Page 43 of When the Storm Breaks
“Mmhmm.” He tilted his cone to lick it. Sure enough, the top scoop fell off and splattered on the blacktop at his feet. “Oh no.” He face-palmed himself and groaned. “Not again.” He looked up at Brody who shook his head and sighed.
“Now I remember why we don’t get double scoops.”
“It was my prize for the gold star at school,” he reminded Brody. “Doesn’t matter. I still have this one. Besides, I like the bubblegum one best. At the end, I get to chew the gum too.”
“It’s always good to look for the silver lining.” I shared a laugh with Brody.
“Let’s get you home.” Brody put his hands on Noah’s shoulders and steered him away from the truck. “See you around, Viv.”
“See you Brody. Bye Noah.”
“Bye. Wait, do you wanna ride horses with us?” Noah yelled back at me.
“I’m sure your daddy wants to spend time alone with you.”
“Okay.”
“But thanks for the offer.” He was already gone so he didn’t hear me.
I watched them drive away in Brody’s big black truck then slunk down in my seat, feeling like an idiot. Five minutes later, I was still sitting there, thinking I should leave when a text came through from Brody.
If you want to ride with us, you’re welcome to.
The corners of my lips lifted into a smile, and those stupid butterflies invaded my stomach. How ridiculous that a text from Brody made me feel this happy. Like, maybe he actuallywantedto spend time with me.
You sure I won’t be in your way?
I stared at my phone and two seconds later another text came through.
Meet us at the barn in half an hour.
Instead of waiting for Hayley to come out of her gymnastics class, I drove home. I had five weeks left in Cypress Springs and was coming to accept that maybe it would be better if I left her alone. I had seen as much as I needed to. She was a happy little girl and had obviously been adopted by a loving family who made her a priority. There must be a database for adopted kids where I could leave confidential information. That way it would be up to her. If she ever wanted to track down her birth mom, she could.
But even as I thought it, my blood ran cold. If she ever decided to look me up, how could I possibly explain what I’d done? I couldn’t. Not even to myself. I was worse than my father. Maybe that was why I’d given him money when Landry refused.Guilt.
Rhett Holloway used the money to buy a bar in Nashville and named it after himself. Every night there was live music and singer/songwriter sessions. He performed on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. Or at least that was what it said on the bar’s website. As far as I knew, he hadn’t released any new music and I hadn’t heard from him since he opened the bar a few years ago. He’d sent me an invitation to the opening, but we were on tour. I emailed to let him know and that had been the end of it.
Did I forgive him for abandoning us? After Maw Maw died, Landry called him, asking for help. The house was falling down around us, and Maw Maw had exactly $177.56 in her bank account. Not even enough to cover the cost of a funeral. She’d never made a lot of money but whatever she’d made had gone into raising us. Rhett said he was sorry, but he was living in a one-bedroom apartment and money was tight. In other words, he didn’t lift a finger to help us. So no, I couldn’t forgive him.
I didn’t know why I was thinking about this now as I walked over to the barn to meet Brody and Noah. I guess when you saw a good father in action, it made you realize all the more how shitty your own had been.
Brody was lifting Noah onto the saddle of the tan horse with a black mane. It was the first horse I’d led out of the pasture the other day and Brody had told me she was gentle, but still. That horse was big, and Noah looked so small sitting on its back.
“Wow. That’s a big horse for a little guy.”
Noah scoffed, taking offense to that. “I’m not little. I’m six.” He made a muscle. “You see that? I’ve got big muscles.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. His arms were small and thin with no sign of a muscle, but I nodded seriously. “I can see that. Almost as big as your dad’s.”
He nodded, appeased by my words, and gathered up the reins. Not the least bit daunted that the horse underneath him was tossing its head, he leaned over the horse’s neck and swatted away a fly then leaned back in the saddle, all chilled out and relaxed like he belonged up there on that big old horse.
“Can I go now?” he asked Brody.
“Hold on to your horses.”
Noah cracked up over that one. He was laughing so hard I moved to his side, ready to catch him if he fell off the horse. “Get it? Hold your horses.” He cracked up all over again and kept repeating it, trying to mimic Brody’s deep voice, which had me laughing along with him.
“Ready, Viv?”
