determine none were his brother. He hadn’t figured, but he’d hoped anyway.
Then he turned toward the bar and did a double take. Josh was behind the bar serving up drinks. Or actually wiping the bar dry right now. Josh’s eyes were on Zach instead of the towel.
Zach sauntered up to the bar and leaned on it. “What are you doing back there?”
“Fetching drinks. Want one?”
Zach hesitated, then asked for a Coke. “Been looking for you.”
“It’s your lucky day. You found me.” Josh filled a glass, then set it in front of Zach. “What do you want?”
Zach absently turned the glass in a circle on the counter, then slid onto a stool. He took a long drink before speaking. “Gram said you’d been working at Dow’s for nearly a year.”
“Yep.” Josh wasn’t really hostile, but he wasn’t friendly, either. No surprise there after their last contact in Gram’s backyard.
“Said you’d gotten a raise a couple months ago.”
“You need a loan or something?”
Zach chuckled halfheartedly. “Did you leave because of the kid?”
Josh didn’t answer, just watched Zach warily and glanced at the clock.
“Are you actually an employee here or what?” Zach asked.
“For the past two days. Temporary, while his day help is out recovering from surgery.”
“What time are you done?”
“Five.”
Zach nodded, encouraged that Josh was being civil. “Finding out I had a five-year-old boy would send me running, too.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Zach looked up sharply. “What’s that mean?”
“You’re the one with his life together. You wouldn’t run.”
“I’ve run before.”
“Guess that’s true.” Josh looked over his shoulder at the mirror behind the bar that Zach guessed was a one-way window. “What’d you come here for?”
“To find you.”
“I know that. What d’you want?”
“I got the impression the other night that you care about your son.”
“Yeah, I care about him. Why do you think I left?”
Zach felt an unfamiliar pang of sympathy. The two of them were about as dysfunctional as they came.
“Owen needs you.”
“Nah. He needs Granny. She knows what she’s doing.”
“He needs a man. A dad. Someone to play catch and whatever else it is normal families do.”
Josh laughed. “I’m no normal family. Come on, look at me. This ain’t what Owen needs.”
“You could do it, Josh.”
Josh glanced toward the tap. Was he longing for a drink? Zach would put money on it.
One of the men in the corner booth hollered out for two more bottles. Josh grabbed the order from the cooler as the guy ambled to the bar and put down several ones. “Keep the change.”
Josh shuffled through the bills and muttered that the extra fifty cents wouldn’t change his life. He took his time putting the cash away and Zach figured he wanted to avoid him. Tough.
“Why not give it a go?” Zach said to his back.
“Tried it. Didn’t work out.”
“Two weeks isn’t a fair trial. This is parenting, not riding a bike.”
Josh sighed and leaned his elbows on the counter, rubbing his scruffy face with both hands. “Granny said I was stinking up the whole thing.”
“Is that why you left?”
“She knows so much, she can take care of him.”
“She was trying to help you.”
The pensive look on Josh’s face made Zach think maybe he was getting somewhere. “You could probably get your job back. That boy is aching for a dad.”
Josh closed his eyes. His silence was a positive sign. If he had a complaint or an argument, he sure wouldn’t hold it in.
“Gram will be there. A built-in babysitter...”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to mess him up.”
Zach understood all too well. “I’ll stick around for a couple of weeks, until you get your bearings. I’m no role model but we can figure it out. Gram and I talked. We both want to help you do this.”
“How are you gonna help me?”
“I’ll just be around. I found a group for single dads. They meet, shoot the breeze, talk about
Then he turned toward the bar and did a double take. Josh was behind the bar serving up drinks. Or actually wiping the bar dry right now. Josh’s eyes were on Zach instead of the towel.
Zach sauntered up to the bar and leaned on it. “What are you doing back there?”
“Fetching drinks. Want one?”
Zach hesitated, then asked for a Coke. “Been looking for you.”
“It’s your lucky day. You found me.” Josh filled a glass, then set it in front of Zach. “What do you want?”
Zach absently turned the glass in a circle on the counter, then slid onto a stool. He took a long drink before speaking. “Gram said you’d been working at Dow’s for nearly a year.”
“Yep.” Josh wasn’t really hostile, but he wasn’t friendly, either. No surprise there after their last contact in Gram’s backyard.
“Said you’d gotten a raise a couple months ago.”
“You need a loan or something?”
Zach chuckled halfheartedly. “Did you leave because of the kid?”
Josh didn’t answer, just watched Zach warily and glanced at the clock.
“Are you actually an employee here or what?” Zach asked.
“For the past two days. Temporary, while his day help is out recovering from surgery.”
“What time are you done?”
“Five.”
Zach nodded, encouraged that Josh was being civil. “Finding out I had a five-year-old boy would send me running, too.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Zach looked up sharply. “What’s that mean?”
“You’re the one with his life together. You wouldn’t run.”
“I’ve run before.”
“Guess that’s true.” Josh looked over his shoulder at the mirror behind the bar that Zach guessed was a one-way window. “What’d you come here for?”
“To find you.”
“I know that. What d’you want?”
“I got the impression the other night that you care about your son.”
“Yeah, I care about him. Why do you think I left?”
Zach felt an unfamiliar pang of sympathy. The two of them were about as dysfunctional as they came.
“Owen needs you.”
“Nah. He needs Granny. She knows what she’s doing.”
“He needs a man. A dad. Someone to play catch and whatever else it is normal families do.”
Josh laughed. “I’m no normal family. Come on, look at me. This ain’t what Owen needs.”
“You could do it, Josh.”
Josh glanced toward the tap. Was he longing for a drink? Zach would put money on it.
One of the men in the corner booth hollered out for two more bottles. Josh grabbed the order from the cooler as the guy ambled to the bar and put down several ones. “Keep the change.”
Josh shuffled through the bills and muttered that the extra fifty cents wouldn’t change his life. He took his time putting the cash away and Zach figured he wanted to avoid him. Tough.
“Why not give it a go?” Zach said to his back.
“Tried it. Didn’t work out.”
“Two weeks isn’t a fair trial. This is parenting, not riding a bike.”
Josh sighed and leaned his elbows on the counter, rubbing his scruffy face with both hands. “Granny said I was stinking up the whole thing.”
“Is that why you left?”
“She knows so much, she can take care of him.”
“She was trying to help you.”
The pensive look on Josh’s face made Zach think maybe he was getting somewhere. “You could probably get your job back. That boy is aching for a dad.”
Josh closed his eyes. His silence was a positive sign. If he had a complaint or an argument, he sure wouldn’t hold it in.
“Gram will be there. A built-in babysitter...”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to mess him up.”
Zach understood all too well. “I’ll stick around for a couple of weeks, until you get your bearings. I’m no role model but we can figure it out. Gram and I talked. We both want to help you do this.”
“How are you gonna help me?”
“I’ll just be around. I found a group for single dads. They meet, shoot the breeze, talk about
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