Page 63 of Hearts at Seaside
“He’s been texting you, and I think that tells you what he thinks of you more than his stupid work schedule,” Jenna offered, but she knew it wasn’t enough, not when Amy wore her love for Tony on her sleeve.
“I know, and it’s not his fault, but being stuck in the friend zone was a little easier when you were there with me.”
Jenna put her arm around Amy again. “I’ll always be there with you. That, you can count on. It sucks that you haven’t seen him, and I’m really sorry. I wish I could fix it for you.”
“You have your own life to figure out.” Amy sighed loudly, her brow wrinkled. “Besides, everyone says absence makes the heart grow fonder, so my fingers are crossed.” She crossed her fingers and held them up.
Jenna crossed her legs, toes, and fingers. “I’d cross my eyes, too, with the hope that absence really does make the heart grow fonder—especially since Pete and I will also be separated for a while. I’ll have to go back home for some period of time to work things out there.”
Amy crossed her eyes. “There. Now we’re both covered.”
PETE RAN HIS thumb over the rehabilitation and treatment counselor’s card for the millionth time in the past few weeks. He’d done it so often that the card stock was beginning to fray. Calling his brothers had been difficult, and listening to Grayson tell him it wasabout timehad touched a nerve, but he knew Grayson was right, and Grayson’s anger had also confirmed that talking to his father alone this time in an effort to get him to seek help was the right way to handle the situation. Even though his siblings weren’t dealing with the effects of their father’s drinking on a near-daily basis, like Pete was, it had taken a toll on all of them, and it had definitely driven a wedge between them, even if everyone but Grayson pussyfooted around the topic. If they were going to heal as a family, it had to begin with his father’s recovery.
Pete considered calling Sky, but he’d protected her this long, what was another couple of weeks? He’d tell her everything once their father was on the road to recovery.
His cell phone vibrated with a text from Jenna. He wondered how long he would have let his father’s drinking ride if they hadn’t finally come together. Like most uncomfortable thoughts, he shoved it away, thankful that Jenna hadn’t turned tail and run when she found out.
The book sale is crazy busy and I miss you tons. How are you holding up? Talk to your family? I found a few books on surviving recovery written for the families of alcoholics. Want me to pick them up?
He never realized how much he could love a person, but he lived and breathed for Jenna. She’d not only supported his decision to take a firm stance with his father, but she’d also offered to skip the book sale to be there with him.And now she is spending the time she should be focusing on customers finding books for me.It was time for him to deal with this head-on. Jenna deserved a life free from his father’s disease, and he would do everything he could to ensure that she had it. Heck, he deserved a normal life, too, and he wanted that life with Jenna.
He sent her a text.I miss you, too. Talked to everyone except Sky. Calling the counselor now. Thanks for finding the books, and sure, please get them. Can’t wait to see you.
Pete patted his thigh, and Joey bounded to his side. Together they walked out to the barn. Pete pulled open the doors, inhaling the pungent smell of old wood, varnish, and paint. The aroma that he’d hoped to associate with his father’s recovery now left him a little empty. He ran his hand along the bottom of the boat, calculating the time his father would be in the rehab center if he agreed to go. The rehab counselor had said to plan on three to five weeks of inpatient care, depending on his father’s progress. His father had been in complete denial when his brothers had staged a full-on intervention, and he could only hope that with enough love—and enough one-on-one pressure—this time would be different. He had to believe that somewhere in his father’s heart he wanted Pete to have a chance at a full life with Jenna, just as he’d had with Pete’s mother.
His cell phone vibrated again, and he withdrew it from his jeans pocket and read another text from Jenna.
I know this is hard. Your mom would be proud of you, and one day your dad will realize all you’ve done and he’ll be proud of you for it, too. Xox.
He had his doubts about his father being proud of this particular effort, but with Jenna’s encouragement, he held on to a shred of hope that one day they’d both look back and the past two years would be history. A glitch in an otherwise warm and loving family history.
Pete took another long look at the boat—I’m not giving up on you, Pop—pulled the barn doors closed, and headed down the sandy path to the rocks overlooking the bay. He and Joey sat side by side on a large rock as he called the emergency number for the counselor and left a message. As the minutes ticked by, Pete’s anxiety mounted. He felt like a traitor, turning to the counselor behind his father’s back. Someplace deep inside, he knew he wasn’t a traitor. He was probably saving his father’s life, and he was definitely saving his own, but that knowledge didn’t quell the tightening in his gut.
Joey laid her chin on Pete’s lap and he stroked her fur. Since day one, Joey had trusted he’d feed her, care for her, and keep her safe from harm. She trusted him like he used to trust his father. Jenna’s words whispered through his mind.I think for some of us—me with my mom, and you with your dad—we have to learn to be just as selfless as our parents were. Maybe now it’s our turn to rescue them.
He turned her words over in his mind, and his perspective began to change. He rose to his feet as he pushed the guilt aside with a sense of finality, and by the time the counselor called back, Pete was bound and determined to get this done, but first he had one more phone call to make. Being worthy of someone’s trust meant more than protecting them from the life’s brutal realities. He dialed Sky’s number.
“Hey, big brother. What’s up?” Sky’s smile came through in her voice.
“Hi, sis. Do you have a sec, or are you busy?”
“You sound so serious. Is everything okay?”
Not even a little.“I always sound serious, don’t I?” He tried to laugh it off, and knew he failed when she remained silent. “Are you someplace you can talk or are you out?”
“Actually, I just pulled up behind Dad’s store. I know I told you that I’d wait to come out, but my hours got canceled at the co-op this weekend, so I figured, why not go see Dad? Besides, it’s Mom’s birthday. I thought he’d be lonely.”
Shoot.How could he have forgotten? So much for Pete’s plan of heading over to the store after talking to Sky and getting this thing over with.
“Really? You’re in town? Great.”Damn. He eyed Joey. “Come to my place. I have a new puppy who’s dying to meet you, and I’d love to catch up.”
“Okay, let me stop in and see Dad. Half an hour sound good? I just want to say hi to him and then I’ll come over.”
“Perfect.” Pete never thought he’d count himself lucky that his father was a functioning alcoholic during the day, but knowing that Sky wouldn’t see anything different from what she’d seen during any other visit drove the thought home.
Sky showed up thirty minutes later and ran across the grass toward Pete and Joey. She was wearing a long patchwork skirt, a tank top, and an enthusiastic smile as wide as Julia Roberts’s. She dropped to her knees and smothered Joey with kisses. Joey pawed at Sky’s hair and licked her cheeks.
“Pete! She’s so cute! I love her.”
