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"For the fifth and hopefully last tiood Dandy Peachy keen Stop asking"
I snicker and slip the last dinner plate into the dishwasher I brought hi and I have to adood In fact, he probably could have come home yesterday, but out of an abundance of caution, Dr Furhht for soht while dad noshed on some low-sodium hospital chicken and I ate a questionable meatloaf from the cafeteria, atched the Cold Fury play their first hoame of the preseason on the flat-screen TV affixed to the wall I had offered to coame, but Bruce told me to stay with my dad I expect this is because they really don’t need me anyway, because this job was pretty much created just for my dad’s and my benefit But still, it’s fortuitous that I can have sorateful to avoid the opportunity to run into Haho has knottedbut up and down since we’ve crossed paths again We have a few days of polite existence, then we snap at each other We have phenoive cold shoulders We focus on the present but then get mired in the past
Up and down Up and down
It’s been two days since I sake in the workout room True to his word, he came and visited ot to the hospital When my dad told me I had just missed him when I walked in, I was equal parts happy and disut further, and didn’t lessen in the slightest as atched hiht He’s been a tremendous addition to this team, and you can tell he’s slotted in as sea fits in a custohtered the Florida Spartans 5–1 and Hawke got a shorthanded goal after poking away a poor pass atteed with adrenaline and joy over the play, even as s on Wednesday in the workout roootten Dad settled in his recliner thiswith the remote control in his hand for more than thirtyready to head out the door toand Dad answered it His voice was so damned buoyant and joyful when he said, "Hawke, my boy Great to hear fros in between, but my dad seems to have cast it all aside He’s accepted Hawke back into his life as if they’d never lost touch I’d like to do the same too, but that just hasn’t been achieved as of yet
I wonder if it ever will be
Whileht--I loitered around, eavesdropping My dad recognized this as he shot a glance over atslared at him, and then stomped out of the room
I close the dishwasher door, the reue arorab my cell phone from the kitchen table and head back to my bedroom to call Avery She and I text each other pretty much every day, but we do try to touch base by phone at least once a week
When the ho text A quick tap of er on the icon and I see it’s fro How’s Dave?
Dear, sweet Todd
We’ve talked by phone once since we parted ways, and he’s sent s off with him, he’s still kept in touch with me He said, "I’m still your friend, Vale"
And I suppose that’s true, but I can tell he’s harboring hope we’ll somehow make this work While I don’t have any romantic interest in him now that I’ve broken ties, I don’t hate him I don’t dislike him On the contrary, I still very much like and adht being friends with an ex is possible, it see a valiant atteain, I think he has an ulterior ive hiood Home from hospital and all settled in How are you?
I don’t wait for Todd to respond It’s still working hours for a dentist and he normally doesn’t leave his clinic until after six pm I’m sure he’s armpit deep in cavities at this moment
Instead, I dial Avery and she picks up on the third ring "Your da on my last nerve She’s just eaten the third pair of Thomas’s socks this week She’s a menace, I tell you"
"That’s all on you, sweetie," I tell her with a laugh "If you’d put the socks in the laundry basket when you took them off his little feet, Piper wouldn’t be inclined to eat theirl doing?" I ask, ht of Piper nearly fifteen hundred er a framed picture of me and Piper on the bedside table Her chocolate-brown face with a slightly pink nose, tongue lolling out the side of her face We both look so happy in this photo and it seeo A picture of me and Todd had been next to it, but I put that in the drawer the day after we broke up I couldn’t stand to look at his face, knowing that I hurt him