“Funny you should ask. I’m here with him now.” Pete went into the living room so as not to wake Neil. Joey walked sleepily beside him, then plopped onto the living room floor.
“Can you talk, or should I call back?” Matt knew the score with their father, as each of their siblings did, with the exception of Sky. They were all willing to help pay for rehab, and they’d gone to bat to try to convince their father to get help, to no avail. Pete knew they felt guilty that he was the only one who lived close enough to care for his father, and Matt called often, as if it might help. Only Grayson seemed to have a chip on his shoulder over his father’s alcoholism, and at times, his frustrations shot like spears directly at Pete, but Pete could handle it. He even understood it. There were times he’d like to shake some sense into his father. If Pete were the type of person to lash out, he’d probably do so at one of his brothers, too, just as Grayson lashed out at him. Because in the Lacroux family, unconditional love was a given, even when it hurt.
“He’s flat-out. I can talk.” He paced the small living room. The walls held a trail of family pictures, depicting the fun they’d had over the years. The couch and rocking chair were the same ones that had been there when Pete was young. No frivolities here, either, other than the curtains on the two front windows, handmade by his mother a few years before she died. The house wasn’t fancy, but it was home.
“How are you holding up?” Matt’s voice was deep and empathetic. He was the most careful of Pete’s siblings, always weighing risk to benefit of whatever he did. Pete pictured him sitting behind the desk in his study, wearing a pair of trousers and a dress shirt open at the collar. He had the same wet-sand-color hair as their father and deep-set eyes with lashes so long and thick they looked fake.
“Pretty good. Can’t complain.”
“Dude, I’m not Grayson. I’m not going to give you a hard time about not getting him into rehab. It sucks having to be there and pick up after Pop. You don’t have to minimize it. The man needs help, and you’re a saint for sticking around.”
Pete exhaled loudly. “I’m anything but a saint, and Grayson should give me a hard time. Pop does need help.”
“True, but cut yourself some slack. He’s a stubborn old goat. One day he’s going to wake up and realize what he’s doing, and we all know that we owe you, Pete.”
Matt spoke as if Pete were doing a miraculous thing by caring for their father. But Pete didn’t feel like he was doing even half the job he should. He made a mental note to push his father once again the next time he saw him. He couldn’t make progress if he didn’t try.
“You don’t owe me anything. If you were here, you’d do the same thing. What’s going on with you, Matt?”
“Not much. Mom’s birthday is next weekend, and I know how hard that is for Dad. Are you ready for that? Do you want me to fly into town for the weekend?”
“No, the less disruption the better. If last year is any indication, he’ll drink himself into a stupor and sleep, pretty much like every night.”
Matt sighed. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know. By the way, Sky was talking about coming out next summer to stay with Pop. You okay with that?”
Their younger sister was always making plans, but the summer to Sky could mean eight weeks or three days. Sky was eight years younger than Pete. When he’d left for college, she was just a kid, and after graduation, when he’d gotten his own place to live, Sky had been only twelve years old. It had been forever since they’d lived in the same house, but Pete had kept a close eye on her throughout the years. He’d protected Sky from his father’s drinking for two years, and if he had his way, he’d protect her from it until it was no longer an issue—if that time ever came.
“She’s all over the map. I’ll just be good and sure to get Pop straightened out before then. It’s a year away, so who knows how many times she’ll change her mind between now and then.”
Matt laughed. “Yeah, she said she’s thinking of making a go of things in Provincetown. Heaven only knows what that means. Tattoo artist, art, music, animals. P-town has everything she loves.” Matt sighed. “Boy, it would be nice to be twenty-four again.”
“No kidding. I’d love to see her, so whatever she decides is fine, but she’ll stay with me, not Pop. She’ll go ape over Joey.”
“Yeah, you might want to rethink letting her come out. She might never leave. How’s the boat coming along?”
Talking with Matt was a nice distraction from both his father and Jenna. “It’s coming along. I don’t have much time to work on it, though.”
“I know. Sorry Pop falls on your shoulders, Pete. We can try another intervention to get him into rehab. I don’t know why you fight that so hard.”
“Sometimes I don’t, either.” But he did—the fallout after their last intervention had nearly irreparably severed their relationships with their father. Pete couldn’t begin to fathom the shape his father would be in if he were left to his own devices without someone to get him into a safe place at night. Pete’s biggest worry was that his father might just continue drinking until he killed himself.
He pushed the thoughts away and finished explaining. “When he’s sober, he fights the idea of rehab tooth and nail, and when he’s not, there’s no talking. Another intervention will make him feel like it’s all of us against him again.”
“With him, Pete. With him.”
“Yeah, I get it. If you guys want to do that, be my guest, but don’t leave me with the mess. Someone has to commit to staying in town so when he flips out and doesn’t end up in rehab, one of you can be here to deal with it. Short of that, I’m going to keep talking to him when it feels right to do it and hope he comes around.”
“I hear ya. I’ve got to run, but, Pete, remember, you’ve got to have a life, too, and taking care of Pop is no life.”
Pete rubbed his temples. “I’ve got him covered, Matty. Thanks. Good to talk to you.”
For a long time after his call with Matt, Pete sat in the living room thinking about his father and his siblings, and finally, himself. It didn’t take him long to realize the answer to his earlier question about staking claim to Jenna. Pete would never turn his back on his father, and Jenna deserved a better life than being tied to an alcoholic’s son. He had no choice but to remain in the friend zone.
He wasn’t sure that was even an option anymore.
Chapter Eight