A strong man, but he had his own demons, and if she could, she wanted to be there for him like he was for her. Jada lifted her head and looked up at him. “Can I ask you a question?”
His gaze was intent on her. “Sure. Go for it.”
“What happened to your dad? You don’t talk about him.”
Donovan sighed like he’d been expecting the question. Or maybe the situation with his father had made him weary. He raised his wineglass to his mouth and turned his dark gaze to the ocean. “He’s still in Oakland. My parents divorced when I was a sophomore in high school. My mom finally had enough, but times were tough. We didn’t have a lot to start with, and then the little support he offered disappeared. My mom and Sloane moved down here permanently when I got drafted. Shana came shortly afterward.”
Jada laid a hand on his thigh. “Do you have a relationship with him?”
“Guess it depends on what you mean by relationship.”
A chime sounded. Donovan pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. He huffed out a breath. “His ears must be burning.”
He held out the phone. Jada took it and quickly read the text from someone listed as Guy in the phone.
Hey, son, I need an extra 5K, just to get me through the next month. Rent’s due and money’s tight.
Jada passed the phone back to him. “Does he ask for money often?”
Donovan’s jaw tightened as he stared at the ocean. “I send him money every month. My mom doesn’t know—the only one who does is August. I thought if he had a decent financial base, he could get his life back together.”
Jada rubbed the tense muscles of his back. “And?”
“It worked for a while, but gambling addiction is real. I don’t think I fully understood that until I was in the league and sent him enough money to live a comfortable life. He got pulled back in, and yeah, I don’t know. When he’s winning, he flies high. When the losses hit, it gets ugly. Lately, he’s been even more persistent than usual asking for more.” He turned to face her. “All those texts and calls I’ve been ignoring? They were from him. Leaving him in the lurch seems cold-blooded, but I don’t know what to do.”
The moonlight cast a shadow over his face, but it didn’t hide his uncertainty, his unease. Jada laid her head against his shoulder and stared, unseeing, at the water. She wished she had some words of wisdom to offer. Wished she could take on his hurt. “You’re a good son.”
“It doesn’t feel like it a lot of the time.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Though the night had been heavy, there was nowhere else she’d rather be. No one else she’d rather be with.
Donovan squeezed her thigh. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Jada nodded, eager to shake off the weight of the evening. “Sounds like a plan. You know, you promised me a surfing lesson.”
His lips curved. “I haven’t forgotten, but seeing as it’s dark now, that’s going to have to wait. I have some good news.”
Jada clasped her hands together. “More good news?” She held up a palm. “Wait. New rule. Whenever you have good news, you must share immediately. Congrats again on the new contract, but I’m still mad you didn’t tell me earlier, by the way.”
He chuckled. “I’d planned on telling you after dinner, but Mrs. T spoiled the surprise. Adam finally got his head out of his ass and negotiated like the world-class agent he is.”
They shared a look, remembering the agent’s initial asinine requests that either Donovan break up with her or Jada sweet-talk Grams.
“So, yes, congrats on the contract.” She slapped his arm. “What’s the other good news?”
“I’ve been in contact with Rose.”
The photographer from the book club meeting?
Jada’s mouth dropped. Of all the things he could have said, that was nowhere close to her top ten contenders. “Why were you in contact with her?”
“Because I wanted her to send me the photos she took of us.” The “duh” was unspoken, but very much implied. Jada’s heart flip-flopped in her chest. “Anyway, we’ve been texting back and forth, and she agreed to do a photo shoot for the store.”
She’d barely picked her chin up. Now he’d shocked her again. “A photo shoot? Are you serious? Why?”
His eyes twinkled. “I don’t know if you remember, but the first time you were in Sugar Blitz, you said the place was stale, and for some reason, I’ve never been able to forget it. Rose is going to come and take photos of our cupcakes—fun, lively photos—we can hang on the walls.”