Preston’s side.
Hopefully, Preston didn’t get too upset with her.
She took a breath. Then she straightened, trying not to cringe when Liam grabbed his spoon and concentrated on shoveling eggs into his mouth while holding his phone and continuing to play his game with one hand.
“I’m sorry, Preston, I don’t think you’re probably the best person to help him with his homework.”
They’d been here a week, and this was the first morning that Preston had come downstairs before Liam left for school.
At least he’d been sober every day.
Athena had been leaving around six o’clock, so she didn’t know what he did in the evening, but apparently if he was drinking, it wasn’t so much as to have him be hungover in the morning.
Still, she really wanted to encourage this, him getting down before Liam left for school, but she wanted to take this other gamble, because it might pay off bigger in the long run.
Still, the shock on his face almost made her rethink her decision. Betrayal sat there, too.
“I’m his dad. Why would I not be the best person to help him with his homework?” He lowered his brow and grunted. “You think I should be throwing this all on Joyce? She can barely take care of herself. Breathing is difficult for her.”
Three days after they moved the hospital bed in, Joyce had woken up unable to get out of bed.
Apparently, Rusty—Joyce had named the tumor after an old boyfriend whom she hated—had decided to take her ability to walk first.
“I’m just saying that because everything was so easy for you in school. I don’t think you ever studied. Do you really think you’d know how to help someone who doesn’t know how to do it?”
Watching out of her peripheral vision, Athena could see that Liam had kinda slowed in his gameplaying and was listening.
Good.
It was her backhanded way of informing the kid that his father was brilliant.
Hopefully, the kid had enough sense to realize that those genes ran in him, too.
Also, unless she missed her guess, it would give him a newfound respect for his dad, who he didn’t know too much about as far as Athena knew.
Now the kid at least knew his dad was brilliant.
Hopefully, that would affect the way he thought about him.
“So you’re saying because I never struggled, I’m not qualified to help people who do?”
Athena lifted her shoulder. “That’s reasonable. You don’t understand what he’s going through.”
“But I understand how to do math. That’s what matters here, isn’t it?”
Athena opened her mouth, but Liam interrupted her. “He’s right. He doesn’t have to be perfect or whatever. All he has to do in order to help me is know how to do it. He doesn’t have to have all those other girly feelings you’re talking about.”
Athena did not allow her lips to twitch at all. And there was no smile in her eyes.
She stepped back, putting her hands in the air. “Okay. Fine. If you’d rather have him help you, just say so.”
“I’d rather have him help me. Not you.”
His words hurt her heart, and she wasn’t having to hide a smile anymore. She had to hide the fact that she wanted to flinch and, maybe in some small way, retaliate.
It was probably a natural thing, when someone hurt you, to want to hurt them back. Even if it was a kid.
Regardless, he had a lot of anger and resentment, probably because of the unfairness of life taking his mother away. She swallowed that hurt, bearing it. Burying it.
It might have been a little bit of hesitation that crossed Preston’s face, but she wasn’t sure.
She went back to the stove, slipping more eggs on a plate and carefully placing another slice of cheese on them. She grabbed the orange juice she’d poured earlier and the silverware and walked toward the doorway where Preston stood.
“Excuse me, please,” she said without looking at him. “The rest of the eggs on the stove are yours if you want them.”
“I don’t believe it’s your job to cook breakfast for everyone, is it?”
“No, but if I’m cooking, I might as well cook for everyone.” She looked up at him, steeling herself because his eyes always did something to her. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I appreciate it. But I don’t think you should have to do more than what you’re paid for.”
“I believe you should always do more than what you’re paid for. It’s just a good way to live.”
He nodded slowly, his mouth open slightly as though he were thinking