Lucas speared the helpless fruit and shoved it in his mouth. He added several others in quick succession.
“Hey. What’s up?” Andrew nudged him.
Lucas scowled. “Mom said you wanted to talk me out of it. I don’t know why you care.”
“Because I do care. I worry about you.”
“It’s fine. I like it a lot. I’m learning about how I shouldn’t listen to my hormones because there are more important things in life.”
Andrew didn’t have a good argument for that. “It’s true. Hormones screw with a lot of otherwise rational thoughts.”
“But any avenue to make a buck?” Lucas finally looked at him.
This wasn’t the worst possible way the conversation could have started, but it was high on the list.
“Hon, Andrew has something he needs to tell you.” Kandace reached across the table and covered Lucas’s hand. “Hear him out, for me?”
“I’m listening,” Lucas said.
Great. Now their talk was born of obligation. He looked at Kandace.
She gave him a sympathetic smile and turned to Lucas. “You know how I’ve told you that you’re adopted, but I love you as much as any mom loves her son?”
“Yes?” Lucas dragged the word out, making it last several syllables.
“I’m your father.” Andrew felt a huge weight lift in saying the words. “Kandace is your aunt, and she took you in when you were born, so you could have a better life.”
Lucas gave a choked-off laugh. “That’s not funny. Out of all the mean jokes you’ve ever told, that’s the worst.” Andrew opened his mouth, but the boy wasn’t done yet. “In fact, I don’t understand why I’m the one kid who has to have the screwed-up uncle. None of my friends have to deal with relatives who make stupid jokes and try to embarrass them whenever they’re around.” He looked at Kandace. “Why can’t I have a normal, broken, single-parent home, like a normal kid?”
“It’s not a joke.” Andrew didn’t know where to start in processing the statement, let alone responding to it.
Lucas’s twisted expression morphed to a frown. “Then it’s a shitty truth. You should have kept your mouth shut, for once.” He pushed back from the table. “I’m waiting in the car.”
“Hey.” Kandace’s bark echoed off the walls, drawing stares.
“Don’t.” Andrew didn’t want to embarrass the kid worse if that was part of the issue.
She sank back into her seat. “I’m sorry.
“I shouldn’t have done it. You were right. Isn’t that fantastic to hear?” Andrew meant to keep his tone casual but didn’t succeed.
“Not really. Do you want to talk to him, or should I?”
He waved a waitress over, asked for the check, and handed her his card. “Give him some room to deal. I’ll come back down in a few days and spend some real time with him. Thanks for letting me try.”
“Talk to you soon.” She grabbed her purse and followed the path Lucas took out of the restaurant.
Andrew scrubbed his face and sighed. He’d disappointed his best friend. Most likely pissed off another person he was starting to think of as a good friend. His own son couldn’t stand him. If he were someone else, he’d let it send him into a spiral of frustration. Fortunately, he didn’t do that. He’d lose himself in work, and everything would be fine.