“Me and you and Jared getting burgers.”
Nate laughed. “But there’s only one burger. I don’t remember sharing one burger.”
“Dad.” Luka frowned. “Stop being mean.”
“Sorry. It’s lovely.” He glanced at the apology that preceded the drawing, the word sorry taking up a good chunk of the page in bold capital letters. “Thank you.”
They sat together, talking about nonsense, about what Luka had been doing at school, until he had finished his drink.
“Done,” Luka said and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Go brush your teeth and get into bed. I’ll come through in a minute.”
Luka grabbed his journal and yawned. “Okay.”
Nate rinsed out Luka’s mug and put it on the side. He’d deal with it thoroughly with the breakfast dishes. He stopped by the sink and stared at his reflection in the window. He closed his eyes. His head felt heavy. Why was he exhausted? It was as if he was crashing after pulling an all-nighter at the bar. He rubbed his eyes. He’d intended to look over the business accounts once Luka was in bed, but the way he was feeling, he might just grab a shower and head to his own.
“Dad.”
“Coming.” Nate wiped his face, then made his way to Luka’s room. The plaque on his door was still the original one Rhea had bought when Luka was born, a baby giraffe in a diaper sitting alongside Luka’s name, backed by trees and the sun, and a pair of birds sitting atop the L. “Did you prepare your books and things for school tomorrow?”
“Yep,” Luka said and jumped onto the bed.
“Have you set your alarm?”
“Yup,” Luka grinned.
Nate watched in amusement as Luka turned in a circle on his knees, threw one of his pillows to the floor as well as the collection of stuffed animals, then scooted beneath the comforter. “Are you in?”
After some wriggling, Luka pulled the bedding up to his chin and lay still. “I’m in.”
“You sure? Want to squirm about a bit more?”
“No. I’m done.”
Nate leaned over and pressed a kiss to Luka’s forehead. “Love you.”
“Dad?” Luka said when Nate stood. “Love you, too.”
Nate smiled. “I know.” He walked to the door, flicking the light switch as he passed. “See you in the morning.”
“Night,” Luka said, rolling over to face the wall.
Nate pulled the door to, leaving a crack of light to shine into the room. He gazed at his son for a moment, then went back to the kitchen. It was getting late to be knocking on Lee’s door, so instead he laid the letter Luka had written on the table and picked up his phone. He twisted the note until his shadow wasn’t covering it and snapped a picture. He opened the messaging app and sent the image to Lee, who replied quickly with a smiling emoji and another apology of her own.
It’s fine. Not your fault. I’ve told him no going to play with friends for a while. He shouldn’t ask, but if he does tell him no. Thanks for everything, he replied.
The letters for Gregg and Jared he folded and tucked inside his jacket pocket. There was no way he could promise Luka he’d deliver the one to Jared, but he figured the chance of seeing him wasn’t zero. Maybe he would visit the bar at some point. He glanced down at his hand as guilt prickled his skin, and he found he was already twisting the silver band on his ring finger, a habit he’d acquired, a way to ground himself in the quiet moments when it was only him and his thoughts.
He ran his hand through his hair and considered what had happened with Luka. Maybe he should cut back on a shift or two for a while. Spend some extra time with him. He picked up his cellphone and scrolled through his contacts before making a call.
“Hey, Don,” Nate said and pushed closed the kitchen door so not to disturb Luka.
“Oh, Nate, it’s you. And what do you mean Don?”
Nate sat at the table. “Sorry, Pops.” He leaned back in his seat. His father-in-law was known by Pops by just about everyone, his nickname since way back when he ran a bar with one of his friends who was an ex-cop.
“So, what’s up? Is it money? You need money? Luka need something?”
“Not money.”
“You sure? I’ve told you before, you need only ask.”
“Thanks, but that’s not it.” He chewed on his thumbnail. “You know how you and Kay dropped not so subtle hints about you getting under her feet and you missing your bar since you retired?”
Pops cleared his throat. “Oh, you caught that. Look, I don’t want to tread on toes. That bar is yours and Rhea’s. Was. Still is. It was just an old man reminiscing the good old days.”
“No. That’s not… You wouldn’t be… treading on toes. Um, it wouldn’t be much. A couple of hours here and there.”
“Are you being serious?”
“Yeah. But if I got it wrong…”
“No. No. I’d love to.”
“Great. I’ll check things out and get in touch soon.”
“I appreciate it.” Pops paused, then asked, “But you’re okay? You and Luka?”
Nate looked at the ceiling. “We are. Sorry if I sound tired or anything. Long day.”
“You do, a little. Anyway, I’ll let you rest and talk soon.”
Nate sat forward. “Sure. Goodnight. Bye.” He hung up, rested his head in his hand as he eyed the family photographs beside the refrigerator.
Rhea, I’m so tired.
Chapter Five
As soon as Jared stepped inside Rhea’s Bar he went into default setting and began to catalogue the clientele. There were a few tables along the wall, cozy spaces with soft lighting and a brighter space near the bar with stools, and light reflecting from hundreds of bottles on glass shelves. He couldn’t see Nate but took a stool and waited his turn to talk to the gray-haired barman serving a woman who was chatting about the weather, and the promise of late snow, and how her
