Daniel blinked.
“A bird?”
“A very strong bird,” Jack explained.
Theo nodded solemnly. “Possibly an eagle.”
Daniel looked at the hockey puck lying beside the garage.
“An eagle carrying a hockey puck?”
Jack considered that.
“We don’t know what birds are capable of, Dad.”
Daniel sent them both inside before he laughed in front of them.
That was Jack.
He could turn almost any disaster into a joke, especially when he was the one responsible.
Theo understood that about him better than anyone.
Theo’s own home life had never been particularly stable. His parents separated, reconciled, separated again, and eventually divorced. Their arguments continued long after they stopped sharing a house.
Some Christmases, Theo didn’t know which parent wanted him. Other times, both wanted him but couldn’t stand the thought of being in the same room.
Jack never treated him like a charity case.
He simply opened our front door and shouted, “Mom! Theo’s staying for dinner!”
