Something Like Thunder (35 page)

“There’s a restroom just over there,” the officer said, picking up the bag and moving in that direction. “We’ll get this rinsed off, and it’ll be like new!”

Nathaniel sincerely doubted that. He followed the officer and the dog, who bounded along happily. Once in the restroom, the officer was wetting paper towels in the sink when the dog broke loose, scurrying around the restroom and bumping into a man at the urinal, triggering another pee-related accident. Nathaniel snorted and tried not to laugh. He stepped on the leash so the dog couldn’t escape out the door.

“No good deed goes unpunished!” the officer said, shaking his head. “He’s not the right breed to be a sniffer dog, but one of the local shelters asked us to help train some of their problem cases. Better than them being put down, but of course they didn’t give us any of the smart ones. God forbid!”

Nathaniel bent over and took the leash. Bonkers wagged his tail and jumped on him, probably hoping to knock him over, but Nathaniel was a lot bigger than the dog. The beast bounced against him ineffectually, then strained against the leash to reach the nearest urinal where he tried to drink the water.

“I think he might have brain damage,” Nathaniel said.

“That would explain a lot. Here.” The officer thrust out Nathaniel’s bag. Now it was even wetter, with shreds of paper towel stuck to the damp parts.

“Gee, thanks.” Nathaniel offered the leash in exchange. “This belongs to you.”

“Not for long. He’s going back to the shelter where he’ll meet his maker. At least he’ll get two weeks of vacation before he has to face reality.”

“I know the feeling,” Nathaniel replied.

They left the restroom, the officer walking off in a different direction, perhaps in search of his next victim. Nathaniel glanced over his shoulder at the dog, who was looking back at him, tail wagging. He might be the ugliest creature ever, but the eyes were youthful, the open mouth like a goofy smile. Was he still a puppy? Nathaniel felt a pang of sympathy, knowing how life could deal shitty cards at times. Then he turned and left the airport, already spotting a familiar car pulling up to the curb. A second later, his mom hopped out of the passenger side and ran to embrace him. He was home again, and this time, it sure felt good.

Chapter Thirteen

Hollow. Nathaniel spent the better part of two weeks trying to fill the void inside. Often this meant sitting around the house watching movies, letting the plight of each character supersede his own. His mother seemed to sense his situation and tried to help by dragging him out for shopping or lunches, even insisting once that they both needed makeovers. This meant a trip to the stylist for a haircut followed by a pedicure. Nathaniel didn’t enjoy the experience, but didn’t act as despondent when around his mother. That he saved for when he was alone in his old room, stretched out on the bed, staring up at a blank ceiling.

In a strange sort of way, he did find contentment. Moping around his parents’ house was better than the emotional mess he’d left in Connecticut. But of course Thomas Wolfe was right. You can’t go home again. Not without being reminded of why you left in the first place.

Dwight was coming over for dinner. It would be too public for any sort of trouble. Nathaniel wouldn’t share a few beers with his brother afterwards. Not this time. Dwight managed to surprise him anyway. He barged into the front room, voice loud as he greeted Nathaniel, breath acrid from alcohol.

“Hey, it’s the college graduate! Mom’s golden boy.”

Nathaniel didn’t risk correcting him. He remained perfectly still when Dwight ruffled his hair, reassured that his parents, Sheila, and the baby were present. Only when Dwight threw an arm around his neck, pulling him down into a headlock, did Nathaniel react. He pulled free and shoved. Hard.

Dwight stumbled away, his features twisting up in rage. There it was again, after all these years. His family would finally meet the monster! Nathaniel didn’t cower. He felt hungry for confrontation, wanting to punch out some of his frustration.

“Boys!” their father shouted. “No roughhousing!”

“Roughhousing?” Nathaniel spat. “Because that’s all this is, right? I’ll be in my room!”

His family gave him privacy, which he spent pacing, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn’t stay here. Nathaniel knew that already. He’d be fine until spring break was over, but he hated the idea of returning to Yale. The entire experience had been soured. Even if he found a new place to live, the thought of being on campus and running into certain people made him miserable.

A knock on the door caused him to spin around defensively. Dwight? Then again, so what! Part of him was still itching for a fight. He threw open the door and found a much smaller figure standing there.

“I brought you dinner,” Sheila said.

He caught a whiff of the mashed potatoes and fried chicken and took the plate from her. “Thanks. Come on in.”

Sheila examined the room as she entered, then sat on the corner of the bed. Nathaniel nudged the door shut with his foot, joined her on the mattress, and wasting no time in eating.

“I knew you’d be hungry,” she said. “Just like your brother. You Courtney boys sure like to chow down!”

He glared at the mention of Dwight.

“I know,” Sheila said with a sigh. “He’s been having a rough time lately.”

Nathaniel chewed and swallowed. “I hope you didn’t let him drive.”

“Of course not. He doesn’t have a choice.”

“Meaning?”

“They didn’t tell you?” She stood and walked to a bookshelf that was mostly empty now, except for some old decorations his mother had brought in. Sheila touched a ceramic bird, fingers tracing the intricate pattern of its feathers. “Dwight got arrested a few weeks back for driving while still a little… Um.”

“Drunk driving,” Nathaniel said.

Sheila nodded. “He spent five days in jail and was fined enough to clear out our bank account. His license is suspended for six months too, but despite all that, I was happy. I honestly thought this would be his wakeup call.” She turned to face him. “I should have known better. I’ve seen it all before, thanks to my parents, but I thought… I love your brother. When I was little I always wished I could change my parents. Make them better. Maybe I saw them in Dwight and thought I could finally be the little girl who fixes the world.” She shook her head. “He needs help. I’ll make sure he gets it.”

Nathaniel finished another bite. “You know,” he said eventually, “for someone who grew up with alcoholic parents, you sure seem well-adjusted.”

Sheila appeared unconvinced. “Is that what you see when you look at me? Well-adjusted people don’t marry an equally dysfunctional version of their father.”

“We all marry our parents,” Nathaniel said. “Figuratively speaking.”

Sheila scrunched up her nose. “I always hated that idea.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Do you think it’s true?”

“I hope not.” They shared a laugh before he continued. “What I mean is that you seem happy. You had a rough childhood. I did too, but you seem way more together than me.”

“You’re not happy?”

He shrugged, not wanting to answer the question.

“I was loved,” Sheila said. “Maybe not by my parents. Not in the way I wanted to be, but I had Missy.”

“Missy?”

Sheila nodded and took out her phone, navigating screens and finally holding up an image of a beagle sitting in the grass. “There’s no better cure for a broken heart than a dog. Anytime I was hurt, she was there. The nights when my mom and dad didn’t come home, I wasn’t alone because Missy was with me. She loved me unconditionally. I still wanted normal parents like my friends had, but I never felt unloved.” She put the phone back in her pocket, looking sheepish. “Sounds stupid, doesn’t it?”

“No,” Nathaniel said firmly. “It doesn’t.”

“As soon as Arthur is old enough, I’m getting him a puppy that he can grow up with. I already love him with all my heart, but I want him to have that same comfort. Anyway, what’s all this about you being unhappy?”

Nathaniel started to shake his head. He preferred the pain to remain buried. Why speak of it? Then again, Sheila had always been open with him. “I broke up with a guy I’d been in love with for years. I think I still am.”

“Then what got in the way?”

Nathaniel started talking. At first he tried summarizing the situation, and as shocking as “my best friend was sleeping with my boyfriend” sounded, it still didn’t evoke all the despair he had gone through, so he kept speaking, delving into more detail than necessary.

“You can always start over,” Sheila said. “Build yourself a new life. I know it can be difficult to see the way forward right now, but there’s nothing holding you back. Reinvent yourself. Make the world what you want it to be.”

Nathaniel felt a nostalgic pang. It was good having someone to confide in again. He missed Rebecca. She had given him so much. Maybe he hadn’t given enough in return.

“You okay?” Sheila asked.

“Yeah. I just had a non-angry thought about Rebecca, that’s all.”

“Maybe you should forgive her.”

He shook his head. “We’ll never be friends again.”

“Fine, but you can still forgive her. Even if she never finds out. You’ll feel better if you let go of that anger completely.”

Nathaniel considered her with fresh perspective. Pretty, intelligent, and caring. “Where’s my brother?”

“Sleeping it off in his old room. Why?”

“Because I’m seriously thinking about proposing to you. Let’s run away together. We’ll elope.”

Sheila laughed. “Considering what an ass he’s been lately, I’m tempted to take you up on that.”

They talked a little longer, Nathaniel getting to know her better and listening to stories about Arthur that made her cheeks grow rosy. For once he believed the kid was going to be all right, because however much fury coursed through his brother, Sheila possessed twice as much love. When she heard Arthur crying, she left to tend to her son.

Nathaniel considered her advice. Build a new life. He could do that. Even if he walked out of the house right now and lived on the streets, he would be setting the past firmly behind him. Of course he wasn’t too keen on sleeping under a bridge. A job would be nice. Hadn’t he been offered one recently? He pulled out his wallet, searching for Marcello’s business card. Then he remembered using it as a bookmark on the plane. Nathaniel stood, grabbing the duffel bag from one corner and wincing at the stench of urine. Then he laughed, remembering how the smell had gotten there.

Bonkers the dog. What a stupid mutt. He was probably tearing apart some poor tourist’s backpack right now. Unless the officer hadn’t been kidding about sending him back to the shelter. If so, Bonkers had probably been put to sleep. Nathaniel couldn’t imagine anyone adopting such an ugly or ill-behaved creature. He swallowed, surprised by the lump in his throat. Then he opened the bag, digging around until he found the book. And the business card. He considered everything he needed before he dialed the number.

“Marcello,” a voice said by way of introduction.

“Nathaniel,” he replied. “Do you remember me?”

“I never stopped thinking of you,” Marcello purred. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Is that job offer still open?”

“Funny you should mention that. Kenneth just left our employ today.”

“You let him stick around that long?”

“Of course! I didn’t want to alert him, not before my computer specialists finished searching for more nasty surprises. And we found a few. Yes indeed. Now that his fangs have been pulled, Kenneth has been set loose, free to slither off to browner pastures.”

“You still need someone to take his place?”

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

“Naturally I’ve been planning ahead. I have some very impressive résumés on my desk. And if I’m not mistaken, you’re still preoccupied by Yale.”

“Fuck that place,” Nathaniel said. “And everyone there too.”

“What a novel idea! You know, perhaps you should reconsider your verbal demeanor. I’ve never had a potential employee use such language during a job interview.”

“Is that what this is?” Nathaniel blanched. “I figured it was already too late.”

“You did good work,” Marcello said. “It’s hard to separate precisely what you accomplished while working with Kenneth, but the results were of a higher caliber than usual.”

“I’m willing to work even harder,” Nathaniel said. “I promise.”

“The position is more complicated than you might imagine.”

“I can handle it.”

Marcello chuckled. “Such hubris. Enjoy it while you can. I haven’t sounded so certain about anything since my thirties. I’m afraid, however, that I must consider what is best for the company. Youth has its drawbacks as well, such as a lack of experience. Perhaps I can find you a position as a personal assistant or—”

“You said you were in my debt,” Nathaniel pressed.

“Do you really feel now is the appropriate time to play that card?”

“I’m desperate.”

There was a pause on the line. “You helped me at a time when I didn’t know I needed it. I’d be remiss not to return the favor. If worse comes to worst, we can agree to part ways.”

“Will I get a three-month severance package too?”

“Avoid extorting me and I might make it six.”

Nathaniel’s breath felt short. “So I’ve got the job?”

Marcello hesitated. “I’m not usually one for public service announcements, but from what I understand, it’s cool to stay in school. Student loans are dreadful. At the very least you should finish the semester and earn a degree.”

“I’m not going back to Yale,” Nathaniel insisted. He glanced at the business card. “Austin has a university. I’ll finish my degree there. Eventually.”

“Then you’re willing to relocate?”

“Totally. Except…”

“Yes?”

“Money is a little tight right now. I’ll need a place to stay.”

“Then you can be my guest until you find your footing.”

“No,” he said without thinking. It didn’t take him long to understand his aversion to the idea. “I’ve never had much luck living with other people. I need to be on my own.”

“And you expect me to buy you a house?”

“Works for me,” Nathaniel said, “but I was only hoping for an advance so I could find an apartment.”

“A rental?” Marcello sounded amused. “How practical! I’ve always said that renting is like dating. No sense in proposing to the bank before you’re ready to get ravaged by them on the honeymoon.”

“I’d be in your debt,” Nathaniel said.

“Literally, when I’m interested in obligations of a more abstract nature.”

“I did save your entire company.”

Marcello chuckled. “Then the company will save you. I’m sure we’ll find a way of making the apartment tax-deductible. Please don’t tell me I need to go grocery shopping for you. Or worry about the furnishings.”

“No. I can handle all that.”

“Very well,” Marcello said. “You have my email address. Send me any information you find relevant. I’ll respond with your new address, once I have it. Everything else can be handled in person. Can I expect you to report to work next week?”

“Yes,” Nathaniel said, head spinning. He couldn’t believe this was happening! He would need to return to Connecticut to collect his belongings. As soon as this phone call was over, he’d contact the airline, then start packing. His eyes shifted to the duffel bag and remained there. “Just one more thing. Make sure the apartment allows animals. Please.”