Page 38 of Last Call

“Do you really need my help at the pub?” Dave asked, fastening his seatbelt.

“Me? No. Carol, on the other hand.”

Dave chuckled. He looked forward to being home more than he was willing to admit. He liked the idea of helping out at Murphy’s Law. He had grown up playing the jukebox, sipping sodas, and munching on fries while his mother and Fallon joked with their friends.

“You love to give her shit,” Dave said.

“I only give as good as I get,” Fallon said.

Dave sighed.

“You can talk to me, you know?” Fallon offered.

“Yeah. I don’t know what to say.” Dave took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to go away to school.”

“You mean to Connecticut?”

“No. I mean, I didn’t want to go to college.”

Few things Dave might say would surprise Fallon. She had always assumed he wanted to move out of state for college, and she was certain Andi thought the same thing.

“This is why I never say anything,” Dave mumbled.

“Shit. I’m sorry. No judgment,” Fallon said. “I always thought you were excited to go to UConn. I’m as sure as I can be that your mom thought the same thing. Why didn’t you tell her how you felt?”

“I told my dad.”

“I take it that didn’t go so well?”

“Understatement,” Dave said.

“What did you want to do? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I wanted to join ski patrol, maybe work off-season with Jerry or Pete. I don’t know. Dad said working on a mountain was a dead end. One injury and I’d be done.”

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 athleticismand 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.”

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