“Not as happy as usual,” Jonah replied without missing a beat.
He missed Kate, that was why, but he wasn’t sure how to—or if he should—explain that to his son.
Instead, he picked up a Yeti of cold water, taking a drink as he collected his thoughts. “Hey, nothing can bring me down if you’re around.”
“No pressure or anything,” Jonah cracked.
“I don’t mean to put pressure on you,” he said quickly. “I know I did a lot of that in the past and it cost me.”
Jonah shrugged. “I was a pain in the butt who didn’t want to be an architect.” He grinned, looking like that seven-year-old kid Eli remembered more than the thirty-year-old man he was. “Now I’m the pain in the butt who wants to be a chef.”
“Speaking of, any word from the Culinary Arts program?” Since he’d learned about it and applied, Jonah’s whole mood had lifted. He’d been in regular contact with Carly, his girlfriend in California whose pregnancy was the impetus to his decision to pursue a career as a chef.
“I’m supposed to find out if I made the first cut today. We’ll see if I…” He finished lining up a strip of insulation and held up the measuring tape, snapping it noisily. “…measure up.”
“Oh, please. You will.”
“Thanks to that letter of recommendation from Kate,” Jonah said, then he looked up at Eli—and kept staring.
“What?” Eli said when it became uncomfortable.
“Nothing. It’s just…your expression changes when her name gets mentioned. I like to watch for it.”
Eli gave him a vile look and cursed his lousy poker face. “Keep measuring and cutting, if you don’t mind. Otherwise, we’ll never get the insulation in.”
“Yeah, yeah. I hate this part, anyway,” Jonah said. “When I worked those summers for Uncle Ryan, I did more drywall than anything. I can’t wait to get to that. Is he still officially my uncle, by the way? Or do I just call him…Ryan?”
“I don’t know,” Eli said. “Just Ryan. I think Vivien and Ryan’s divorce papers are being signed this week or next, so that’s good.”
“Good?” He lifted his brows. “Is a divorce ever good?”
“Well, I think Aunt Vivien will be much better off,” he said. “And”—he gave a sly smile—“not alone for long.”
“What does that mean?”
“Peter was just here and if all went according to plan…he made a date with her.”
“Oooh,” Jonah dragged out his reaction. “Romance in Destin. Didn’t see that twist coming.”
Eli smiled. “She always liked him but was a little too young those summers we were here.”
“Huh.” Jonah rolled the cutter over the insulation with a deft touch.
“Nice work on that, Jonah.”
“Thanks.” He lifted the perfectly shaped insulation. “Let’s get this bad boy in place.”
They worked in comfortable silence for a while, the rhythmic sounds of construction filling the space, but Eli could feel something unspoken lingering between them. Finally, Jonah broke the quiet.
“Hey, Dad, can I ask you something?”
Eli looked up, sensing the shift in tone. “Of course. Anything.”
Jonah hesitated, his gaze flickering toward the main house. “Do you think it’s true what Aunt Crista said? That Kate and Tessa’s dad is responsible for your dad dying? Should I call him Grandpa? I never met the guy.”
“Just…Roger.”
“Okay then, Roger. I mean, I don’t feel like it’s any of my business, but it’s, uh, awkward. And now she’s back and no one is mentioning it, so…what do you think?”
