Mister Dick

I waited impatiently for a good two or three minutes before Harmony got the information from Echo’s assistant, Ali. I pushed myself outside, not caring when a hundred fucking flashes went off in my face, and then flagged down a cab. Before I got in, I heard Malcolm behind me.

“Christ, you’ve got it bad.”

I slid inside the cab. “No shit.”

“Well, good luck, then, my friend.”

I didn’t bother to reply. I read my phone and gave the cabbie an address, then prayed like hell I wouldn’t be too late.

I found Echo exactly where her driver Tim had dropped her off. A small Irish pub in the heart of Jamaica Plain. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but a sign in the window said it had been in business since 1892. I spotted an expensive black SUV parked up the way, which made me nervous because it meant she might bolt at any moment.

She was tucked away in the back corner, big ball cap pulled down low, in a booth all to herself. A large mug of draft was on the table, but it hadn’t been touched. She didn’t bother to look up when I slid onto the seat across from her.

She was upset. Really fucking upset. Her fingers drummed a beat on top of the table, her shoulders were scrunched forward, and from what little I could see, she was as white as the snow that had begun to fall outside.

“Why?” Her voice was small. So damn small.

“Can I get you something to drink?” The bored tone of the waitress didn’t last long. “Oh my God. You’re Boyd Appleton. Wow. I’m such a fan.”

I offered a quick smile and shook my head. “Thanks. I’m good, though.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

The waitress took the hint, thank God, and I turned back to Echo just as she looked up. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying, and my heart split open right there at the table. I would do anything to make that look go away. To make the ghosts that filled her eye with sadness leave her the hell alone.

I reached for her hands, and even though she flinched, she didn’t pull away. This was it. Crunch time. This was five inches from the end zone with three seconds on the clock.

“It wasn’t me.”

Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. She yanked her hands from my grasp, averted her eyes, and took a good, long gulp from the mug.

“Who, then?”

“It had to have been Georgia, but she’s not answering my phone calls, and Marta hasn’t talked to her since I left.”

Her head shot up at that, and her bottom lip trembled. “What? Why? How?”

“She borrowed my cell that last day. I didn’t remember until this all hit. She said hers was dead and she needed to make a quick call, and I gave it to her without thinking.” I exhaled. “She’s the one who told me about my mom. About what you did that summer.”

Echo looked miserable and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Boyd. I was a stupid, stupid girl. I was mad at you. I hated you, but I loved you. I never wanted to see you again, and the only way to do that was to get rid of your mother. I know I was young, and maybe some people might give me a pass because I was immature. But it was plain wrong. It was wrong and horrible and selfish, and I’ve never forgiven myself.” She sniffled. “This is karma. This tape. My dad. This is fucking karma.”

“Hey, I forgive you.” I stared into her eyes and hoped she saw how I felt. “Now you have to forgive yourself.”

She exhaled slowly. “I didn’t know about the video until I got here.” Her eyes were shiny with tears, and it took everything in me not to jump over the table and crush her to my chest. “Axel sent me the YouTube link.”

Surprised, I sat back and watched her closely.

“There were no words. Just the video.” She shrugged and pulled off her ball cap. “He said nothing. Not one word.” She swiped at the tears that pooled in her eyes. “Not that I expected it. I’m surprised he even saw the video. He’s been so busy working with Samantha Needles. Why should he care about me?”

What the hell was wrong with Axel? I clamped down on my anger and thought he was a lucky bastard not to be here right now, because I would have flattened him. Knocked him out cold.

I leaned forward. Got as close to her as I could and slipped my hands around her face. “Listen to me, Echo. We don’t know what’s going on in your old man?

?s head, which means we can’t put words in his mouth, words he hasn’t even said yet. I get that you’ve got some business to clear up with him. I also get that our parents aren’t always going to meet the gold standard that good parents should meet. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. The key to getting this living-life thing right is to learn from those mistakes and move on. It’s to realize that some of us won’t ever learn and we’ll keep making the same mistakes over and over. Take my mom, for instance. She’s always had a problem with substance abuse. And yeah, she was abusing that summer, and at the moment, she’s getting clean for the twentieth time.”

I saw surprise in Echo’s eyes, but she remained silent, listening closely.