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delighting in the sound of little feet and laughter. This house had never had that before, not since Tatum was that age anyways.
    When Phil woke up, he walked out of his room to find Jager leaving the bathroom. “Morning,” he said, patting his Authority on the back. “You sleep well? What do you think?” he motioned to the house and the extravagant rec room behind him. It had a sunken sitting area that was filled with lush red, yellow and orange pillows. Jager looked at it and thought about how much fun it would be to run and dive into it with his kids. There was a huge flat screen TV built into the wall facing them and a small bar in the corner with an old fashioned popcorn machine on it, as well as an array of liquor bottles and wine glasses.
    Jager smiled at his oldest friend, running his hand through his hair. “It’s insane Phil,” he said with true happiness but didn’t elaborate any further. He put his hands in his pockets and rocked from his heels to his toes and back down again. They stood awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what else to say. “I should check on the boys.”
    Phil was used to Jager’s avoidance as of late. Since April’s death, he hadn’t been much interested in conversation. Phil hoped that this trip would help him. Take his mind off everything for even just a little while.
    The sound of Matthews laughter from the smaller kitchen broke their train of thought and Jager turned on his heel, returning to Phil’s side and making his way up the stairs with the older man. When they walked into the kitchen, Jager saw Tatum sitting on a bar stool at the breakfast nook. She was wearing a see-through mens shirt that looked as if it had one too many goes in the washer. It looked ancient but she pulled it off. Her hair was down and messy, but Jager thought she could shave her head and still be just as beautiful.
    Her back was to them but he knew she was watching his boys. How unlike Connor it was to take up with her like that last night , he thought. He hoped that this meant his youngest son was coming around, after having lost his mother.
    Tatum turned when she heard the men approaching. She smiled at them and stood to turn on the coffee pot. “What do you drink Jager? Coffee? Tea?” she asked with her back still to him. The pajama pants she was wearing were loose in the thighs and tighter around the calves and ended a few inches above her ankles. Her ass looked great in them.
    “Coffee, thanks,” he said, averting his gaze when he noticed Phil’s scrutiny and walked over to his boys. He kissed each of them on top of their heads, happy to see they were smiling and eating a good breakfast. They’d barely registered his presence amidst the riveting cartoon on TV. Tatum laid cream and sugar out on the counter and set two mugs down for the men. They took one each; Phil hugged his daughter and kissed her on the head.
    “This place is amazing Tatum,” Jager said looking around the room at the vaulted ceilings, granite counter top and view of the ocean. Phil had to look twice. He hadn’t heard Jager speak voluntarily in months. He hoped that this was a good sign.
    Tatum smiled at them then. “It’s a bit grand for my tastes actually. It was Bill’s. He was worse than Liberace,” she laughed.
    “Not that bad,” Jager said over his coffee, smiling.
    It was as if he caught himself then, like he realized he was having a normal conversation. His smile faded, as did the look in his eyes. He stared at the boys and then stood. “I’m a… going to grab a shower. I’ll send May to look after the boys.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Tatum said, staring after him, unsure about what just happened. “I told her to sleep in.”
    Jager nodded and turned back towards the stairs.
    When he was out of earshot, Tatum sat next to Phil and looked at him, waiting for some kind of explanation.
    “He’s going through a rough time,” Phil said looking at the boys, not wanting to say too much, fearing they