just so far, then he’d bark once and Finder’s tail would go between his legs and he’d back
off.
Jonathan prepared eggs Benedict and blueberry waffles. He made them from
scratch and he was so neat that the kitchen didn’t even look like anyone had been cooking. There were no stains or water marks on the glass cook top and no dirty pots and pans in
the sink. Ed just scratched the back of his head and smiled. If he’d been cooking, they
would have had to sandblast the glass cook top and empty the sink with plastic gloves.
While they were eating, Jonathan said, “I’ve been offered a new job. You all
know Greg is a producer at a local TV station, and he wants me to take a job as a co
anchor on the six o’clock news.” His voice was quiet. He stared down at his plate as if he
was scared to look up and see Ed’s reaction.
Lisa dropped her fork. “Are you serious?”
Jonathan nodded and took a bite of a waffle.
“What about your own TV show?” Ed asked. This was all news to him. He didn’t
know Greg had offered Jonathan a job in San Francisco. He thought Jonathan was going
back to New York at the end of the week, and Ed had been avoiding the subject.
Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t say anything to anyone because I
wanted to think about it,” he said, “but I found out
Dream Away
was canceled by the
network.” He looked at Ed and smiled. “Your house is the last show we’ll ever do.”
Lisa grabbed his hand and said, “I’m so sorry, Jonathan. You should have said
something.”
“Ah well,” Ed said, “I’m sorry too.” But he really wasn’t sorry. The thought of
Jonathan going back to New York had been making him crazy. But he wasn’t sure what
to do about it.
He smiled. “I’m fine with it. The show’s been on the air for five years and the
ratings have been good. It’s time to end it, and I’m doing it with a really good show thanks to Ed and Noah. And the network wants to sign me to a three-year contract, at
twice the money I’m getting now, for a new show they plan to do this fall.”
“Well, that’s good news,” Lisa said. But when she saw Jonathan wasn’t smiling
she added, “Isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure,” Jonathan said. “I know that I’d be a fool to turn down an offer for
twice the money and all that national exposure. But the new show sounds really cheesy
and sensational. I was considering it but I didn’t expect Greg to offer me a job yesterday
at the party. I’d have to take a significant cut in pay, and I’d have to relocate to San
Francisco.”
When Noah heard he might be moving to San Francisco for good, he jumped off
his seat and started to clap his hands. “Take the news job,” he shouted. “You can be here
all the time then. And I can see you on the news every night.”
Lisa squeezed Jonathan’s hand. “How do you feel about all this?”
Jonathan shrugged. “I was a journalism major in college, and I originally wanted
to work in TV news or in print journalism. But I got sidetracked with
Dream Away
. The
money was good, and the show was a hit.” He looked directly at Ed and said, “I’m just
not sure what to do. I have to give Greg an answer this week.”
Ed knew Jonathan was looking at him. But Ed didn’t know what to say. He
wanted Jonathan to stay in San Francisco, but the words were stuck in his throat. Ed had
finally started to sleep again, and Noah was smiling and laughing for the first time in over
a year. Jonathan had given them life without even trying too hard. But Ed couldn’t stop
thinking about Jake. He felt guilty, as if he were betraying his memory or cheating on
him. Ed knew it wasn’t rational, but he couldn’t help the way he felt. So he stood from the table without saying a word and crossed to the back door.
He slapped his thigh and grabbed two leashes from a hook next to the door. Then he
called the dogs and said, “I’m going to take them both out for a long walk. Frank and
Greg will be here soon and these dogs both need to go out and get some exercise. They’ll
be alone for a while today.”
Lisa put her hands on her hips and glared at Ed. “What do
you
think Jonathan
should do,
Ed
?” she asked. She was tapping her foot and pointing a butter knife. Ed
hadn’t seen that expression on her face since Hillary Clinton lost the primary.
Jonathan stood from the table slowly and started to clear the dirty dishes. He
turned his back to them and refused to look at Ed.
Ed hooked Finder and Tucker to their leashes and stood up. He knew what Lisa
was doing. She was putting him on the spot and he wasn’t going to stand for it. This was
none of her business. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Then he opened the back door and went outside as if he hadn’t even heard her question.
But when the door was shut and no one could hear him, he looked up at the blue
sky and said, “If I could just have a sign, Jake. I’m not asking for much. Just a sign that
you’re okay with Jonathan and you’re okay with me moving on with someone else.”
Ed wasn’t a religious man and he wasn’t into anything paranormal. But he’d
always had a feeling Jake was watching over him, and he figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.
By the time he came back, the kitchen was clean and Greg and Frank were in the
front hall waiting for them. Noah was fidgeting and asking questions about where they
were going, but Frank and Greg refused to tell him. Jonathan was quiet and wouldn’t
look Ed in the eye. It was like that all the way to Sonoma. They took Ed’s Range Rover because
Frank’s and Greg’s car was too small for everyone. Noah sat in the third-row seat.
(Range Rovers don’t come with a third-row seat, but Ed had found a vendor who knew
how to make one that faced backwards, and Noah loved it). Lisa, Frank, and Greg sat in
the back seat. Ed and Jonathan sat up front. Frank gave Ed directions to where they were
going, and Noah continued to ask Greg questions about the surprise. They made a
guessing game of it to pass the time. But Greg refused to tell him. “I’ll give you three
clues,” Greg said. “One, I know you’re a huge fan of this because you’ve told me you are.
Two, it’s something very colorful and not many people do it. And three, you’ll probably
want to do it again in the future.”
“That’s no fair,” Noah said. “That could be anything. It could be a cupcake.”
Greg laughed. “Sorry, it’s not a cupcake, and that’s all I can say right now. You’ll
find out soon enough.”
But now Ed was curious about this colossal, childish secret they were keeping. It
was pissing him off. Ed hated surprises and he was only going along with this for Noah’s
sake. If it had been up to him, Frank and Greg would have told him where they were
going or they wouldn’t have gone at all. So Ed gripped the steering wheel and frowned
all the way to Sonoma. Jonathan sat there, without saying a word, staring out the window.
Ed knew Jonathan was mad at him for avoiding Lisa’s question. He was slumped over in
the seat and he was pouting.
At one point during the drive Ed pointed to a vineyard on the right, and said,
“That’s beautiful.” Jonathan just grunted and whispered, “It’s very nice. I’m sure they make nice
wine.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever been to wine country,” Ed said.
Jonathan grunted again and said, “Isn’t that nice. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Ed smiled. “Is this the first time you’ve been here?”
Jonathan turned and faced him. He lowered his eyebrows and gave him a look. He
didn’t say a word; he just lifted one eyebrow and glared. Then he straightened his
shoulders, adjusted his back to the seat, and stared out through the windshield. He
pressed his lips together so tightly they pinched and puckered.
Ed sighed and shook his head. All he wanted was one little sign. Was that too
much to ask?
When they reached a long gravel road lined with a white horse fence, Frank told
Ed to turn left. He drove slowly; the road had to be at least a mile long. It was lined with
tall, established trees that had been planted in perfect, identical rows. They weren’t
surrounded by thick circles of mulch and they could see lumps of imperfect roots bulging
to the surface of the grass. Beyond the trees were long stretches of lush, green grass, the
kind of grass that grew thick and natural on its own without that dark, chemically treated
look Ed had noticed in so many housing developments in the suburbs.
As they rounded a bend and Ed veered to the left, the road opened up to another
vast field of green grass. To the left there was a small, beige building that looked like an
office. There were a few cars parked out front and there was a small sign over the front
door that he couldn’t read. Frank shouted, “We’re here. You can park on the side of the building next to the
station wagon.”
Ed pulled up next to a green station wagon and switched off the motor. Then he
got out so he could open the back door for Noah. He’d never seen him so excited. Noah
was jumping in his seat and looking back and forth. And when Ed opened the door, Noah
bolted from the car and ran up to Jonathan. “What’s the surprise? Where are we?”
Jonathan shrugged his shoulders and looked at Frank. Frank and Greg were both
smiling.
But before they had a chance to answer him, there was a strange noise. Noah
pointed to the sky and shouted, “It’s a balloon. Is this our present? Is this the surprise?”
Greg put his hand on Noah’s shoulder and said, “We know how much you love
balloon rides. We figured it would be the perfect gift for you and Lisa. We’re all going up,
and you’re going to see San Francisco like you’ve never seen it before.”
But Noah stopped smiling. He stepped back and said, “I don’t know about this.
My Dad doesn’t like heights and he might not like this too much.”
Everyone turned and faced Ed. But Ed was looking up at the sky and watching the
most beautiful hot air balloon he’d ever seen cross over their heads. It was gliding down
toward the field, on its way to a graceful landing in the middle of the grass. It was pale
blue-green, as close to Waterbury Green as any color could get, and there were thin gold
and white stripes on four sides.
Lisa frowned and walked up to Ed’s side. “I know how you feel about heights, Ed.
Please be nice. Frank and Greg meant well.” Ed looked down at her and shook his head a few times. Then he smiled and lifted
her off the ground. He held her and turned around and around, shouting, “I love it. It’s the
best present ever. It’s a balloon, of all things. It’s a freaking balloon.”
Lisa’s eyes widened and she held his shoulders for support. “Have you lost your
mind, Ed?” she asked.
The rest of them watched Ed going around in circles with Lisa. Their mouths
were open and they looked like they were afraid to move.
Then he put her down and jogged to where Noah was standing. He squatted down
and grabbed Noah’s shoulders. “I’m going up this time, buddy,” he said. “We’re all going
up. I’m not afraid anymore.” He lifted his arms and shook his fists to the sky. “I’m not
afraid.”
Noah smiled and ran to hug him. “Thanks, Dad,” he said. Then he turned back to
the others and shouted, “Let’s go.”
Noah ran to the other side of the field where the balloon was landing. The others
followed, but Ed reached for Jonathan’s arm and said, “Wait. I want to say something.”
Jonathan was giving him the silent treatment and he was still pouting. He pulled
his arm back fast, but he stopped walking to listen to what Ed had to say. He put his
hands in his pockets and stared down at his shoes.
“Don’t leave,” Ed said. “I love you and I want you to stay here with us. The
thought of you going back to New York makes me crazy.”
Jonathan lifted his head and blinked a few times. “Are you serious? Because I
don’t want to leave. I want to stay here with you and Noah and Tucker and Finder. I don’t
care about my new contract or the money. I don’t want to host a sleazeball show called
Robbing the Cradle
. I want to take the job at the TV station. It’s what I’ve always wanted
to do. But most of all, I want to stay because I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Ed.
You’re the dream and the fantasy I never thought would come true.”
Ed smiled and spread his arms apart. “I’m just an ordinary vet and a big slob,” he
said. “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”
Jonathan went to him and put his arms around his shoulders. “But you’re my big
