window, which was completely shattered to pieces. And next to it, the other window was open and the screen had been knocked off. “She ran out?” Red said, finally looking back at his father.
Ray shrugged. “Threw the alarm clock through the window, then opened t’other one and just scrambled out of it.”
“But first, she did that to you,” Red said, pointing to the scratch on his father’s face.
Ray nodded. “You know how Erica can be when she’s in one of her moods.”
“What did you say to her?”
“I didn’t say anything. Does anyone really need to say anything?” He scoffed.
“I’m getting my stuff and driving back to the farm. I don’t need this…”
“Dad—“
“No,” Ray said, standing up and slowly walking to the foot of the bed, where he began picking up his old clothes and getting dressed.
“Should I call the police?” Kallie asked, hugging herself as a cold gust of wind blew inside from the open windows.
“No,” Red told her. “I’m going to call the security detail at the front gate.” He jogged out of the room and past her.
Ray continued changing. He put on his jeans, flannel shirt, and then stepped into his boots. Finally, he looked up at Kallie with a strange smile. “We always had that spark,” he said. “It was always bad, too. Really bad. Like how some people keep smoking cigarettes when they’ve got throat cancer. I saw a guy once smoking through his tracheotomy tube when I was an orderly at a hospital.”
Kallie made a face. “That’s disgusting.”
Ray nodded. “That kind of love is disgusting. My Uncle Troy used to drink a fifth of vodka every day, even after the doctors told him he wouldn’t see forty-five because his liver was going.”
“That’s not love, it’s addiction,” Kallie replied.
“And what’s the difference?” Ray asked her.
She didn’t say anything.
“Exactly.” He reached down and grabbed his duffel bag. “Time for me to go.”
Kallie followed Ray Jameson as he walked through the house until he reached the front door, where Red was waiting. Red turned to them. “Security is scouring the grounds now. They’ll find her.”
“Good. But I can’t say I want to be around when she’s caught,” Ray told him.
“I’m heading out.”
Red nodded. “It’s late. You think you can make that long of a drive at this time of night?”
“I’ll probably be up for two days straight after what just happened.” He shook his head. “What were you thinking, inviting both of us here at the same time? Are you crazy?”
Red just shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“No, I guess not.” His father dropped his bag and quickly hugged Red. “But that’s okay. I forgive you.”
Red hugged him back, a bit awkwardly. After they were done, Ray picked up his duffel bag and started out the front door. Before leaving, he turned around. “When Erica comes back, tell her I said that I’m sorry about everything.”
And then he left.
Kallie watched him get into his truck and drive away.
“What happened?” she said, shaking her head in amazement.
“The unavoidable happened.” Red was smiling grimly.
“You knew this was coming, didn’t you?” Kallie asked him.
“When you throw a match into a tank of gasoline, I guess you can pretty much assume there will be one hell of an explosion,” he admitted.
“But what about Erica? Is she okay?”
“I’m sure she is,” Red replied.
Kallie thought he looked slightly less sure of himself than he had a moment before.
They waited twenty long minutes, and Nicole eventually came downstairs holding the baby. Riley was crying, her sleep having been disturbed. Nicole looked baggy-eyed and furious. “I can’t have this kind of instability in my house,” she said, looking at Red.
“It’s almost over.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Just wait and see,” he told her, his eyes determined.
“Wait for what, exactly?”
Not a minute later, the security detail drove
Ray shrugged. “Threw the alarm clock through the window, then opened t’other one and just scrambled out of it.”
“But first, she did that to you,” Red said, pointing to the scratch on his father’s face.
Ray nodded. “You know how Erica can be when she’s in one of her moods.”
“What did you say to her?”
“I didn’t say anything. Does anyone really need to say anything?” He scoffed.
“I’m getting my stuff and driving back to the farm. I don’t need this…”
“Dad—“
“No,” Ray said, standing up and slowly walking to the foot of the bed, where he began picking up his old clothes and getting dressed.
“Should I call the police?” Kallie asked, hugging herself as a cold gust of wind blew inside from the open windows.
“No,” Red told her. “I’m going to call the security detail at the front gate.” He jogged out of the room and past her.
Ray continued changing. He put on his jeans, flannel shirt, and then stepped into his boots. Finally, he looked up at Kallie with a strange smile. “We always had that spark,” he said. “It was always bad, too. Really bad. Like how some people keep smoking cigarettes when they’ve got throat cancer. I saw a guy once smoking through his tracheotomy tube when I was an orderly at a hospital.”
Kallie made a face. “That’s disgusting.”
Ray nodded. “That kind of love is disgusting. My Uncle Troy used to drink a fifth of vodka every day, even after the doctors told him he wouldn’t see forty-five because his liver was going.”
“That’s not love, it’s addiction,” Kallie replied.
“And what’s the difference?” Ray asked her.
She didn’t say anything.
“Exactly.” He reached down and grabbed his duffel bag. “Time for me to go.”
Kallie followed Ray Jameson as he walked through the house until he reached the front door, where Red was waiting. Red turned to them. “Security is scouring the grounds now. They’ll find her.”
“Good. But I can’t say I want to be around when she’s caught,” Ray told him.
“I’m heading out.”
Red nodded. “It’s late. You think you can make that long of a drive at this time of night?”
“I’ll probably be up for two days straight after what just happened.” He shook his head. “What were you thinking, inviting both of us here at the same time? Are you crazy?”
Red just shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“No, I guess not.” His father dropped his bag and quickly hugged Red. “But that’s okay. I forgive you.”
Red hugged him back, a bit awkwardly. After they were done, Ray picked up his duffel bag and started out the front door. Before leaving, he turned around. “When Erica comes back, tell her I said that I’m sorry about everything.”
And then he left.
Kallie watched him get into his truck and drive away.
“What happened?” she said, shaking her head in amazement.
“The unavoidable happened.” Red was smiling grimly.
“You knew this was coming, didn’t you?” Kallie asked him.
“When you throw a match into a tank of gasoline, I guess you can pretty much assume there will be one hell of an explosion,” he admitted.
“But what about Erica? Is she okay?”
“I’m sure she is,” Red replied.
Kallie thought he looked slightly less sure of himself than he had a moment before.
They waited twenty long minutes, and Nicole eventually came downstairs holding the baby. Riley was crying, her sleep having been disturbed. Nicole looked baggy-eyed and furious. “I can’t have this kind of instability in my house,” she said, looking at Red.
“It’s almost over.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Just wait and see,” he told her, his eyes determined.
“Wait for what, exactly?”
Not a minute later, the security detail drove
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