Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
I deposit my backpack on the hook by the back door and remove my boots. “She sped home. I didn’t have the chance yet. And I wasn’t going to have the conversation at Maren’s house.”
“Now that you’re done working over there and she’s doing better, it might be a good idea to put some distance between Lola and Maren. She’s way too attached and comfortable.”
“Distance?” I chuckle, stealing a cherry tomato from the big salad bowl and popping it into my mouth. “I’m thinking just the opposite.”
“What’s the opposite?” Tia asks, pointing to the knife in the sink. Amos rinses it off and hands it to her.
“I think Lola and I are going to move in with Maren.”
Amos coughs and exits the kitchen with his tail between his legs while Tia slowly sets the knife on the counter and lifts her gaze from the cutting board. “This again? It’s a huge mistake.”
I nod several times. “Maybe. But you’ve been itching for me to push Lola to move forward and face her fears. I think this change could be a step in the right direction.”
“A change? Shacking up with your girlfriend is a good change? Is she going to quit her job and be there for Lola like we are?”
“Well, it’s summer. She’s still recovering from the accident and therefore not flying until next spring, so yeah, she can be there for Lola when I’m working.”
“And next spring? Then what? Is she retiring?”
“No. We’ll figure that out when we get there,” I say with pride because I no longer want to live in fear of the “what if” moments. That’s not living at all.
Tia shakes her head. “Let me be very clear, Ozzy. We’re not buying this house to be your safety net. If you do this, we are moving to Florida. And if it doesn’t work out between the two of you or if next spring you’re in a bind, it’s on you. We’re not swooping in to save you again. So if I were you, I’d think long and hard before making this your final decision.”
“I feel bad for Lola that you make so much of this about me. All the conditions you put on our situation or arrangement that’s supposed to be about her. But every single time, you make it about me. My lesson to learn. My punishment for an accident I didn’t cause. I’ve never tried to be ungrateful. And the times that I’ve felt guilty for letting you help us, I’ve always tried to look at it like this is where you want to be—in Missoula with your only granddaughter. Is none of it for you? For Lola? Is it really all about me? A favor to me? A way to control me?”
“You knew, and you did nothing.” She seethes, eyes reddening.
I narrow my eyes.
“You knew your father had a problem. Your poor mother is legally blind. You have a child you let see him at his worst. It wasn’t an isolated incident. He habitually got drunk. He was an alcoholic, and you knew it. Yet you did nothing. Had you not been such a coward and so complacent, and if you’d have gotten him the help he needed, then he wouldn’t have called Brynn. And she wouldn’t have loaded Lola into the car to get his drunk ass that night. She would be here. Alive. And Lola wouldn’t have those scars on her face. And she wouldn’t be afraid to get into a car. A. Car! Ozzy, do you get it? Do you get how messed up this is that your daughter won’t ride in a car? You’ve physically and emotionally disabled her. You’ve had the biggest hand in ruining her life. And you think screwing some other woman and playing house with her and her cat is going to fix it. Fix Lola? Are you delusional?”
“Jesus Christ, Tia!” I throw my water glass across the kitchen, and it shatters against the fridge.
She flinches.
“Brynn is dead, but I didn’t kill her. And no matter what you do to try and punish me, it won’t bring her back. If this is about misery loving company, then I don’t know what to tell you because my misery only makes Lola’s life worse. Maren isn’t some woman I want to ‘shack up with.’ I love her. And I’m sorry if that hurts you, but I’m not sorry for loving her. And I’m not sorry that Lola loves her too. And Maren is a good person who adores Lola beyond words. What is so fucking wrong with that?”
“Watch your mouth!”
Amos returns, holding up his hands. “Let’s take this down a notch.”
“You’re a miserable human being,” I say to Tia, narrowing my eyes.
Tia lunges for me as if she has a prayer at doing physical harm, but Amos holds her back.