“We’ll get you a Hot Fudge Warden badge for next year’s event.” Fitzgibbon jotted a note on his pad.
“The bad news,” Ten began, knowing the group was almost out of his control, “is that this meetingisn’tabout the kids going back to school.”
“Thank Christ,” Fitzgibbon muttered. “Aurora and I spent all day Saturday shopping for new clothes, and if Ineversee another sparkly rainbow unicorn shirt, it will be too soon.”
Ten had loved all the selfies Aurora took of herself and sent to Everly. His daughter, of course, wanted the same shirts. Thankfully, Fitz had grabbed some for Everly too.
“If the meeting isn’t about school, why are we here early on a Monday morning?” Jude asked, sounding grumpy.
“I want to talk about Carson’s vision,” Ten said simply.
“Son of a bitch, Ronan!” Carson shouted. “You couldn’t do it, could you? You couldn’t keep my secret after you promised you would.” Crossing his arms over his chest, the psychic sulked while eyeing the door.
“Ronandidn’tsay a word, Carson,” Ten said gently, not wanting his friend to leave before he heard Cole was going through the same thing.
“Who did?” Carson demanded, looking suspiciously at each of his friends.
“Uh, psychic!” Ten pointed to himself. “I could feel the uneasy energy coming off you all day yesterday. So being a good but nosy friend, I did a little digging and managed to catch glimpses of the visions you and Cole arebothhaving.”
“We’re both having the same vision?” Cole asked, sitting up straighter in his seat.
Carson bowed his head. “Damn, Ronan. I’m sorry for accusing you of being a blabbermouth. Fifty lashes with a wet noodle.”
“No worries.” Ronan grinned. “I just hope we can help you figure out what’s going on.”
“What happens in your vision?” Cole asked, sounding impatient.
“I’m in the worst pain of my life, and at the end, I see your face,” Carson admitted. “Last night, I tried a memory retrieval technique Ronan taught me and was able to see a shadowy figure who looks more familiar than I want to admit.”
Cole sighed. “I’m in pain in mine too, only I’m seeing you on a swing with some man pushing you.”
“Am I barefoot wearing a Superman tee?” Carson asked.
“Yeah. How did you know?” Cole asked.
Carson reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He dug through it for a few seconds before pulling out a dog-eared photograph, which he quietly handed to his brother.
“Holy shit. This is exactly the image I’ve been seeing.” Cole shook his head and passed the picture to Jude, who was sitting beside him.
“Who’s the man in the photo with you?” Jude asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer.
“Our father.”
“That’sDad?” Cole gasped.
“You didn’t recognize your own father?” Fitz asked, taking the photograph from Jude.
“You have to remember Carson is ten years older than me,” Cole said. “Dad left shortly after I was born. There aren’t a lot of pictures of us together, and for years, Mom had them hidden out of sight. I don’t have any memories of him at all.”
“He tried to come back home when you were about a year old, but Mom saw right through him. She kicked him out after only two days.” Carson blinked his misty eyes. “Those were two of the best days of my life. Dad took us to the park and out for ice cream. He told jokes and stories about his life on the road. Before I knew what was happening, he was gone.”
“Have you heard from him at all over the years?” Cole asked.
“He texts every now and then,” Carson said, sounding ashamed. “Around the time Ten and Ronan’sDatelineepisode aired, he called the shop, wanting to talk to me. I gave him my cell number. Dad’s never wanted to meet our kids or our spouses. He usually asks for money, which I don’t give. I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you’d feel the pain of his loss over and over again. I wanted to spare you that. Are you angry?”
Cole shook his head. “No, I’m not angry. I wrote him off years ago, when he stopped sending Mom support payments.”
“I’m glad we’re able to settle this little bit of family drama, but what does your father have to do with these visions?” Ronan asked.
