Page 55 of The Do-Over
“Oh, I remember,” Rob said, and she thought she detected a note of bitterness in his tone. “It’s pretty crappy that I’ve forgotten the best years of my life, but everything that happened in Deer Ridge I remember like it was yesterday.”
“Well…okay.” Thea felt stung. He really talked about the time he had spent in Deer Ridge like it had been horrible, and like his life hadn’t gotten good until he had left. She had known that he was happy to get away, but she’d never realized he hated everything about this place. “Well, I wouldn’t worry too much,” she told him. “Your memories will return. I’m sure they will. And besides, you’ll be out of this place soon, and you’ll be able to start making more memories in Chicago. The place where you’re really happy.”
She started to leave the room.
“Hang on,” Rob said, hurrying after her. “Thea, wait. I…that came out wrong. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
“How did you mean it?” She didn’t turn back toward him. She couldn’t look at him.
“I just meant that life was hard here,” he said.
“Boring,” she said. “I know. Not enough excitement for the great Rob Honeycutt.”
“Thee, are you angry at me?”
Thea sighed. Of course she wasn’t angry. She couldn’t be, not when he had no memory of the things she wanted to be angry about.
“No,” she told him. “I’m not angry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things. You wanted to get out of Deer Ridge, and you did get out. And I’m happy for you.”
“Thea?”
“Yeah?”
“My…” He took a deep breath. “My father?”
Thea was quiet for several moments. How was she supposed to break this to him?
“He died,” she murmured. “Several years ago. I’m so sorry, Rob.”
Rob closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He nodded. “That’s that, then.”
“I really am sorry,” she said. “I know how hard it must be to hear this now.”
“If it’s okay, I think I’d like to be alone for a while,” Rob said.
“Of course it’s okay.”
“I’m going to close the bedroom door,” he said. “But I won’t lock it. And if I don’t come out in an hour, you can come and check on me.”
What could she say? He was a grown man. He had every right to a bit of privacy. And he’d just learned that his father had died.
If his head injury was going to get worse, it probably would have happened already.
“Okay,” she said. “You’re fine. I’ll just be out here watching TV and trying to come up with dinner.”
“Maybe tacos?” he said.
It felt like a peace offering. He knew how much she liked tacos. “That sounds great,” she said. “I’ll just run over to the restaurant and have Carlo fix us up. I’ll be gone maybe twenty minutes.”
“The restaurant’s open?”
“Probably no customers, but yeah. You know Mom and Dad would never let a snowstorm stop them.”
Rob grinned. “Sounds great,” he said. “I’ll be here.”
