Page 28 of Broken Play
Dad is still in his suit, and Heath wears a black concert T-shirt, faded jeans, and sandals. "What's for dinner?" I ask. Dad asked me to have dinner with the family, and now I wish I had made an excuse.
"I'm so glad you're here," Dad says as he opens his arms for a hug.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Heath roll his eyes. They're cloudy and darker than I've ever seen them.
"This isn't fair." Heath stalks out of the room, his shoulders slumped, mumbling to himself. "How can you be his favorite when you barely know him? You've never lived with him."
Instead of mounting a protest, I stay quiet. He's right. I haven't lived with him since I was seven, so when I saw him, it was like Christmas. He would shower me with gifts, but he also made memories with me—taking me to theme parks, state fairs, and the beach, and taking me sightseeing.
Dad was rarely there to console me after a loss or to talk to me about boys. And when I started dating Bodhi, he thought I had met my person. He was all-in on Bodhi Creed, always talking about how beautiful and athletic our children would be. Part of me stayed with Bodhi because I didn't want to disappoint my dad.
"You're being hard on Heath. I think you should let him do something with the Armadillos. He's clean, and if anyone should give him a second chance, it's his dad," I say as I sink into the couch.
Dad loosens his tie and kicks back in his recliner. "He's had so many chances." He grabs the controller. "He's been in rehab five times and never made it a full yearclean."
"He made it eleven months last time. He's going to stay clean this time," Tammy says as she comes in and kisses him on the forehead.
"We gave him everything, and he is still expecting us to clean up his mess and just give him whatever he wants. I'm not giving in this time."
"Dad, I'm the boss, right?"
He nods as he takes a drink of his sweet tea.
"Well, I'm going to ask him to work with me. I've always wanted siblings, and it's time Heath and I got to know each other."
He shakes his head. "Doing what?"
Tammy chimes in, "Oh, Sutton, that's a wonderful idea."
"When he was fifteen or so, he was good with computers, right?"
"He was. Sutton, you run the company as you see fit, but proceed with caution," my dad warns.
"I'll talk to him and see how he thinks he could best serve the organization."
When dinner is ready, Tammy calls for Heath. He takes tentative steps down the stairs with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his shoulders hunched, as if he doesn't want to face any of us. I wait for him at the bottom of the landing with an encouraging smile that I hope doesn't appear as forced as it feels.
"Heath," I say, catching his hand before he can slip past me, "I wanted to ask you something."
He pauses, uncertainty in his gaze. Then he strides toward the kitchen in his bare feet.
"I made fried chicken. It's Heath's favorite." Tammy beams.
Fried chicken? I'm not sure I've ever had homemade fried chicken. Fast food, yes.
We sit at the table, the previous argument not forgotten, but I sink my teeth into the chicken. The skin is crispy and not thick like at fast-food restaurants. "Oh my God, this is delicious. Greyson made some cornbread one night, and it would go with this perfectly. The skin is so freaking crispy."
"You eat dinner with the star players?" Heath asks, his voice laced with suspicion.
I don't want to say we were alone, so I say, "Greyson and J.D. have had dinner with me a few times while they've been bringing me up to speed on terminology, personnel, etc."
Judging by the look on Heath's face, he has more to say but keeps it inside. I know I shouldn't have kissed Greyson, but when I'm around him, every cell in my body lights up. But I press on gently and get back to my proposal. "I was thinking it would be great for us to work together. I know you used to be a computer whiz. Would you consider working in the computer division or coming up with some ways to digitally engage fans?" I keep my tone light, offering him a choice.
Heath blinks, silent questions littering his eyes. For a second, I see a flicker of excitement, but then he says, "You mean you want me to workforyou."
"With me. Technically, I'm in charge, but this is a chance to be like a real brother and sister. Bounce ideas off each other. My weakness is marketing and social media. I'm a numbers person. I love to break down stats and do research. The way I see it, we could be the perfect duo."
He drops his fork and sits back in his chair. He has consumed his entire plate of food. "I'll think about it," he states with a crooked grin.
