Page 67 of The Hook Up
“Mr. Ty? I can’t find the bathroom, and I hafta goreallybad.”
* * *
Ellie dashedinto the room and caught Henry by the arm, ready to steer him back down the hall. She saw from the rigid set of Ty’s posture that the man standing in the living room was no salesman, and she sensed now wasn’t the time for inquiries or introductions.
“Henry, remember what I said?” She stooped down to her son’s level, trying to shield him from the surly stranger’s stare. “Let’s look together down this hall right over?—”
“Well,hello.”
Ellie cringed, not sure how the man had managed to make a benign two-word greeting sound lecherous. She turned to see the stranger leering at her. His voice sounded like Ty’s voice if it had been pushed through a rock crusher and spit out the other end. Something about his eyes seemed familiar.
“Aren’t you a pretty little thing.” The man touched the brim of a dirty cowboy hat and continued to stare.
Ellie straightened, putting herself between the stranger and her son. The old man elbowed Ty in the ribs and gave an approving nod. “I’m Johnny,” he said. “Like Johnny Cash, ya know?” He grinned like someone proud of his own joke then stuck his hand out to Ellie. “Johnny Hendrix,” he said. “I’m Ty’s dad.”
Realization pinged through her as she shook the old man’s hand and darted a glance at Ty. His expression stayed stony, and he stared at their linked hands like he wanted to sever them apart with a saw.
Behind her, Henry stepped forward. “Your dad is Gentleman Ghost?” He looked from Ty to Johnny, an expression of wonder on his small face.
Ty found his tongue at last. “Uh…Gentleman Ghost?” He shot a baffled look at Ellie, but it was Henry who answered.
“Gentleman Ghost,” Henry repeated. “FromBatman: the Brave and the Bold. He wears a big hat like that one, and a gray cape, and he’s in ‘Terror on Dinosaur Island,’ and that one episode where?—”
“Ha!” The old man hooted like that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “You heard the kid,” he said, turning back to Ty. “I’m a real motherfuckin’ gentleman. The Gentleman Ghost. I like that.”
The words seemed to jolt Ty from whatever trance he’d been in. With steel in his jaw, he stepped between Ellie and his father and put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Let me show you the bathroom,” he said, taking Henry’s hand and hustling him down the hall so fast that Ellie had to jog to keep up.
Ty looked back over his shoulder and shot a glance at his father. It was a look that suggested he’d glue the old man’s eyebrows to his knees if he touched one single thing in that living room.
Ellie moved behind him, wondering if there was any way to make this awkward reunion less uncomfortable. As they turned into the master bedroom, Ty led them to a small bathroom tucked into the far corner of the house. “You guys can use this one,” he said. “It’s—uh—farther away than the guest bath.”
Ellie nodded and ushered Henry inside. “Thanks,” she said to Ty, patting Henry on the shoulder. “You go ahead, baby,” she said. “I’ll wait right here.”
Ty nodded, relieved. As Henry closed the door behind him, Ellie took a few steps away from it. Ty did the same, and Ellie lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Are you okay?”
Looking far from okay, Ty raked his hands through his hair. “Yeah.” He glanced toward the living room. “I need to get back out there. I don’t trust him alone.”
“I understand.” Ellie hesitated. Not sure if it was her place to ask questions. “I heard you say ‘Anna’ when I came in. Is there a problem with your sister?”
Ty’s jaw clenched as he nodded. “Yeah. I need to make sure he doesn’t find her. I need to—” He glanced at the bathroom door, but Henry was still safely out of earshot. “I need to warn her that he’s out.”
“Out?”
“Of prison. Again.”
She must have looked alarmed because Ty put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s not dangerous. Not like that, anyway. It’s mostly car theft and forgery. Things like that.”
“Oh, that’s all.” Ellie nodded, understanding now why they probably wouldn’t be inviting Ty’s father to Christmas dinner. Her heart ached for Ty, and she wondered how to make this better. “Do you want to call her?”
“Yeah. I should actually call his parole officer, too.”
“Want me to keep an eye on your dad so you can do that privately?”
He looked conflicted for a second. She wished she could reassure him that this would all be okay. That they’d deal with this together. That having a criminal for a father didn’t change how she saw him.
“I’m not leaving you alone with him,” Ty muttered.
