Page 47 of The Moment They Can Never Forgive
“Can we just go with ‘It’s complicated’ and you don’t ask me any more questions, Uncle Asher?”
“All right, but if you need me, I’m here for you.”
“I know.”
As he walked out, his phone rang again. Looking at the caller ID, he saw Brody’s name. Dan answered with “What?”
“Rollaway. Now,” Brody said.
“I thought movie night was on at the McAllisters’?”
“We got a pass, so it’s a brothers meetup, but don’t tell Zoe.”
“Maybe I’m busy,” Dan said because he felt the need to be awkward.
“That hurts, little bro. See you in ten.” Brody cut the call.
Dan left the station and got in his pickup. He then drove to the Rollaway, which was a two-minute drive. After parking, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his numbers, hoping hers was still the same. He messaged,Are you ok Leah?
Just one word came back.Yes.
He stared at the screen for a few seconds but added nothing. She’d be at the movie night by now.
A thud on his window had him jumping in his seat. Sawyer had his face pressed to the glass, his lips doing a kissy face. Dan mimed vomiting. When his brother had peeled himself off his window, Dan got out.
“You can clean that.”
“Just showing you I care, little bro.”
“It’s disarming when you say shit like that,” Ryder said from behind him.
“What he said,” Dan agreed, heading into the Rollaway with Brody.
The bar had pool tables and a big-screen TV. The interior was loud and bright most days, unless Dee, one of the owners, was going with mood lighting—then you couldn’t see a hand in front of your face.
One wall was painted emerald and another cherry. The roof was full of lights strung from one side to the other that kept Phil, the electrician, in a job. Another wall had socks. Other towns had things like beer coasters, or photos of celebrities, even bras, but not Lyntacky. They had socks after someone back in time had left one pinned to the wall after finding it in the bathroom. The wall’s fate was sealed from then on.
“Well now, all four of you are here, which tells me a couple of things,” Dee said from behind the bar.
Delores Heckler had come out of the womb flirting and dressed like a hooker, Dan was sure of it. In school, she’d been the girl most likely to get some kind of STD. But what she’d actually got was a man who loved her, a nice house here in Lyntacky, and kids. In fact, the Hecklers were the poster couple for Happily Married. A little odd and outrageous, plus a few other words Dan couldn’t think up right then, but good folk.
“What things?” Sawyer asked.
“That you need some boy time, or one of you has woman issues.”
“A bit of both,” Ryder said. “Beers, please, Dee.”
She wore a white button-down Rollaway shirt with a red lace bra showing where the top buttons were undone.
“Boys.”
Her husband was Red. Big, buff, and one of the best men besides his own family members that Dan knew. He’d do anything for anyone and usually did.
“Evening, Red,” Ryder said.
“Where’s that girl of yours? She told me I was going to be her chocolate taster,” Red said.
“She’s watching a movie with your kids,” Ryder said.
