Circle of Friends, Part 2 by Susan Mallery

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    â€œNoelle,” Dev said between clenched teeth. “I’d like you to meet Jackson Hunter. My father.”
    Father? Noelle stared at the older man. Father as in the guy who ran out on his two sons days after their mother died? Father as in the guy who told Dev he had to leave to keep his oldest son from turning out just like him?
    â€œMr. Hunter,” Noelle said, her tone icy. “This is unexpected.”
    The older man smiled at her. “I know, my dear. You have every right to be angry with me. I just hope you’ll understand when an old man comes home to make amends with his only family.”
    Noelle opened her mouth and closed it. Dev was his only family, now that Jimmy was gone. Except for the baby. Which meant Jackson was her baby’s grandfather.
    She looked into Jackson’s brown eyes and saw a lifetime of pain there. “It’s been a long time,” she said.
    â€œToo long. I wanted to come back before, but I didn’t know how.”
    â€œA plane would be a conventional way of traveling,” Dev said flatly. “A car, if you’re in the area. A boat could work, to the coast, of course.”
    Jackson Hunter flinched.
    Dev didn’t seem to notice. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do,” he said, then left.
    Noelle thought about calling him back, but had no idea what to say. These days, she and Dev were barely speaking.
    â€œIt’s all right,” his father said. “I wasn’t a very good father while I was around and leaving didn’t improve my status.”
    â€œDev said you told him you left so he wouldn’t turn out like you,” she said before she could stop herself.
    Jackson frowned. “Did I?” He considered the statement. “I don’t think so. It’s true I didn’t want him to be a failure. I could see so much potential in him. I thought if I were out of the way, he could reach that potential. It was my father’s idea. He would take the boys and I...” The old man shrugged. “It was a long time ago. I took the easy way out. Later, I wondered if I should have stayed. But there’s no going back now, is there?”
    Noelle didn’t know what to say. This was not how Dev told the story and since he had no reason to lie, she could only assume he’d repeated what he’d heard. His father’s leaving had been his grandfather’s idea?
    â€œDev’s all I have left,” Jackson continued. “I came as soon as I heard about Jimmy.”
    Noelle instinctively touched her stomach. There was more than Dev, but this wasn’t the time to get into that.
    â€œI’m sorry for your loss,” she said automatically.
    â€œDid you know him?” Jackson asked hopefully. “He was so young when I left. What was he like?”
    She thought about all she knew about Jimmy and decided that there was no reason for his father to have all the details. “He was funny and charming and far too young to die,” she said quietly. “Even in the service of his country.”
    Jackson seemed to age right before her eyes. “My baby boy is gone.” His voice shook as he spoke. Then he cleared his throat and straightened. “I’ve bothered you enough. I’ll be leaving now.”
    â€œYou can’t go,” Noelle said impulsively. “Please, stay. My fifteen-year-old sister has just run away from home and settled here, so you’ll have to put up with shrieking girls and loud music. But we have a pool house that is comfortable and a little away from all the action. Let me show you.”
    Thirty minutes later Jackson Hunter had carried his two suitcases into the pool house and changed into worn swim trunks and a T-shirt. He joined the girls by the pool where he stunned them all by knowing the words to the song blaring from the radio.
    â€œHe’s not staying,” Dev said, coming up to stand beside her in the kitchen as