on his shoulder, giving it a gentle rub.
“You can trust me, you know? I’m your aunt Sly. I might not look like the goddess of all wisdom, but I know a lot more than you’d expect—”
“Mom said all men are assholes. But… I’m a man. Does that make me an asshole too?”
My jaw drops, and I’m totally stumped. “Ollie… No…”
I want to pull the car over and give him a hug. How can this little guy possibly understand how his mother’s feeling? We’ve worked so hard to keep all that ugliness from him, but is that even possible? I continue rubbing his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
“Sometimes people say things when they’re upset, and they’re really just exaggerating. Like that time you said you hated Chuck E. Cheese because it was closed when we wanted to go? It’s like that. You don’t hate Chuck E. Cheese, and your mom doesn’t think all men are assholes. She’d never think that of you.”
“It’s because my dad’s a bad man. He hurts my mom, and he wants to hurt me.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I look out the window. Why haven’t I discussed how to handle this with Courtney? I have no idea what she’s told him about the situation or what I should say about it. Lord, here I go…
“Your dad is having some problems. We hope one day he can get some help for those problems, but for now, it’s better if you’re not around him.”
“He’s still my dad. Jesse said he’s going to grow up and be just like his dad.” His voice trails off, and he studies the frog in his lap like he might cry.
Heat clouds my eyes, and I grip his shoulder. “Look at me, Oliver. You can choose what kind of man you’ll be. Understand? Some people don’t even have a dad…” Pressing my lips together, I try to think. “You could be like your mom. She’s smart and strong and loving. What if you grow up to be like her?”
He blinks quickly, and I hope I’m saying the right thing.
Our eyes meet, and he seems relieved. He also seems determined.
His little jaw sets, and he nods. “I’ll be a better man.”
* * *
“He just canceled on you?” Courtney is at the table playing Uno with Ollie as I wrestle my massage table through the door.
“He said some work thing came up, and he’d have to reschedule.” My chest is heavy, and I don’t say out loud how much I needed that paycheck.
Now I’m really broke, and I promised Court I’d help put a deposit on a new place.
“Sorry I didn’t get the pizza. We could still watch Unsolved Mysteries if you want? Or a nature show… I’ll make mac and cheese!”
Oliver goes out with a Wild Draw 4 card, and Courtney hops up with a smile. “Nope—we’re getting sushi!”
“Sushi!” Ollie jumps out of the chair and does a little sumo dance. “Sushi! Sushi! Sushi!”
“Are you sure?” My forehead crinkles. “I’m going to be short now that Mystery Client canceled.”
“I have a coupon for Sakitumi—dinner’s on me!”
“Grab the keys. I’ll order while you drive.”
We pile into my ancient Dodge mini-van and head for Sakitumi. “Best sushi in the Soda City,” I cry, and Ollie cheers from the back seat.
We’re heading down I-20, and my feet are propped on the passenger’s side dash as I enter Court’s credit card info. “Do you think I should get credit cards up front and threaten to charge a cancellation fee if they don’t give 24 hours’ notice?”
“Nope. I think you should come and work with me at Palmetto and not worry about it!”
My eyebrows shoot up. “I got the job?”
“You got an interview, but of course they’re going to hire you. He’ll take one look at your résumé and give you the job. It doesn’t hurt that you’re super friendly and likable.”
“Tell me more…” I put my hand on my chest, fluttering my eyelids.
Courtney is turning the dial on the radio. “This old thing doesn’t even have Bluetooth,” she complains.
“Don’t hate on Betsy. She gets me where I need to go with my massage chair intact.”
“Good ole Betsy!” Oliver calls from the back. “This is Betsy, Chartreuse!”
“Ollie! You did not bring that frog!” I wail. “Do not—”
“I know, do not let her go in my van.” He imitates my voice pretty well, I have to hand it to him.
His mother finally lands on a classic rock station playing Shania Twain, and we start belting out all the words