Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 145231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“I can’t see them when they’re back there! How’re they gonna shoot bad guys?” he asks. Infallible logic.
“They’ll attack when the enemy gets closer. Tanks need better range and a good line of sight to hurt the enemy. Trust me. Did you know I was named after a famous general?” I ask as Arlo makes explosion noises, standing over the blue soldiers lined up against us.
I think I lose a tank and fire back.
The boy knocks over a mess of soldiers, clapping his hands in delight.
“Have you learned about World War II yet, Arlo?” And what do I know about age-appropriate history?
“World War II? Yeah, the movies.”
“You know how big it was and how many men fought, then,” I tell him. I smile and crouch down next to him. “Lots of folks had relatives in the war. Even you—probably.”
I add the last word as an afterthought, despite knowing he’s too young to guess any hidden meanings.
Hell, it’s right at the tip of my tongue, aching to tell him the truth about his family. About his father. About me.
But he purses his lips and stops making battle noises as he looks at me. I’m not sure he understands.
For the hundredth time, I’m dumbstruck by how close his eyes are to mine—and how stupid it is that I didn’t notice before.
Then again, no one else here has mentioned it yet.
Or maybe they’re afraid to contemplate a world where I’m insta-dad.
“What about you?” he asks. “Were you in the war?”
I chuckle and ruffle his hair.
“Nah, the great big world wars were before my time. I’m not that old. And not a soldier, kid. I had a brief stint in the Navy instead. I like to think it helped straighten me out and built a little character.” I point at his ships a little farther away, mostly old battleships modeled on the type from the First World War.
As a kid, I thought all ships were still like that. I was disappointed when I enlisted and found out battleships were long obsolete, and the average aircraft carrier mainly serves as a floating airbase for distant missions in combat a sailor never sees firsthand.
“You were on ships?”
“Yeah. A destroyer escort. We sailed around with a big group of ships to help protect the carrier, where the jets take off.”
“Wow, cool! You should be the ships.” He waves me over to the toy ships. I pick up the battleship and smile, fond memories rushing back. “Was it fun?” he asks.
“The Navy? If you like waking up at six a.m. and busting your butt past sunset, it was a blast. Makes the rest of life seem easier, though.”
“Did you go on sailing ships?”
“Not often, but I trained on them briefly.” I try to hide the melancholy in my tone.
It was an odd time in my life, finishing growing up alone with no father. My older brothers had already moved out.
Whether I knew it or not, I was quietly reeling from Dad’s death. I thought sailing around the world might hold some answers, but the constant training and the isolation from family didn’t help much with loneliness.
It just kept me out of trouble and molded me into the playboy idiot I became when I came home. But a playboy idiot with an ironclad work ethic.
“But you’re not a sailor now,” Arlo says curiously. “You’re a boss. Mommy told me.”
“Your mommy knows a lot of things. Listen to her.”
“Okay!” He turns back to his blue soldiers again, slowly reforming them in a neat line.
While he’s distracted, I head over to the sofa beside Salem, but Evelyn catches my eye first and gestures me over to a cabinet where Mom keeps the good booze. There’s a half-empty wine bottle sitting on top of it.
What I want more than anything is to sit down next to my frigging girlfriend, but apparently that’s too much to ask.
A quick drink never hurt anyone, though, so I meet her beside the bottle and pour us both a glass. She’s dressed up tonight, wearing large gold earrings.
“Patton, darling.” She accepts the glass with a clink of bracelets. “Don’t you look handsome? It’s so wonderful to see you boys together again.”
“Thanks, Evelyn.” I submit to her perfumed kiss.
“Oh, and I wondered when you might introduce her. Doesn’t it feel better to come out in the open and leave all the games behind you?”
I smile.
Technically, I never got the chance to make much introduction.
Mom started treating Salem like family the second she was through the door. Even now, I can see from the set of Salem’s shoulders that if she’s not quite relaxed, she’s not feeling the near-panic she was before we showed up.
“It’s new to us. Didn’t want to rush anything,” I say, sipping my wine. Compared to the beer I finished outside, it’s fruity and sweet.
“Of course, of course. But anyone with eyes can see you both have real affection for each other. It’s charming, just like with my dear Walt back in better times…” She sighs. Her eyes glisten as she shakes her head. “But that’s enough of that. I hoped I could catch you alone, Patton.”