“Thanks for the support. I knew I could rely on you to have my six.” He finished his beer and put the bottle on the corner of Christian’s desk.
“I always have your back. Part of the brotherhood code is telling the truth and you sulk.” Christian put his feet down and sat up. “Anything I need to know about the job? Materials you need or anything like that?”
“No. Everything’s on track for now but it’s early. We’ve got the scaffolding up, taken the trim off the ceiling, which took longer than I thought. That stuff is so fragile and will be hard to replace so we’re taking our time so we can use it again. Getting any of it reproduced will be a nightmare. Got a few ceiling boards off before we finished up today.” Ethan stood up, raised his hands above his head, and stretched. “Going to head home. I could do with a hot shower, a large steak, and an early night.” He waved a hand and walked out the door.
His cell rang as he pulled up in front of his house. Ethan dug around in his console, grabbed it before the call ended, and looked at the screen before he answered. “Hi, Dad.”
“You and I need to talk.” His father’s brusque voice filled the cab. “Your mother came bouncing in spouting off about that girl coming home with a kid in tow. Claims you had something to do with that.”
“Mari, her name’s Mari.” He should have expected this. His father’s bitterness toward her would never go away, it seemed. “She actually came back on her own accord. Being a grown woman, she’s allowed to choose where she lives. And before you go giving me a lecture, Noah is mine and, yes, I know he is.”
“Don’t go getting smart with me, young man. You know what I mean. Your mother said you informed her that the girl had come back. Did you really think that was necessary? Go upsetting things all over again. She’d just calmed down after your brother’s death.”
Just! That was two years ago. Why did his father hang onto things and blow them all out of proportion where that day was concerned? Ethan counted to ten and then spoke, doing his best to keep his voice even and calm. Nothing good ever came out of an argument with his dad when it came to the last days Mari lived with them. “Dad, a lot of water’s passed under the bridge. Mari’s a responsible business owner and my brother’s widow to say nothing of the fact that she’s your only grandchild’s mother. She’s entitled to live where she chooses just as Mom’s entitled to see her. She is your daughter-in-law.”
“Didn’t I make myself clear at the time? Look how she lied to us, trashed the house.”
“I think this conversation is done.”
“It’s done when I say it is. That girl had you wrapped around her little finger. And look how that turned out. You got burned. She has a baby and now claims it’s yours. I hope you’re going to be clever enough to check into that, Ethan.”
“Are you serious? Of course I believe her. She has no reason to lie to me.”
“If you’re sure then. I’m only trying to look out for what’s mine. Don’t want to see you hurt anymore, Son.” A tremor of remorse threaded through the older man’s voice. “Love can make you blind, you know?”
“Dad, you need to let go of your bitterness toward Mari’s mother. It can’t be doing Mom much good to hear you go on about it. Hell, it happened when you were in college. Let it go.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Her mother was nothing more than someone I used to know at school. Our friendship only became something big in her eyes when she wanted something from me. That’s what happens when you try to help people.”
“Okay, enough. Mari never trashed the house or stole anything from you. I made a mistake siding with you at the time because I was pissed at her and I regret it. I was young and stupid, hurting from a fight we’d had and I’m going to make it up to her now. You’re the only one who really believed that she could do something like that. She was just a poor kid with a drug-addicted mother who, I’ll admit, was suspect and always ready to take advantage of a situation.” He paused for a quick breath. “We all know she stole from you, I get that. But you have to stop trying to lay the blame at Mari’s feet. She’s a lovely person, not a bit like her mother. She takes after her father to be honest. She’s a great mom and now a business owner in town. If you don’t move on, you’re the one who’s going to lose out. Not me or Mom because we never believed it about her in the first place. You let your bitterness take over and look where it’s got you.” Ethan had worked up a sweat, his anger building with each word. “You lost your eldest son as well as Mari. Worked out well, didn’t it?”
“Least I don’t have anyone taking advantage of me.” His voice dropped, the bite going out of it. “Not like you and your mother.”
How many times was Ethan going to hear the same thing? “Helping someone who needs us isn’t being taken advantage of. There are a lot of people out there who only need a helping hand now and then. They do the best they can but, with the odds stacked against them, it’s not always easy. You should try it sometime, Dad. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel making one person smile.”
“I don’t know, Son. I just don’t know anymore.” He hung up and Ethan sat in the truck, despairing of his father ever getting a humane bone in his body. How was he going to change
