Chapter21
Ned Saunders gave Jace a ride to Seamus and Carolina’s place shortly after one. They’d texted to say they needed more time because the boys and Ethan were having lunch. At some point, Jace needed to find a used car or truck to get around. Thinking about that was far better than worrying about what he needed to say to his sons and how they might take it.
“Gorgeous day,” Ned said.
“Sure is.”
“September is the crown jewel, if ya ask me. Best part o’ the year. Tourists are gone, and things get back ta normal round here.”
“I can see why you love it.”
“Are ya enjoying livin’ on our fair isle?”
“Yeah, it’s great. Nothing not to love.”
“The winters ain’t so great, but we get by.”
“I guess I’ll find out.”
“Want ya to know… I admire whatcha doing for them boys of yers.”
Jace glanced up to find Ned looking at him in the mirror. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised that people had heard who he was and why he was there, but Ned’s comment caught him off guard just the same.
“A lot of fellas woulda come bombin’ in, flexin’ their muscles, whether that was good fer the kids or not.”
“I’ve already done enough damage where they’re concerned. I’m not looking to do more.”
“Seamus and Carolina are good folks. Yer kids couldn’t ask for better.”
“I know.” Jace debated for a second about whether to tell the older man the reason he was going there now and quickly decided he could use all the advice he could get ahead of this meeting. “We’ve been passing me off as a friend of Seamus’s, but they saw a picture of me with their mother and had questions about how she knew me.”
“Ah, damn. What’d ya do about that?”
“We’ve decided to tell the truth, much sooner than we’d planned to.”
“And yer goin’ there now fer that?”
“Yeah.”
“Fer what it’s worth, I’m a big fan o’ the truth. Ya can never go wrong with that.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I usually am. Ask around. People’ll tell ya.”
For the first time in an hour, Jace grinned. “Is that right?”
“A man gathers a lot of wisdom drivin’ people round. Ya hear a lot.”
“I’ll bet you do, and you’re right. The truth is always the best plan. I just wish they were a little older and able to understand what I need to tell them.”
“I consider Seamus a friend, and I’ve gotten to know them boys a little bit. I think they’re gonna be just fine. Kids care about who loves them. The more people who love ’em, the better off they are.”
“That’s true.”
As he pulled into Seamus and Carolina’s driveway, Ned made eye contact in the mirror. “Just make sure they know how loved they are, and it’ll be fine. I promise.”
He pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Ned—for the ride and the advice.”