“Yes, and now I’m studying to be a paramedic. I started that in September.”
“Wow, sounds like you’ve been busy since I talked to you last. Where’d you find time to get engaged?” The question was supposed to sound casual, but Tyler’s expression tightened up.
“Everything with Evie was easy. When you know, you just know.”
“Like Mom knew with Hank?”
Tyler’s smile fell away completely and Grant wanted to rewind. God, sometimes he had the meanest mouth.
“This is nothing like that, Grant. I hated Hank as much you did. Mom made a mistake and she knows that now, but she was scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
Lines of frustration formed across his brother’s forehead. “Is it really that hard to figure out? She was scared of being a single mom with five kids to feed. You and I probably could’ve managed all right, but Aimee, Wendy, and Scotty were still little kids.”
Grant’s other brother and sisters. They’d been young when he left, all freckles and knobby knees. At first there’d been lots of letters from them written in dark, clumsy pencil, but those had dwindled as they got older. Then he had trouble remembering things like birthdays. He’d sent presents, sometimes. When he thought of it. But he’d fallen out of the habit of wondering about the things, and the people, he’d left back in Bell Harbor. Work was easier than family, but his mother had reminded him last night that he’d missed a lot. His brother was about to remind him too. He could sense it coming and the realization made him feel lonely and old. And then it made him feel defensive.
“Four months, Ty. Four months after Dad dies and she brings that jackass into our house? Into Dad’s house. Grandpa would’ve helped her. I would’ve helped.”
Tyler leaned back and crossed his arms. “Helped? You mean the same way you helped when Hank left and took all the money? Or how about when she lost her job? Or when Scotty got arrested?”
Grant felt sucker-punched in the solar plexus. He hadn’t known about any of those things happening, but what hurt worse was that his brother didn’t sound angry so much as he sounded resigned. As if his expectations of Grant were so low, they’d become nonexistent. His involvement in the family had become superfluous. A rolling sense of unease rose up and he swallowed it down. Maybe that’s what all those unanswered phone calls were about. Shit. Maybe he was a lousy son, and a lousy brother. No wonder his mother had been so pissed at him last night. “When did Mom lose her job?”
“About three years ago. Now she’s working at Gibson’s grocery store.”
“I didn’t know that. When did Scotty get arrested?”
“A while ago but it’s all handled. I took care of things, and now he’s doing great at Fort Jackson. All he ever wanted to be was a soldier like Dad, so they’re kicking his ass but he loves it.”
The waitress brought their drinks and Grant took a big swallow. To wash down the size-eleven foot he’d put in his mouth. “Scotty’s a soldier now. I guess I have been gone a long time. Maybe I should’ve checked in a little more often, huh?” He tried to make a joke of it, but it fell flat.
“It would’ve been nice.” Tyler’s mouth said nice, but his tone said you’re a dickhead. And all of a sudden, Grant felt like one. The world he’d left behind hadn’t frozen in place. Everyone had changed, grown up, suffered through turmoil, and he’d missed it all. Maybe somewhere down deep, that had been deliberate.
“I’m here now. Does that count for anything?”
Tyler paused. The frown lines eased a bit. “It is nice to see you. I wasn’t sure you’d make it to the wedding.”
Grant felt some relief at the change in tone. “I would’ve come sooner but I didn’t get the invitation until about a week ago, and as you can imagine, it’s a bit of a hike from the Philippines. Mom said you tried to call me, though. I never got a message.”
Tyler took a drink and set the glass down firmly. “I never tried to call.”
That foot in his mouth went and kicked him in the throat. “You didn’t?”
“No. I didn’t figure you’d care that much.”
Grant’s jaw dropped, and the foot kicked him again. “Not care? My brother is getting married and you think I wouldn’t care? It’s not as if I’ve stopped being part of the family. Right?” It shouldn’t have been a question. It should have been a declaration, but at this moment, he wasn’t so sure. “Look, I know I’ve been shitty about keeping in touch, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you guys. I’ve just been busy working.”
His brother nodded, as if Grant’s words were of only moderate interest, but a curve started to form around Tyler’s lips.
“Well, like I said. It’s nice to see you. Aimee calls you Bigfoot, by the way.”
“Bigfoot?”
“Yeah, you know, like a mythical creature that people say they’ve seen in the wild but no one knows for sure if it’s real. That’s you to them.”