“Great. Terrific. I’ll retire tomorrow.”

“Grandma and Grandpa can take me to Disney World, and you can’t go.”

“They’re not taking you anywhere,” Brody snapped, cut to the bone by the childish slap. “You’ll be lucky to go to Disney World by the time you’re thirty. Now, cut it out.”

“I want Grandma! I want to go home! I don’t like you anymore.”

Kate walked in on that, and the resulting angry, tired tears. She took one look at Brody’s exhausted, frustrated face, the cranky little boy sprawled weeping on the floor, and stepped into the fray.

“What’s all this, Handsome Jack?”

“I wanna go to Disney World.”

He sobbed it out, between hiccups. Even as Brody got to his feet to deal with it, Kate crouched down between father and son. “Oh, boy, me, too. I bet we’d all like to go there more than anyplace.”

“Dad doesn’t.”

“Sure he does. Dads like to go most of all. That’s why it’s harder for them, because they have to work.”

“Kate, I can handle this.”

“Who said you couldn’t?” she muttered, but picked up the boy and got to her feet. “I bet you’re tired of being cooped up, aren’t you, baby? Why don’t we go to my house awhile, and let Dad finish his work?”

“My mother’s coming by to get him in a couple of hours. Just let me—” He reached for his son who only curled himself like a snake around Kate—and effectively cut his heart in two.

One look at the blank hurt on Brody’s face made her want to sandwich Jack between them in a hard hug. But that, she thought wasn’t the immediate answer. Distance was.

“I’m done for the day here, Brody. Why don’t you let Jack come home with me, keep me company.” Take a nap, she mouthed. “I’ll call your mother and ask her to pick him up at my house instead.”

“I want to go with Kate.” Jack sobbed against her shoulder.

“Fine. Great.” The miserable mix of temper and guilt had him snatching up his trowel again. Very much, Kate thought, like a cranky boy. “Thanks.”

He sat down heavily on an overturned bucket as he heard Jack sniffle out, as Kate carried him off: “My daddy yelled at me.”

“Yes, I know.” She kissed Jack’s hot, wet cheek as she walked downstairs. “You yelled at him, too. I bet he feels just as sad as you do.”

“Nuh-uh.” With a heavy, heavy sigh, Jack rested his head on Kate’s shoulder. “He wouldn’t take me to Disney World like Rod.”

“I know. I guess that’s my fault.”

“How come?”

“Well, your dad’s doing this job for me, and he promised me it would be done by a certain time. Because he promised, I made promises to other people who are depending on me now. If your dad broke his promise to me, then I broke mine to the other people, that wouldn’t be right. Would it, Jack?”

“No, but, maybe just this one time.”