“Don’t play coy with me. We both know you screwed up big-time when it comes to my granddaughter.”
No use in denying it. “Yeah, I did.”
“Did you really think it would matter to Natalie where you park your butt at night?”
Okay, that surprised him. Tino took Cyrus’s knight and set it off to the side. “She talked to you about what happened?”
“No, she talked to Esther. I eavesdropped. It’s the only way I ever learn what’s really going on around here.”
There went Tino’s bishop. If he didn’t get his head back into the game, it was going to be over in a few more moves. “Near as I can figure, I wasn’t thinking at all that morning. If I had been, I wouldn’t have screwed up so badly.”
“Well, that might be the smartest thing I’ve heard you say all day.” Cyrus’s knobby hand picked up his queen and parked it right in front of Tino’s king. “Check and mate.”
It was almost a relief to admit defeat on both fronts. Tino began resetting the chessboard, although he wasn’t sure he was up to a second game. Maybe Cyrus felt the same way, because he angled his chair so he could stare out at the backyard.
“That damn dog is out there again.”
Tino spotted the beagle sniffing around the edge of the yard. After a few seconds, the dog started digging like crazy. Tino tried to hold back a laugh but failed miserably. Cyrus gave in and grinned, too. “When you get to my age, you learn to appreciate a determined opponent. Sometimes aggravation is all you’ve got left to get the blood pumping in your veins.”
His smile faded. “My wife and I were happy together. That doesn’t mean the road was always smooth. We had us some fine battles over the years.”
The warmth in his voice made it clear that those memories were among his favorites. Tino could remember a few times when Joe had come slinking home with flowers for Marlene after they’d had words. “My parents had their moments, too.”
“Are you talking about your birth parents or Joe and Marlene Lukash?”
Tino leaned back in his chair and studied the wily old man. “Both, actually. Considering I’ve never told Natalie I was adopted, I know you didn’t overhear her talking about that.”
“No, I had someone check into your background.” Cyrus glanced at Tino. “You don’t like the idea of someone poking around in your personal business, but a man does what it takes to protect his family. For what it’s worth, I haven’t shared the information with my granddaughter and don’t plan to.”
Actually, Tino wasn’t as pissed off about Cyrus digging in his history as he probably should’ve been. “Why not tell her? Especially when it doesn’t matter anymore.”
It had been over a week since the last time he’d spoken to Natalie in the parking lot at the community center. He’d seen her, though. Even if she hadn’t been aware of his presence, he’d been out in the parking lot every night she was there. Once she was safely in her car, he faded back into the shadows, his duty done for the night.
“Okay, there you go veering off into stupid land again.” Cyrus stared up at the ceiling as if praying for patience. “Son, if it didn’t matter, the two of you wouldn’t both be dragging around town like a pair of the living dead.”
“But—”
Cyrus cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I might not know everything about your situation, but I know enough to understand what makes you tick.”
“With all due respect, sir, you don’t know jack. Look at this place.”
Tino could no longer sit still. He got up to pace the length of the room and back while the old man watched every step he took. After his second trip, Cyrus blocked his way and pulled a picture out of his shirt pocket. He held it up for Tino to see. “How about you look at this place instead?”
He studied the old black-and-white snapshot. It was a photo of a small cabin sitting on the edge of a creek. “So?”
“That’s where I was born. My mother gave birth to four kids in that place. I’m the only one who survived to adulthood.”
Tino didn’t know what else to say. “I’m sorry.”
Cyrus shrugged. “It was all a long time ago. My father and his older brother worked in the mines. Mom did her best to keep food on the table for the four of us. After watching those two men working themselves to death at an early age, I swore I’d never spend my days underground like that.”
“How did you escape?”
Because somehow that’s what he’d done. Tino was willing to bet that very few of the kids Cyrus had known in his youth now lived in a place like this. It also explained why he was so generous with his money and encouraged his granddaughter to invest it in the areas of town where other children might need a helping hand.
The old man stared out the window again. Tino would bet his last dime that he wasn’t seeing the manicured lawn or even the wayward beagle who’d moved on to digging a second hole.
After a few seconds, Cyrus finally answered. “I’d love to tell you that I had some grand plan for making something of myself, but I was just a dumb kid desperate to do anything other than breathe coal dust. I got my high school diploma and my draft notice in the same week.”
