landing, I knock on the apartment door.
I hear voices behind the door. Then, it opens, and Storm is standing on the other side.
Only a few hours ago, I saw him, but the sight of him is still a sucker-punch to the heart. I wonder if seeing him will ever stop hurting.
“Hey,” he says in a low tone, his eyes sweeping the floor. “Come in.”
He stands aside, so Bob and I walk in.
There’s an awkward moment where we’re all standing in the hallway with no clue about what to say.
“Mom’s already at the table,” he says.
He starts walking, so we follow him. He turns into a kitchen with a small table in the center. Tiffany is sitting at it. She doesn’t look well—not that she looked well earlier, but she seems a little worse now.
I start to wonder if we should be here. She looks like she needs rest.
“Hey,” I say to her. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” She gives me a bright smile, but I can tell it’s forced. “Sit, please.” She gestures to the empty chairs.
Storm sits opposite Tiffany, so Bob and I take the two seats opposite each other. Lasagna and salad are already on the table.
“Looks great.” I gesture to the food.
“I can’t take credit. Marie made it for us. I don’t get to cook much nowadays.” Her smile is forced again.
“I don’t cook ever.” I laugh.
“Yeah, you probably have a maid to do all that for you,” Storm mutters.
Okay…
I see a look transpire between Tiffany and Storm.
So, I chuckle and say, “Well, I wouldn’t call my wife a maid. I wouldn’t dare. She’d have my ass if I did.”
Even though Tru would look amazing in a maid’s uniform. Maybe I should buy her one—for bedroom purposes only, of course.
“You don’t have house staff?” Storm frowns at me.
“We do have a cleaner who comes in a once a week to help out, but we have three kids, and my wife works. That’s it though.”
He looks at me like he doesn’t believe me.
“I do have staff…people who work for me at the label.”
My eyes flicker to Bob, realizing what I’m talking about—the label that Jonny and I set up together. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.
“You know, when Jake and Jonny created TMS Records, they were the youngest people ever to own and run their own label,” Bob tells Storm.
My eyes come back to Bob, and he gives me a smile.
Picking up the bottle of water from the table, I pour some out before offering it to everyone else.
“So, who do you have signed to your label then?” Storm asks with a begrudging tone, but he’s talking to me. So, I run with it.
“We have The Devil’s Own, and of course, Vintage—”
“I love their music,” Tiffany says.
“Oh, and we’ve just signed Lennox,” I add.
“Lennox?” Storm’s eyes show immediate interest.
“Yeah. You like them?”
“ Like is putting it mildly.” Tiffany laughs softly.
“Yeah, well, they’re awesome,” Storm says defensively, in only that way a teenager can.
“I can arrange for you to meet them sometime, if you’d like,” I tell him.
“Really?” His face is all lit up.
I know that I’m making some ground with him. Even if only a small amount, it’s a move in the right direction.
We spend the rest of dinner talking about bands we like. Storm tells us about songs he can play on his guitar. I ask him to get his guitar and play some for us, but he declines. He does that embarrassed look that my kids do when they don’t want to do something, so I don’t push it with Storm. There will be plenty of time to hear his abilities even though I am dying to see if he plays like Jonny did.
“That lasagna was amazing.” Bob presses his hand to his stomach. “Thank Marie for us.”
“She’ll be pleased to hear that you enjoyed it,” Tiffany says.
“Well, let us clean up since you fed us.” Bob stands, picking up his plate.
“No, it’s fine.” Tiffany waves him down.
But I know that there’s no way she can stand at the sink, washing dishes, with how sick she
Clara Moore
Lucy Francis
Becky McGraw
Rick Bragg
Angus Watson
Charlotte Wood
Theodora Taylor
Megan Mitcham
Bernice Gottlieb
Edward Humes