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“Actually, I figured I’d leave Nicky with you”
His smile dropped “Isn’t Lavinia around?”
“She’s around If you need help, you could give her a call But I figured you boys could hang out Pee outside, has, do what men do”
Jah his hair “Okay But I…I don’t have a lot of experience with kids”
“Well, feed him once in a while, and if he asks if he can drive your truck, the answer is no”
“Parker, I’m not sure if I’m, um, qualified”
“You are,” she said softly “James He’s the person I love most in the world I wouldn’t leave him with just anyone” He didn’t look convinced “Besides,” she added, “it’d be good for him to spend some time with you”
He hesitated, then nodded “Okay Thank you”
“Thank et back If you still have the capacity for speech, that is” She turned to the yard “Hey, Nicky! Ja to stay with you today while I run a few errands, okay?”
Nicky bolted up froun? Can we? Huh? Please, James? Please? Yes? Is it yes? We can do it now, if you want Do you want to? Let’s go”
Parker’s ht as she drove the Volvo southwest Where the talk of babies had coht, she had no idea Oh, please It was totally Freudian, Spike said Your subconscious wanted to have the baby talk, and bang The baby talk occurs
“I love babies,” Parker said aloud
No h, it was nice to think about the future Their future I’m in, he’d said Parker could see where he’d be hesitant and unsure But she’d seen his face as he lifted her sleeping child from the car She’d also seen what it took for hiht not have any idea how big his heart was, but she did
She caught a gli
So this was love Funny how it had crept up on her, this feeling Sure, Thing One had always been attractive, and yes, they’d had that shag three years ago But it was odd; she almost couldn’t remember hiht of hihened hands and kind eyes Now, she was thinking of him as…well, hers
Yep Hers Nice word Aware that she was now not only s, Parker pulled off the highway She had tiift Maybe Hopefully
NEW HAMPSHIRE NORTH SIDE Correctional Facility looked like a big box store Thecustodiansroom was a cafeteria-like space, the tables and chairs bolted to the floor
When Harry canize hiray hair now thinner and a bit scraggly He’d lost a little weight, too, and his face was slack “Dad,” she said, standing up The word surprised her
“Parker How are you?” They looked at each other for a second, not sure what to do next
“No touching,” the guard said, relieving them both of the aardness of expectations They sat There were several other families in the rooa toward each other so that only an inch or two separated them
“So this isn’t too bad, is it?” Parker asked
“It’s not the Drake,” Harry said
“No” She pulled the envelope froht you some pictures”
Harry’s face softened as he looked They were of Nicky; she’d stopped at a CVS on the long drive in and had the,” Harry murmured
“Yeah” She tried to remember the last time Harry had seen her son and couldn’t Easter, maybe “He says he has a loose tooth”
“Is that right?”
“I can’t tell, but he says so”
Her father s at the photos “He looks like you”
Parker snorted “No, he looks like Ethan Almost exactly”
“No Very lanced at her, suddenly wary, as if he’d crossed a line “Well A good-looking boy, that’s for sure” He put the photos back and passed the me”
She slid the packet back toward him “They’re for you, Harry”
“Oh Well Thank you even ertips on it “Have you told him I’m in jail?”
Parker gave a half nod “I told hirown-ups”
“Maybe I could talk to him sometime”
“Sure That would be nice Ureedy and breaking some rules”
“True enough,” Harry said, studying the table An aard silence fell
Okay So they’d covered Nicky, and it was reassuring that Harry had wanted to talk to hirandfather in the world, God knew, but he wasn’t the worst, either Maybe his tiure out some priorities
On to the next topic Parker racked her brain for so neutral to talk about “So what do you do in here to pass the time?”
Harry shrugged “I read There’s a gys”
“What kind of s?”
“Alcoholics Anonymous”
Wow Okay, yes, she knew her father could put away the wine and scotch Once, when Nicky was a baby, James had driven Harry to Grayhurst and put hi to soothe her colicky child to really take note Figured it was a case of overindulgence, not really alcoholis?”
“No, Parker, it was AA or cribbage, and you kno I hate card games” He lifted an eyebrow “My name is Harry, and I’m an alcoholic Didn’t really realize it till I had the DTs in here, but yes, I have a proble her mind
“So how long have you—”