Page 127 of From Nowhere

“Because she’s not Brynn.”

Diego shakes his head. “That’s messed up. It’s been more than two years.”

“It’s not like I was searching for her. She kind of appeared from nowhere. I’m not on dating apps. I rarely go out to bars or put myself in situations to meet women. And now I ...”

Diego eyes me, waiting for me to finish.

I don’t. Instead, I drink my beer and admire the new rims on his Mustang.

“You love her,” he says.

“Yep,” I say, like I don’t want to love her. But I do. I want to love her. I want to move in with her. And if I don’t scare her away, I want to be the reason she doesn’t need a backup husband in two years.

“And Lola?”

“She adores her. And I haven’t told her that Maren asked us to move in with her, because when I explain why it’s not an easy decision, it will fall on her shoulders because she won’t get into a car or ride the school bus.”

“What if she did online schooling until she got past this? It’s something she could do at your mom’s house.”

I take another big gulp of beer and shake my head. “That’s been brought up in the past by Tia. Lola loves school. Despite a few asshole kids who make fun of her scars, she loves it. And taking that from her would feel like ten steps backward. She’d hate me for it. That girl is a social butterfly.”

Diego bows his head and stares at his beer bottle for several seconds. “What if you’re overprotecting her?”

“What do you mean? She sees a therapist. Everything I do is at the suggestion of an expert. It’s not like I’m making this up as I go. This isn’t my pace; it’s Lola’s pace, which her therapist says I need to respect.”

Diego shakes his head. “I’m not suggesting you push her into anything or that you make her feel guilty. But you can be honest with her in a loving way. You should tell her that Maren asked you to move in with her. And if that happens, Tia and Amos will leave. Then you can tell her about your predicament in the fall. Let her help figure out a solution.”

“She’ll feel guilty,” I say.

“Or empowered. Maybe she’ll feel a sense of responsibility to help find a solution.”

I lean against his tool chest and cross one ankle over the other. “It could backfire on me.”

Diego nods several times. “It could. But you said it yourself. You’re in a pickle. I don’t think you have a choice to keep this from Lola.”

“Unless I tell Maren now is not a good time. And I make nice with Tia and Amos. Keep the status quo while we wait for Lola to get better.”

Again, Diego nods. “You can do that. But is that what you want to do?”

I shrug a shoulder. “Want? Fuck, man, I can’t realistically think about what I want because my wants feel selfish and irresponsible.”

“That’s just your shrunken testicles talking.”

I finish my beer and toss the bottle into his bin. “You’re right. I need to tell Lola.”

“I think that’s the best solution,” Diego says.

Chapter Thirty-Four

“Is this about the neighbor’s rosebush?” Lola asks while her grandparents and I stare at her over dinner.

During my lunch break, I called my mom to talk to Lola and told her we had something to discuss with her tonight over dinner.

But instead of a discussion, it’s turned into a game of chicken. Nobody wants to be the instigator or the bad guy in this scenario. So we look ridiculous watching Lola eat while we keep quiet.

The good news (I think) is that Tia and Amos haven’t started packing anything, so I suspect she was bluffing. But that could change at any moment.

“What are you talking about?” I set my fork on my plate and blot my mouth with a napkin.

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