s Catch You on the Flipside Mixtape, Song #9

BEN

Sunday evening, after parking in the driveway at home, I’m not sure I have the energy to get out of the van, let alone walk up the stairs to my apartment. A yawn stretches every muscle in my face, and a rumble sounds from my belly. Puck’s impatient bark eventually gets me moving. He’s had a long weekend too. While he makes a sniffing tour of the dark yard, I sift through happy memories of the six shows we packed into the past four days. I’m exhausted, but I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. Even if audiences had high expectations from reading the reviews—there’s a good one in theBoston Phoenix,too—they lapped up everything we served up.

I only wish Lucy had been there. She’d be proud of the standing O Puck gets every night, but she’s stayed away from the show and me to avoid giving any of us a cold she’s suffering through. Since she goes to work before I get up and is already in bed by the time I get home from the theater, some days we can’t even talk on the phone, so I send her little pager messages to at least let her know I’m thinking about her. I don’t know how I lived without her for seven years. Four days and I’m going crazy.

Unfortunately, the clock is ticking down. Too soon, we’ll have an entire country between us. Problem is, I don’t feel like I can talk to her about a future together until I’ve fessed up about what really happened the day Tony died. I almost did it the other night when we were reminiscing about him, but the moment passed. Even though her mom took it well, I did such a bad job of telling it I’m afraid of ruining what little time Lucy and I have together.

Plus, part of me thinks that maybe Bella’s right, maybe I don’t need to tell her at all. So I’m chasing myself in circles, here.

“What’re you two doing out here in the dark?” At the sound of my dad’s voice, Puck runs to greet him. I thinksomebodymust be giving the dog extra treats.

“You eat?”

“Uh, not really. Just a little between shows.”

He hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “Roast chicken in the oven. It’ll be ready soon.”

“Sounds perfect.” Following him and Puck inside, the warmth of the kitchen releases a few of the knots I’ve tied myself up in. “It smells great. Did Vera make it?”

He waves a hand in the air. “I did most of it. She’s determined to teach me to cook.”

My dad is not known for his cooking beyond hamburgers on the grill and Swanson’s frozen dinners, but when I peek inside the oven, a bird is browning beautifully. “Looks like she’s a good teacher.” I sit in my usual chair. “Is she coming for dinner?”

“Nah, this is for you and me.” He sets plates on the table. “That is, if you’re eating real food.”

I pat my empty belly. “I think I can handle it.”

He nods at the fridge as he pulls the chicken out of the oven. “There’s stuff for salad in there if you want to have something green.”

“Sounds good.” I put together a salad for each of us while he fusses with the bird and a thermometer.

“You and the dog were funny in the show.”

His eyes are on Puck, collapsed on the mat by the back door.

“You came? Which show?”

He shrugs. “This afternoon. I figured I wouldn’t tell you, make you nervous.”

When I did plays in high school, I didn’t want my dad to come at all. It was embarrassing to share that part of me with someone who knew me so well. He always snuck in, though.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

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