Page 54 of This Time Around
“Wow.” Allie bit her lip. “I guess I never thought about that.”
He shrugged. “Maybe it’s not the same with all dads and daughters. It might just be me.”
She looked at him, her green eyes clear and bright. “Like I said, I’m not the best judge on the planet. But from where I stand, you seem like you’re doing great.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
She went quiet again, and Jack thought about how nice it felt to talk to someone about this. He talked with his mom about Paige, of course—who would be picking her up from a birthday party, or whether it was time to switch her from Flintstones Vitamins to something more grown-up. But not conversations like this. He usually avoided discussing his daughter with Lacey, and since Lace had made it clear she wasn’t interested in a relationship, he’d kept contact to a minimum between the two. No sense getting Paige’s hopes up for something permanent, or having her imprint on a new mother figure like an orphaned baby duck. It was a moot point now anyway, since Lacey had zero interest in relocating to Portland.
Allie seemed to read his thoughts. “So your girlfriend?—”
“Definitely not my girlfriend.”
“Whatever. Your lady friend, then—did you guys cut things off when you moved?”
“Pretty much.”
She nodded, and Jack wondered what she was thinking. If she’d ask him anything else about his love life these past sixteen years, and what he was willing to volunteer.
“My mom wasn’t a huge fan of Lacey,” he said.
Now where the hell had that come from?
Allie looked at him and smiled. “How does she feel about you spending time with the woman who broke your heart sixteen years ago?”
He shrugged. “Guarded,” he admitted. “But she always thought highly of you. Even after we split.”
“She sent me a card during my parents’ trial,” Allie said. “Said she was thinking of me, hoped I was doing okay. That she knew how close I was to my mom and dad, and that she knew I loved them no matter what.”
Jack nodded. “I always envied what you had with your family. Both parents present and accounted for. Loving grandparents. The whole mess.”
“My grandmother adored you.” The fondness in Allie’s voice was unmistakable. “Said every woman needs a man who lights her up inside and leaves her glowing after he’s left the room.” She grinned. “Grandma could be a little passionate.”
“You don’t say.” Probably best not to bring up the sex toys. “Your mom couldn’t stand me.”
“She didn’t hate you.” Allie pressed her lips together. “Just didn’t think you were the right choice. My dad liked you, though. Still does.”
Hearing that made Jack feel warm from the inside out, like he’d swallowed a shot of whiskey. “I always wished I had a dad like yours.”
The sad look Allie shot him had Jack questioning whether it was smart to share this much. They were still easing back into their friendship, after all. But when she spoke, her voice was tinged with compassion, not pity.
“I remember that story you told me,” Allie said softly. “About the time your dad decided the two of you should hitchhike from Portland to Vegas. You were what, five?”
Jack gave a tight nod. “Almost six. By the time we finally got there, he was tired of hanging out with me, so he told me to sleep in the car while he and the driver—some guy we’d just met named Buddy—went into the casino and got wasted.”
Allie grimaced. “God, I can’t even imagine how your mom must’ve felt getting that phone call.”
Jack shook his head and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “‘I think I lost the kid, but I’m sure he’s around here someplace,’” Jack muttered in his closest approximation of his father’s voice. Then again, he hadn’t heard that voice for years. His memories were fuzzy.
“You think he remembers any of that?” Allie asked. “That trip or the things he did?”
“I have no idea. I hardly ever think about him.”
It sounded lousy saying it out loud, but it was true. He’d written his father off years ago, and with good reason.
“The trip wasn’t all bad,” she said in a voice as soft as the rain outside. “Your hitchhiking adventure, I mean. I remember you telling me about how he stopped at a truck stop along the way and gave you a whole handful of quarters to run the jukebox all night. Chased away anyone who tried to have a turn. You told me he picked you up and danced with you when you made it play Boot Scootin’ Boogie.”
A pang of sadness hit him square in the gut. Jack glanced at her, surprised she’d remembered that detail. He’d forgotten it himself. Leave it to Allie to focus on the good parts of the story. To push aside the ugly ones and hold tightly to the prettier pieces of memory.
