grin. He was loving this, I could tell. I couldn’t blame him.
“It’s set up for two days from now,” Leo said.
“How?” Bob asked.
“I have some connections at the Bureau,” Leo answered. “Some people who owe me favors.” He said it as if it were a simple thing, but I had been there when the plan was discussed. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Leo to call in whatever favors he was owed and to pull on those strings. I had a feeling it was a nuclear option, something that could only be done once, and that he wasn’t sure the outcome, no matter how good, would be worth the price.
“You know, the more I learn, the less I think I want to know,” Bob said. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Call Ryan. Set up a meeting with him for two days from now. Tell him you’re ready to sign,” Carson said. “Try to get him to send you contracts, proposals, anything concrete.”
Bob nodded. “I can do that.”
“We were wondering if we could watch it all play out at your house. You have that big television and we need more space,” I said.
“Sure,” Momo said. “Why not?” Her laugh was a little wild.
“I can do that.” Bob slapped his knees and pushed himself out of the chair. “Whelp, I think it’s time we were getting home. Jake, I need to talk to you for a second. Can you walk out to the car with us?”
“Sure,” he said.
Outside, we let Sammy and Momo get a little ahead of us. We’d parked in the building's underground lot, and it was cold and dark. The days were still beautiful, but at night you could feel winter waiting in the wings. Carson stopped walking, putting a hand on Bob to hold him back.
“Bob, there’s something I have to tell you,” he said.
My father stood there, patiently waiting. He hadn’t changed much over the years. Still tall and broad. A little softer in the middle, less hair, and more visible forehead. He was a good dad. Maybe not the easiest to talk to or the most emotionally available, but I knew he loved me and Sammy, and he definitely loved Aunt Maureen. I hoped he and Carson would be able to carve out some kind of relationship.
Carson seemed to be forcing himself to look Bob in the eye. “Years ago,” Carson said, “not long after you sent me away, I dropped out of school. And I stole the tuition money you had sent from the school. It was my first crime,” he said with a small smile.
Bob’s shoulders lifted with a silent laugh. “I know,” he said simply. “I knew years ago.”
“I paid it back,” Carson
“I know that, too,” he said.
“Huh.” Carson seemed to be at a loss for words. Not something I’d ever seen before. “So,” he said, drawing the word out. “You’re okay with,” he gestured vaguely with his hand, “all of this?”
“Not really. You’re going to have to give me some time to process. And there are going to be a lot more questions.” He looked uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot, not holding eye contact. “But, for the record, I’m glad you came back. It’ll make Maureen so happy. And if this,” he waved a hand between me and Carson, “is going to be a thing, I promise I’ll support you all the way. I guess it was meant to be.” He shook his head. “Did I ever tell you boys I dated Maureen and Bitty in high school? Separately!” he added at our shocked looks. “Different years. I think if Momo hadn’t run off with your deadbeat dad, I would never have been able to choose.”
“You think you know a person,” Carson said with a grin, breaking the tension a little bit.
Bob snorted. “Yeah, well, back at ya’. But I need to talk about the future, not the past.”
“Okay,” Carson said.
“There’s some paperwork I need to bring you up to speed on, get your signature while you’re in town. Wills, Power of Attorney, stuff like that. And since I doubt either one of you will be staying in La Crosse for long, we’ll all have to decide what we’re going to do with the rink. That is if you’re going to stay in touch this time?”
Carson looked shocked. He turned to me and I shrugged, not knowing what he was looking for. “I promise. But why do you need me for any of that?”