Micah pinches his lips together and raises his hands. “Don’t get mad at me. I’m just letting you know.”
“Why is he coming home early?” I can tell Tobias is making an effort to speak without raising his voice.
Micah shrugs. “Got done early?”
“Finals are in two weeks. One doesn’t just ‘get done early’ from college finals.” His voice is still controlled, but I’m afraid the fork in his clenched fist is going to bend.
“Hey, maybe he took the tests already?” I say, trying to be helpful.
Tobias lets out a breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. “He wants to quit school. Again. I warned him that it would be difficult to go back later. He told me he’d finish the semester before making a final decision. I guess he changed his mind.”
I swallow, sympathy shooting through me. If I could do my life over, I would take school much more seriously. I would stay out of trouble, graduate high school, and go to college. Now I’m stuck with janitorial jobs, and that’s if I’m lucky. “If you want, I can talk to him about it.”
His gaze travels over me. “What do you mean?”
“About how much I regret not going to college. Maybe he’ll listen to someone who is not so…” I pause, trying to find the right word. Grumpy isn’t it. Uptight is also the wrong word. “Close to him,” I blurt out, grateful that phrase jumped into my head.
Tobias’s gaze softens. “You’d do that?”
“Of course.”
Something shifts behind his eyes, but I can’t figure out what it means. He blinks and looks down at the table. “Thanks,” he says softly.
“Can we go to the lighthouse tonight?” Skyler asks.
Tobias picks up his knife and cuts into his ham. “It might rain. Best not to go tonight.”
Skyler frowns. “But I want to show Kiki.”
I glance out the window. “It doesn’t look overcast. I bet we could go see the lighthouse before it starts to rain.”
“Yeah, it will be fun,” Micah says. “I haven’t been there in a while.”
“Is your homework done?” Tobias raises his eyebrows.
“Yep. Finished it all.” Micah flashes a grin, and I notice he even has a dimple. I’m now sure he’s a heartbreaker at school.
“Please, Daddy?” Skyler’s eyes grow large, and I want to pick her up and take her to any lighthouse in the world.
“All right,” Tobias finally says. “But only if you eat your ham.”
Skyler nods and starts eating the small pieces of ham that Tobias cut up for her. I inwardly smile and keep that little trick for future use. In no time at all she’s finished and we’re ready to leave.
Tobias leads us to the garage where his SUV sits. Skyler buckles herself in and I climb into the seat next to her. Micah takes the front seat. “How far is the lighthouse?” I ask.
“It’s a fifteen-minute drive.” Tobias backs out of the garage. “It’s not a real lighthouse. It’s just a replica they build in Centennial Park for kids to climb on. It overlooks the ocean.”
Skyler pumps her little feet in excitement. “Can we climb to the top?”
“Sure.” Tobias pulls the car out onto the street. We drive along the shoreline. I stare out at the water, the rocks, and the bright azaleas that have been planted in the medians. What a lovely island my daughter gets to grow up on. My heart swells as I look at Skyler and think about the time I’m getting to spend with her. She was adorable today as we had our pretend tea party.
Soon we pull into a small gravel parking area. A red and white lighthouse sits amid a grassy area, along with a swing set and a couple of benches. Skyler unbuckles and we climb out. A slight breeze blows as she runs toward the lighthouse.
Micah races after Skyler. “Wait, Little Pup. I want to go up with you.”
I smile at Tobias. “Little Pup?”
He nods. “When she was a baby, she’d make these little noises, and Micah thought she sounded like a puppy. It’s stuck ever since.”
