as possible to keep from upsetting her.”
Preston wouldn’t argue with Joyce, and he’d kinda figured for a while that Athena looked down on him, thought he was a loser and no good, and basically disliked him. However, he supposed hearing it from someone else hurt his feelings in a way he wasn’t expecting.
Not to mention, it wasn’t that long ago Deacon was hinting that he and Athena would make a good couple. Make good parents for Liam. And he didn’t think Deacon would recommend that if he didn’t think that Athena was capable of, if not loving him, at least liking him enough to marry him. At some point. Not tomorrow. But at some point.
“Well. I kinda suspected that. But thanks for telling me.” He kinda wondered why she felt the need to. But he supposed he didn’t need to ask. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
“Are you gonna tell me how much you hate her and what a wicked witch she is?” Joyce’s face did not look happy.
“No.” He wouldn’t do any such thing. Because it wasn’t true.
Joyce’s face scrunched up, and while she probably wasn’t the most beautiful woman that Preston had ever seen, the way it twisted now made her look downright ugly. Not in the physical sense, just from the nastiness that seemed to be coming from her. It surprised him.
He didn’t remember her being like that.
“Don’t you know that when someone hates you, you’re supposed to hate them back?”
Preston nodded, leaning his elbows on his knees, steepling his fingers together. Joyce wasn’t going to be with them much longer, and he didn’t see any point in lying to her. Not that he would have anyway.
“I guess I know that. But I guess there’s just no way I could ever hate Athena. Maybe she does hate me. Mostly because she’s right, and I don’t want to admit it. Not because there’s anything wrong with her.” He turned his head and looked at Joyce.
His words, far from reassuring her, had brought tears to her eyes.
“You can go now. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
He sat there, stunned. That was weird. One second, she was dishing, the next, she was dismissing him.
After about five seconds, she closed her eyes and turned her head away. He straightened from the chair and stood by her bed.
“If I can do anything for you, let me know.”
“Fine,” she said, the word clipped.
It all seemed very strange, but Preston couldn’t quite put his finger on what was going on. He figured it didn’t matter anyway.
He’d never been able to figure the female brain out, certainly hadn’t had any great insights in the last week. He probably never would.
Chapter 8
Preston was ready when Liam got off the bus that afternoon.
Athena was ready too.
After Liam had greeted his mother and chatted with her a little, he’d walked with Preston into the kitchen, where Athena had a tray with crackers and cheese, meat, and apple slices already sitting on the table and ready for them.
Preston stopped in the doorway, looking at the table, before his eyes went to Athena, who was standing at the counter with her back toward him, chopping up potatoes for supper.
“Looks like you have some afterschool snacks, Liam,” Preston said. But his mind was whirling. It wasn’t part of her job to make snacks for him and his son.
It wasn’t part of her job to make supper.
It hadn’t been part of her job to ask about homework this morning, or he wouldn’t even be here with his son, getting ready to sit down to work on math.
Do more than expected.
He’d scoffed at that as being unreasonable, something that no one ever lived up to.
Athena wasn’t just anyone.
But it also highlighted the fact that she was light-years ahead of him, and he could work the rest of his life and still never catch up.
Still, Deacon seemed to think there was a chance. Although he hadn’t exactly said. Despite what Joyce said, which, when he’d thought about it, he’d decided that maybe it was her tumor talking, he’d be a fool not to try for even a small chance.
He almost opened his mouth and told Liam to thank Athena for the snack tray, and then he remembered what Deacon had said about setting an example.
“Thank you for taking the time to make a snack tray for us, Miss Athena.” He almost stumbled over the “Miss,” but again, he needed to be the example, not just say what to do.
Liam’s eyes were on