2. Trey
“Mom, everything is delicious,”I say while scooping up another forkful of pot roast and red-skinned mashed potatoes.
She smiles. “Thank you. I tried a new recipe.”
“I’ll have to get it from you before I leave,” Terry, my sister-in-law, joins in from across the table.
“What if I don’t like it?” my brother, Phil, asks.
Terry turns to glance at his almost empty plate.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna be a problem.”
“Phil, have I ever made something you didn’t like?” Mom sounds hurt.
Before he can reply, I jump in for the save. “No, Mommy, never.” Everyone laughs.
It’s a long-standing family joke that, as the oldest, Phil is my mom’s favorite.
“I like everything you make too, Gram,” my daughter, Gwen, proclaims with a smile.
“Of course you do, sweetie. You have good taste.” Mom winks at her.
“Dad, I heard you made the official announcement at work about turning over the Coyotes to Trey.” Phil changes the conversation.
“Did you cry?” I ask, smirking.
Dad laughs. “Every time I told someone, I tried like hell not to cry.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” I say.
“Hush.” Mom waves her hand.
Dad shakes his head. “It’s long overdue, and your mother has been more than patient while waiting for this moment to come.”
“Mom, you can be patient?” I tease.
She laughs. “And you wonder why Phil’s my favorite.”
“I bet your employees are sad, Gramps,” Gwen chimes in.
“I don’t know how they all feel, but my executive assistant was upset when I told her. She’s only worked for me for a handful of months but is sharp as a whip and never complains.”
“Maeve is a peach,” Mom says.
“Wow, she must be great if you like her.” Phil smirks.
Mom’s lips curve with amusement. “She’s wonderful. It’s too bad your father didn’t have her help sooner.”
Dad nods. “That’s true. You’ll be thankful for her, Trey. I promised you would keep her on.”
I glance at Gwen. “Can you believe this? I don’t even get to pick my staff.”
She rolls her eyes. “Talk about first-world problems. Your dad is giving you a hockey team.”
My daughter is smarter than most adults.
“She makes a good point,” Terry says.
“Let me remind you, daughter, I didn’t ask my dad for the team. Not that I’m not grateful for the opportunity. I absolutely am. But I’ve made my own way in business up until now.”
Dad shrugs. “I couldn’t give the team to Phil. He hates hockey.”
“I wouldn’t say hate,” Phil defends. “It’s more that I have no interest in it.”
“In other words, Dad gave me the team because I love hockey, and he knows I’ll make sure the Coyotes continue to thrive.”
“Exactly,” Dad says. “I’ve always known Trey would be the next owner. And Phil’s already taken over the rest of Ledger Enterprises.”
Mom raises an eyebrow at Dad. “You fought me on that too. And I’m still waiting for you to stop being a consultant for him.”
“I will, when the time’s right,” he says, covering her hand on the table with his.
“Uh-oh,” Phil says, looking between our parents. “Dad, it better be sooner rather than later, or you might not survive.”
“Yeah, Mom will smother you with a pillow while you sleep,” I joke.
She shakes her head. “Poison is more my style. I’d slip it in your food, and you’d never know.”
“Boys, you heard that. If I suddenly croak, you’ll know why,” Dad says, grinning.
“Gramps, if you retire, you won’t have to worry about your safety,” Gwen suggests.
Mom snickers, nodding. “Right. His fate is in his own hands.”
I shake my head. “No wonder I have no faith in women. My mother openly discusses offing my dad.”
“I think your lack of faith has more to do with your horrible past choices,” Mom drolls. “Although one of them resulted in giving us a beautiful granddaughter.”
“Thanks, Gram. I’m glad my parents met, but I’m thankful they’re not together.”
“You are?” I ask. She’s never mentioned anything of the sort to me before now.
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“You two can’t get along for more than ten minutes. Why would I want to live in a house full of arguing?”
Shit. I had no idea she felt this way, and now I’m ashamed of every single argument Claire and I have had over the years.
“I’m sorry that’s how you feel. I guess your mom and I need to do better.”
One of her shoulders jumps with a shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is to me. I never want you to be uncomfortable around your mom and me.”
Claire and I band together for Gwen’s sake when needed, but for the most part, we’re like oil and water. If it wasn’t for her getting pregnant with our daughter, all we would’ve shared was a week-long fling. But I’m thankful for Gwen every single day. She’s the best thing in my life, and obviously, I have to do better when interacting with Claire.
“Co-parenting must be so hard,” Terry offers.
I ruffle Gwen’s hair. “When you have a great kid like I do, it helps.”
“Dad.” She sighs with frustration as she smooths out the long brown strands I mussed.
“Who wants dessert?” Mom asks, and we all shout simultaneously, “Me!”
* * *
Once home, I change into a pair of pajama bottoms and an old white t-shirt. My mom sent extra chocolate cream pie home with us, and it’s calling my name as I wander back into the kitchen.
“Looks like we had the same idea,” I say to Gwen as she pulls out a stool at the counter. She licks some whipped cream from her thumb and smiles at me.
“I couldn’t resist. And I won’t even be here tomorrow night, so I figured I better have some now.”
“Yeah, this pie won’t last until the next time you’re here.” I grab a plate from the cabinet and join her on the other side of the island, sitting on the stool next to her. “Gram’s food is too delicious to pass up.”
She hands me the knife, and I cut a generous piece for myself.
“It’s a good thing you work out so much, or you’d have a jelly belly like Dean,” she says, mentioning her stepfather.
I laugh and then remember I shouldn’t encourage her. “Be nice. Dean’s good to you.”
“I know he is. That has nothing to do with his rapidly expanding stomach. He claims he’s being supportive by gaining baby weight along with Mom. But I think he’s nervous about becoming a dad and he’s eating his feelings.”
Jesus, my kid is astute.
“It’s only natural he’d be nervous.”
“Were you?” she asks.
“Are you kidding? I was so scared.”
She tips her head, studying me. “Why?”
“For the first time in my life, I was responsible for someone other than myself. What if I didn’t know what to do? Or if I was a horrible dad? But as soon as I held you in my arms, you became the person I loved most in this universe.”
“Well, you worried for nothing. You’re a great dad.” She leans her head on my shoulder.
I press a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s easy when you have a daughter like mine.”
She smiles at me and then digs her spoon into the pie. “Are you excited about the hockey team?”
“I am. How do you feel? Any concerns?”
She immediately shakes her head. “Nope. I’m happy for you.”
“If that changes, I want you to let me know.”
“I will.”
“You promise? You know you can tell me anything.”
“I promise. Will this make you feel better?” She holds out her pinky, and I briefly wrap mine around it.
I smile. “Of course. Pinky swears are unbreakable.”
Sliding off the stool, she opens the dishwasher and places her plate and spoon inside. She turns to me. “I’m going to get ready for bed and do the reading I couldn’t finish earlier. Night, Dad.”
“Goodnight, Gwennie.”
I’ve finished my pie, and it’s not quite enough. But as much as I’d like another piece, I’m forcing myself to save it for tomorrow night. Gwen won’t be here, and a little late-night comfort food will be just what I need.
After putting my plate and fork in the dishwasher, I settle on the couch. Slipping my phone from my pocket, I pull up the Finder account I recently started. With no one catching my eye right away, I repeatedly swipe left.
I’m about ready to close the app and give up when I notice a stunning blonde. She’s wearing a bikini that nearly has me drooling. But her smile sets her apart from every other scantily dressed woman I’ve passed on. With her lips slightly parted, it looks like someone unexpectedly captured her image while she was mid-laugh. I love the genuineness of the moment, and I can’t help wondering what her laugh sounds like. Or if her long golden hair feels as soft as it looks. Sunglasses cover her eyes, making me curious about what color lies behind the dark lenses.
“Why not?” I swipe my thumb right without further hesitation. Now, I just have to wait and see if I’ve also caught her interest.