Chapter 2

“Well, Sam just called me. He wanted to invite me to a dinner to celebrate Logan’s wedding. It seems he got married last night.”

“Damn it, Cole!” I shouted. “That’s the second cup of coffee I’ve spit out this morning.”

“Well don’t drink anymore until I finish the story,” he said.

“Okay, let’s hear the rest of it,” I said, placing my coffee cup down, and slowly wiping the kitchen counter and floor, grateful that I had bought extra absorbent paper towels.

“He married a man,” Cole said.

“Fuck,” I mumbled. “I guess I should be proud that both of your children seem to be taking after me, but I can see why you might be upset.”

“No, Mark, I have had my suspicions about Logan, and so it’s fine if he’s gay. I was upset about Sam because I never saw that coming. Hell, the way Logan and his friend Tom look at each other I always thought that, well, you get it, but that’s not what happened. He didn’t marry his young friend Tom. He married a man. A grown-up with a career. Sam said he owns a restaurant. That’s where I’m supposed to have dinner with Sam and his guys, boys, lovers, whatever the hell they are, and then I get to meet the old fuck that married my youngest son last night. Did I mention that Logan’s friend, Tom, will be there? You know, the one that I think is in love with Logan. I can’t imagine a more awkward family dinner, and you’ve met my parents,” Cole said, a tension in his voice that I wasn’t used to hearing.

“Wow!” I replied, unsure of what to say next. “It sounds like you’re going to have quite an evening.”

“I was hoping that we could have quite an evening,” he announced, with an odd mixture of confidence and desperation, and then the sad voice. “Will you join me?”

“Well, I…”

“Please, Mark,” he said, all desperation now. “I’m really worried that I’m going to screw this up.”

I heard the question, but I heard so much more. This was the request of a man who didn’t want to lose his children. He had lost so much in the last few years, and things in the lives of his sons had not gone anywhere near to where he thought they might.

“It’s just that I’m not very diplomatic when it comes to my boys. I want what’s best for them whether they know it or not. Emily would know how to handle this, and I just don’t,” he continued. “If you could help me out, Mark…”

“I’ve got you, man,” I said. “I’ve got you, Cole. What time do you want me there?”

“I had hoped that’s what you’d say. Your flight leaves BWI a little after noon. I’ll pick you up at the Tampa airport, and we can drive to Shark Beach together,” he said, his confidence back.

“Well that means I should try to get to the airport by ten. I need to shower and pack. How long are we staying?”

“I’m not sure, Mark. Do you have a few days?”

“A few weeks, actually. I don’t have to teach until then,” I said, trying to sound reassuring.

“Great, I doubt we’ll be there long, but just in case,” Cole said.

“Just in case is right,” I agreed. “If things tonight are half as interesting as they have been then we should plan on extra time. By the way, Cole, have you told them?”

“No,” he said. “I mean, as far as I know there hasn’t been any need, but maybe this other stuff ties into it all somehow.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Sometimes kids have a way of finding things out that you didn’t plan on telling them.”

“They do,” Cole agreed. “If they have to find out though, I want to be the one to tell them, but maybe it’s too late for that. By the way, what happened to the first cup of coffee?”

“Long story,” I said. “One that I’ll tell you when you pick me up from the airport. For now, let’s just say that you’re not the only one who got a shocking phone call this morning.”

“Who was yours from?”

“Olivia,” I said. “Remember, Olivia?”

“Isn’t that the woman from twenty years ago who...?”

“That’s her. Look, I’ll tell you all about it tonight. I can use some serious advice.”

“Got you,” Cole said.

“Thanks, man,” I mumbled. “I better go now.”

“Yeah,” Cole agreed. “We both need to be prepared for this evening.”