“He might. But you’re still coming tomorrow. With your friend.” Her voice didn’t leave room for argument so I nodded.

“But what about you? You upset too?”

Might as well get it all out there if so. See where my cards lay and all that.

“I had my time to process. Thanks for that.” Her smile was distinctly strained.

“Sorry.” I sat up enough to give her an awkward pat. “There were maybe lots better ways for you to find out.”

“Oh, Milo. I’ve probably always known.” She touched the back of my hand. “And I did a crap job protecting you from your dad. I can’t make excuses for the past, for not standing up to him more.”

“You loved him.”

“I did. But I didn’t see how…problematic he was until it was much too late. It wasn’t fair to you.”

“We all made mistakes.”

“Yeah.” Her eyes were on something far away. I joined her in staring at the clock above the sink. Pretty, with a little poem and twin angels decorating the face, it had been in our old house too. Still had a crack from the time Dad slammed a door too hard and it fell. Finally, Mom looked away and straightened her shoulders. “But I’m not making new ones. You’ll come tomorrow. We’ll get through this. As a family.”

“Thanks.” My hand hit the edge of one of the cards. Crap. Bruno had left both the cards and the check behind. “Can you keep this safe? I’m not taking it back. No matter what Bruno thinks of me selling the car, I still want to pay him back.”

“You already have.” Standing, she kissed my head. “Now, just be patient. Give him time.”

But it felt like time was the one thing we didn’t have. The party was tomorrow. Bruno only had a short visit. And then he’d be off, sent on a mission to some far-off place. I had a narrow window to make things right with him, and it was rapidly closing.

Chapter Forty-One

Jasper

“I’m not ready.” Milo made no move to open the car door. I’d had to park down the street from his mom’s apartment complex, and that was probably a good thing as no one could look out the window and see us sitting here. Milo’s back was broom-handle straight.

“We can stay right here.” I patted his thigh. He looked nice, hair all tamed with product, and khakis and a button-down shirt that had both seen an iron recently. Anywhere else and I’d be enjoying dressed-up Milo, but we’d talked late into the night last night about how things with Bruno did not go as he’d hoped. And now dread rolled off him in thick waves, like choppy surf, and it sucked that I couldn’t figure out what would help. “As long as you need.”