Page 97 of Lies and Lullabies
I dropped my handbag onto the little entryway table, trying to get a sense of the vibe in the room. The two men looked oddly comfortable, and I didn’t know what to make of it. “Dad. You never come to Boston. I thought you hated it here.”
My father’s expression sagged. “I know I complain about Boston. But today I thought you and Adam might need me.”
Jonas had remained silent during this little exchange. I risked a glance at him, and he gave me a wink.
“I’m sorry if I didn’t keep you in the loop,” I said to my father. “But I didn’t know if Adam told you about his surgery or not. If he was keeping a lid on it, I didn’t want to blab.”
My father set his beer down and faced me. “He emailed me last night to tell me what was going on. He said everything was probably going to go smoothly, but I should call you tonight to check in. Just in case.”
“But you drove down,” I whispered.
My father smiled. “I did.”
“And… I see you’ve met Jonas.”
My father leaned back in his chair and returned his eyes to the baseball game. “Yes, I have. So I guess now would be a good time to ask whether you and your brother have anymorenews to share with me?”
I swallowed hard. “I guess you’re all caught up now.”
My father snorted.
“I’m going to peek at Vivi,” I said, needing a moment to myself. “Did she go to sleep willingly?”
“Of course,” my father said, which made Jonas chuckle. “Okay,willinglyisn’t the right word. But she went, eventually. Many storybooks were read.” My father glanced toward Jonas. “By both of us.”
Well. If one person could be counted on to act normally this week, it was Vivi. But this was the oddest moment in a month full of odd moments.
Kicking off my shoes, I tiptoed down the hall, nudging open the door to Vivi’s bedroom. Even before my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I saw that Vivi had gone to sleep with her body smushed against the wall. Most of her narrow bed was occupied by the horse, which lay on its side, its head on the pillow.
Slowly, I eased the horse off the mattress and set it on its plush hooves beside the bed. I pulled the covers up to Vivi’s shoulders and then watched my daughter take several slow, sleepy breaths.
From his new spot in front of the bedside table, the plush horse looked like a sentry, guarding Vivi.
All was well, then. Surprisingly well.
In the living room, I could hear my father grousing about some minor Red Sox error. ToJonas. As if they’d been watching baseball games together for years.
I can’t wait to tell Adam about this, I thought. And I was socked by a new little gust of concern for him. He was all alone in the hospital, disoriented and still in pain. Biting my lip, I walked back into the living room.
Jonas patted the sofa cushion beside him. “Have a seat?”
Feeling antsy, I walked over and perched on the edge of the couch beside him. “She had the horse in bed with her.”
“That was part of our negotiation,” Jonas said.
I couldn’t help but smile. “I wish I could have seen her face when you showed up with that thing.”
“Yeah. I’m in good and solid now.” He crossed his feet on the coffee table, looking pleased with himself.
“I’ll say,” my father agreed. “And for God’s sake, don’t do anything to imply that the horse isn’t real. She doesn’t like that.”
“Don’t snub the horse,” Jonas added, and then both men laughed.
Theylaughed. Together. How was that even possible?
“What is she going to name it?” I asked.
And now the two men cracked up. My father even dragged his eyes off the Sox to look over at Jonas and smile. “Youtell her.”
