Page 14 of Shine: Sins of the Father
We mount up and head out.
The sun has climbed in the sky, and the return ride is warmer. I’m sad when it’s over too soon, and Shine turns in the gravel drive.
When we get inside, I pull out an iron skillet and get busy frying up the bacon. While it’s sizzling in the pan, I make a pot of coffee, then scramble some eggs.
Shine flicks on the television and finds a news station.
“You worried?” I look over my shoulder to where he stands in front of the flat screen.
“When isn’t there a wildfire in California, right?” He tries to make light of it, but he’s closely studying the map they’ve put up.
I finish cooking breakfast, and the entire time Shine is glued to the news.
Carrying the bowl of eggs and platter of toast and bacon to the table, I whistle. “Hey. Chow time.”
Shine’s arms are crossed, and he hasn’t moved an inch, but at my whistle, he glances over his shoulder and unfolds his arms, then takes a seat across from me at the long dinner table that can hold up to ten people. It’s a golden wood with an old oil lamp sitting as a centerpiece.
I’ve got two steaming mugs of coffee set before each of us.
I added a little cream and sugar to mine, but Shine drinks his black.
He fills his plate and digs in.
I do the same.
“Thanks for cooking, sweetness. It’s good.”
I glance up to find his eyes on me. “You’re welcome. So, what did the news say?”
“It’s moving in the other direction.”
“Good. I’m sure we’ll be fine,” I reiterate.
Shine just nods, and we eat quietly.
He takes a bite of bacon and stares at the crisp strip in his hand. “Bacon… the most beautiful thing on earth.”
“It is pretty damn good, isn’t it?” I agree.
He points at me with the strip. “You want to know how good bacon is? To improve other foods, they wrap it in bacon.”
I giggle and keep the ball rolling. “Bacon bits are like the fairy dust of food. Not interested in this potato? Bibbidy bobbidy bacon, now it’s your favorite part of the meal.”
Shine’s laughter lights up his face. “Said the bacon fairy.”
“She’d be the best fairy of them all.”
Shine’s phone vibrates, and he digs in his pocket for it, looks at the screen, then stands. “Gotta take this.” He grabs another strip of bacon off his plate and heads to the door, stepping outside for privacy. I can see him through the window as he walks away from the cabin toward the shoreline, munching away.
The sun is now sparkling on the water like a million crystals, and all I can see is his dark silhouette against the blinding reflection of it.
He pauses as if something he just heard shocks him. A moment later, he seems pissed, his body stiffening. Even through the glass, his words carry to me.
“Are you fucking kidding me? And you’re just calling now?”
He paces and lowers his voice, glancing toward the cabin.
Now my curiosity is piqued, so I move to the window, staying in the shadow behind the curtain, and strain to hear more.
