he’d released me from a hug after my father’s heart attack.
“It was totally the right thing to do,” I assured him. “In fact, you don’t understand how much I appreciate it. I needed to get out of there. The walls were closing in.”
“How so?”
“My brother has no clue what he’s doing. I’m trying to help him and he brushes everything I say off like I don’t know anything. Then he blames me when he screws up.”
“But your dad knows it’s not you, right?”
“Actually Papa blames me because I shouldn’t let Joey screw up. He thinks I should go behind him and fix everything before it becomes an error.” I sighed. “What sense does that make? Why would I redo everything? Joey should be the one asking me for help if he doesn’t know how to do something. Efficiency.”
“Have you told your dad?”
I gave Landon a full-on glare, rather than a sidelong glance. “And upset Papa while he’s supposed to be relaxing?”
“Sounds like he’s already getting upset.”
“He wouldn’t listen to me anyway.”
“Well, that’s a different story.” Landon stopped at a red light and shifted to look at me. “Why won’t he listen to you?”
“Because I’m a girl.”
Landon burst out laughing. “Sounds archaic.”
“Have you met the Bertuccis? I’m surprised I’m allowed to work at the stores at all. I should be learning to cook and scrubbing laundry on a washboard. You know, the things a girl is supposed to do.”
Landon laughed again, a quick bark as he studied me. When he realized I wasn’t smiling, he continued, “You’re kidding, right? Your family can’t be that old school about gender roles.”
“Then why is my brother, who has never worked at any of our stores, running the newest one? Why aren’t I?”
Landon shrugged.
“It’s been this way my whole life. It’s nothing new.”
“I feel your pain.”
“How?”
“I’ve always had a hard time getting my parents to notice me, too.”
“How could that be? Aren’t you the golden child?”
“Yeah right. I have an older brother who leaps tall buildings and saves lives for a living. And two younger brothers who need constant attention. I’m lost in the mix.”
I didn’t know much about Landon’s family, but I knew that tons of foster kids had come and gone through their house. And the Taylors had adopted two of them a few years ago.
“I sound like a selfish prick, don’t I?” Landon shook his head. “I’m the only one who was actually born into my family and I’m complaining about my lot in life.”
“You’re allowed to have feelings, Landon, no matter how privileged you grew up.”
“Privileged. That’s a perfect word. Complaining about my privilege. Ungrateful.”
I couldn’t tell if Landon was still talking to me or to himself. His eyes were dark with a sadness I’d never seen. Probably because we’d been only acquaintances until recently.
“Sorry, Gaby.” Landon rubbed his eyes as we idled at yet another stoplight on Gratiot. “I picked you up to do something spontaneous and fun and I’m a total buzzkill today.”
“Want to talk about it?” I asked. “I may not have any answers, but I’ve always been a good listener.”
“Fabian got called up to Charlotte.”
“Oh.”
Landon’s melancholy made total sense, now. If Steve Fabian, his defense partner on the Pilots, had been called up to the NHL, it meant Landon hadn’t been.
Which sucked no matter how happy he had to be for his teammate.
“I need a beer,” he said as he twisted the steering wheel into the parking lot of a decrepit building that I didn’t want to be stopped next to on the road, let alone walk into. He turned off the engine and jumped out.
Coming over to the passenger side, Landon must’ve felt my tension at the situation. Either that or he noticed the flesh across my knuckles turn a ghostly shade as I gripped the door handle with all my might.
“I wouldn’t take you somewhere unsafe, Gaby!” Landon yelled
“It was totally the right thing to do,” I assured him. “In fact, you don’t understand how much I appreciate it. I needed to get out of there. The walls were closing in.”
“How so?”
“My brother has no clue what he’s doing. I’m trying to help him and he brushes everything I say off like I don’t know anything. Then he blames me when he screws up.”
“But your dad knows it’s not you, right?”
“Actually Papa blames me because I shouldn’t let Joey screw up. He thinks I should go behind him and fix everything before it becomes an error.” I sighed. “What sense does that make? Why would I redo everything? Joey should be the one asking me for help if he doesn’t know how to do something. Efficiency.”
“Have you told your dad?”
I gave Landon a full-on glare, rather than a sidelong glance. “And upset Papa while he’s supposed to be relaxing?”
“Sounds like he’s already getting upset.”
“He wouldn’t listen to me anyway.”
“Well, that’s a different story.” Landon stopped at a red light and shifted to look at me. “Why won’t he listen to you?”
“Because I’m a girl.”
Landon burst out laughing. “Sounds archaic.”
“Have you met the Bertuccis? I’m surprised I’m allowed to work at the stores at all. I should be learning to cook and scrubbing laundry on a washboard. You know, the things a girl is supposed to do.”
Landon laughed again, a quick bark as he studied me. When he realized I wasn’t smiling, he continued, “You’re kidding, right? Your family can’t be that old school about gender roles.”
“Then why is my brother, who has never worked at any of our stores, running the newest one? Why aren’t I?”
Landon shrugged.
“It’s been this way my whole life. It’s nothing new.”
“I feel your pain.”
“How?”
“I’ve always had a hard time getting my parents to notice me, too.”
“How could that be? Aren’t you the golden child?”
“Yeah right. I have an older brother who leaps tall buildings and saves lives for a living. And two younger brothers who need constant attention. I’m lost in the mix.”
I didn’t know much about Landon’s family, but I knew that tons of foster kids had come and gone through their house. And the Taylors had adopted two of them a few years ago.
“I sound like a selfish prick, don’t I?” Landon shook his head. “I’m the only one who was actually born into my family and I’m complaining about my lot in life.”
“You’re allowed to have feelings, Landon, no matter how privileged you grew up.”
“Privileged. That’s a perfect word. Complaining about my privilege. Ungrateful.”
I couldn’t tell if Landon was still talking to me or to himself. His eyes were dark with a sadness I’d never seen. Probably because we’d been only acquaintances until recently.
“Sorry, Gaby.” Landon rubbed his eyes as we idled at yet another stoplight on Gratiot. “I picked you up to do something spontaneous and fun and I’m a total buzzkill today.”
“Want to talk about it?” I asked. “I may not have any answers, but I’ve always been a good listener.”
“Fabian got called up to Charlotte.”
“Oh.”
Landon’s melancholy made total sense, now. If Steve Fabian, his defense partner on the Pilots, had been called up to the NHL, it meant Landon hadn’t been.
Which sucked no matter how happy he had to be for his teammate.
“I need a beer,” he said as he twisted the steering wheel into the parking lot of a decrepit building that I didn’t want to be stopped next to on the road, let alone walk into. He turned off the engine and jumped out.
Coming over to the passenger side, Landon must’ve felt my tension at the situation. Either that or he noticed the flesh across my knuckles turn a ghostly shade as I gripped the door handle with all my might.
“I wouldn’t take you somewhere unsafe, Gaby!” Landon yelled
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