‘Frank’s not a bad man. He’s just not a very good father.’” She rolled her eyes, then nodded to the beer. “You got any more of those, or did you drink them all?”
Sloane popped open a beer and handed it across the desk. “You want some Chinese? I have an unopened carton of garlic chicken.”
“I ordered for myself. You paid.” She held up the bottle. “Cheers, here’s to a rip-roaring Friday night.” They tapped bottles, and she sat in a chair across his desk. “So where were you going?”
“What’s that?”
“On your vacation, where were you going?”
“Oh, just up to the mountains for a few days. Yosemite.”
“Rock climbing?”
“Nothing serious. I’m not in shape for it. I just like the mental challenge and the exercise.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“I appreciate you sticking around tonight. I hope I didn’t ruin any plans.”
“Yeah, I had a hot date—my mother really loves the
Antiques Road Show
. . . Don’t worry about it. It gave me a chance to study, and it gave Jake a chance to spend time with the man supposed to be his father. Oops, there I go again.”
Sloane chuckled. “Studying?”
“Don’t say it like you’re shocked.”
“I was laughing at your comment. Are you going to school or something?”
“Or something.” She laughed, toying with him. “You are shocked.”
“Give me a break here; you’ve never said anything. Are you taking classes?”
She smiled, coy, and took another drink of beer.
“What are you studying?”
“Architecture.”
“Seriously, what are you studying?”
She lowered the beer and stared at him. “How does it taste?” she asked.
“What?”
“Your foot.”
She was serious. He had expected her to say she was taking an art class.
“For your information, I’ve been taking classes for three years. When Jake was born I had to drop out of college, but I promised myself I’d go back and finish. Then Frank decided being a father crimped his life too much, and I had to wait. I wanted to make sure I could do it before I said anything to anybody.”
“Do what?”
“I graduate the end of the summer.”
He felt a sudden hollow ache in his stomach. “Graduate? Then what?”
She drank from the bottle. “We can talk about that later.”
“Are you thinking about leaving?”
She hesitated. “I was going to talk to you about it earlier, but with the Scott trial I didn’t want it to be a distraction.”
He felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. “You’re leaving.”
“I’ll be giving my formal notice August first,” she said.
“Two weeks?”
“You’ll have a month to replace me, David. This opportunity came up unexpectedly. I need time to get Jake situated in school for the fall and to find us a place to live.”
He felt as if the room were spinning. “A place to live . . . Where are you going?”
“Seattle. A friend offered me a job doing drafting. It’s a good job. Better pay. Better benefits. I can afford a house. I can spend more time with Jake, and my mother can have her life again, too.”
He didn’t know what to say. He had never contemplated the possibility that Tina would leave. He had pictured the two of them receiving their gold company watches together.
“This isn’t what I intended for my life, David. This is better for me—I mean, there’s nothing here for me . . . Is there?”
“You could find a job here.”
“Forget it.” She turned and looked out the window, then looked back at him. “Why are you here?”
“It’s a good firm, Tina—”
“No. Why are you here now, tonight? You haven’t taken a vacation in years, and when you finally get one you seem to be avoiding going. And pardon me for saying so, but you do look tired.”
Maybe it was because she was leaving, or maybe it was the beer. Whatever the reason, he was talking before he could stop himself.
“I haven’t been sleeping much.”
“You work too hard.”
“It isn’t work. I’ve been
Sloane popped open a beer and handed it across the desk. “You want some Chinese? I have an unopened carton of garlic chicken.”
“I ordered for myself. You paid.” She held up the bottle. “Cheers, here’s to a rip-roaring Friday night.” They tapped bottles, and she sat in a chair across his desk. “So where were you going?”
“What’s that?”
“On your vacation, where were you going?”
“Oh, just up to the mountains for a few days. Yosemite.”
“Rock climbing?”
“Nothing serious. I’m not in shape for it. I just like the mental challenge and the exercise.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“I appreciate you sticking around tonight. I hope I didn’t ruin any plans.”
“Yeah, I had a hot date—my mother really loves the
Antiques Road Show
. . . Don’t worry about it. It gave me a chance to study, and it gave Jake a chance to spend time with the man supposed to be his father. Oops, there I go again.”
Sloane chuckled. “Studying?”
“Don’t say it like you’re shocked.”
“I was laughing at your comment. Are you going to school or something?”
“Or something.” She laughed, toying with him. “You are shocked.”
“Give me a break here; you’ve never said anything. Are you taking classes?”
She smiled, coy, and took another drink of beer.
“What are you studying?”
“Architecture.”
“Seriously, what are you studying?”
She lowered the beer and stared at him. “How does it taste?” she asked.
“What?”
“Your foot.”
She was serious. He had expected her to say she was taking an art class.
“For your information, I’ve been taking classes for three years. When Jake was born I had to drop out of college, but I promised myself I’d go back and finish. Then Frank decided being a father crimped his life too much, and I had to wait. I wanted to make sure I could do it before I said anything to anybody.”
“Do what?”
“I graduate the end of the summer.”
He felt a sudden hollow ache in his stomach. “Graduate? Then what?”
She drank from the bottle. “We can talk about that later.”
“Are you thinking about leaving?”
She hesitated. “I was going to talk to you about it earlier, but with the Scott trial I didn’t want it to be a distraction.”
He felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. “You’re leaving.”
“I’ll be giving my formal notice August first,” she said.
“Two weeks?”
“You’ll have a month to replace me, David. This opportunity came up unexpectedly. I need time to get Jake situated in school for the fall and to find us a place to live.”
He felt as if the room were spinning. “A place to live . . . Where are you going?”
“Seattle. A friend offered me a job doing drafting. It’s a good job. Better pay. Better benefits. I can afford a house. I can spend more time with Jake, and my mother can have her life again, too.”
He didn’t know what to say. He had never contemplated the possibility that Tina would leave. He had pictured the two of them receiving their gold company watches together.
“This isn’t what I intended for my life, David. This is better for me—I mean, there’s nothing here for me . . . Is there?”
“You could find a job here.”
“Forget it.” She turned and looked out the window, then looked back at him. “Why are you here?”
“It’s a good firm, Tina—”
“No. Why are you here now, tonight? You haven’t taken a vacation in years, and when you finally get one you seem to be avoiding going. And pardon me for saying so, but you do look tired.”
Maybe it was because she was leaving, or maybe it was the beer. Whatever the reason, he was talking before he could stop himself.
“I haven’t been sleeping much.”
“You work too hard.”
“It isn’t work. I’ve been
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