It was open but still full, condensation puddling on the counter. Ty didn’t see any empties.
Ty cleared his throat. “Are you okay? Your sister’s freaking out.”
Without taking his eyes from the beer bottle, Ollie said, “Fine.”
Ty glanced out the window. Theo was still unraveling the hose so he could reach the tomato plants. “Okay. Cool-with-being-normal-around-your-kid fine or maybe-I-should-get-him-out-of-the-house fine?”
Ollie flinched. His eyes flicked to the clock on the microwave. It read 3:58. Ty hoped he wasn’t planning to sit there watching his beer until five, when it was warm and flat, before he drank it.
The muscles at the corner of Ollie’s jaw bunched. “I’m not going to hurt anybody. I’m notunsafe.”
Translation—not a PTSD episode, just unfit for company.
“I didn’t ask if you were unsafe. I asked if you want Theo to see you like this or if you’d rather he not. You have about three minutes before he gets tired of watering the tomatoes.”
Sooner or later Theo and Ollie would both have to learn how to deal with Ollie’s bad days. But maybe that didn’t have to be right now, today. Maybe today Ty could act as a buffer.
After another moment of muscle bunching so intense Ty wondered if Ollie had dental coverage, he finally relaxed a fraction. A long breath escaped him and he dry-washed his face with both hands. This time, when he took them away, he looked Ty in the eye. “My mom’s with Mel today. You could take him to Cassie’s. She’ll be happy to have him.”
Good, Ty thought. “Okay. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”
He made a detour to Theo’s bedroom for a pair of pajamas and a change of clothes, in case, as well as his baseball glove. Then he grabbed a fresh toothbrush from his own bathroom cabinet and stuffed everything in a duffel bag.
Theo met him as he got to the door. “Change of plans,” Ty said cheerfully. “You’re invited to spend some time with Mel. Think you can teach her how to throw a better pitch?”
Theo looked at Ty, then back at the garage. Ty had left the door open, and the taillights of Ollie’s car were still visible. “Is Dad okay?” he asked.
“He’s okay. Just a bad day,” Ty assured him. “He doesn’t want his mood to rub off on you. Why don’t you go give him a hug, and I’ll take you to see Mel and your grandma?”
God, he hoped that was the right move. On the other hand, he couldn’t imagine a hug from Theo making Ollie feelworse.
A few minutes later they were pulling up to Cassie’s house. Ty had texted Cassie while Theo and Ollie were saying goodbye, andOllie’s mother and Mel were waiting for them on the front step when they pulled up.
Theo and Mel ran off toward the backyard before Ty even made it out of the car with Theo’s bag. He grabbed it from his trunk and met Mrs. Kent on the walkway.
“Um. Thanks for taking him,” he said awkwardly. He hoped this didn’t make her think Ollie couldn’t take care of Theo on his own or that Ty didn’t want to help when things got tough. “I know it’s last-minute.”
Mrs. Kent took the bag almost as stiffly as Ty held it out, but her face stayed soft. “It’s no trouble. I’m delighted to have more time with my grandson.”
“He’s pretty great,” Ty said. He hoped she could tell he meant it. “His dad’s not bad either.”
For a moment she just looked at him, and then she smiled. “They’re lucky to have you, I think.”
A shriek of laughter from the backyard split the afternoon, and they both turned instinctively toward the sound. Mrs. Kent shook her head. “I think that’s my cue. Tell Ollie… well. Maybe give him a hug for me.”
Ty swallowed thickly. “I can do that.”
The drive home passed in a blur. He parked in the garage on autopilot. Keys in his pocket. Shoes by the door.
Ollie hadn’t moved from the breakfast bar in the kitchen, though now the clock read 4:23 and his beer bottle was half-empty.
Fuck it, Ty thought. He needed some indication of how fucked-up today was. He opened the fridge.
Just a six-pack, one bottle missing. Good. Ty grabbed one for himself and opened it, but he didn’t sit down. That would make looking at Ollie awkward, and he had a feeling he was going to need to pay attention.
Finally Ollie said, “I got fired.”
“Yeah, I kinda guessed.” Based on the fact that he got home before six thirty and the intense sexual tension between him and his beer bottle. “They tell you why?”
