“Wonder how he’s feeling about it,” Steve mumbled.
“That’s what worries me,” I fretted. “Because if Johan were to do something… something to psyche Danny out tomorrow…”
“Would he do that?” Steve asked. “He never seemed like that kind of kid.”
“He’s not the kid we remember,” I muttered. “At this point, I don’t really know who he is…”
“Well, did you try talking to him?” Steve asked. “If he’s upset about losing his spotlight to Danny, then maybe he just needs someone to let him know he’s still special.”
“You… you think I should do that?” I whispered in shock, my hand moving to cover my mouth.
“It couldn’t hurt,” Steve yawned. “You’re good at making people feel special.”
“You want me to make him feel special?” I said, almost in disbelief at the words coming out of my husband’s mouth.
“Sure,” he said sleepily. “If it could help Danny, then why not?”
“Umm… okay,” I mumbled, the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. “If you think that’s what I should do…”
“I gotta go back to sleep, babe,” Steve said. “But don’t worry about it so much. There’s only so much that you can control.”
“I suppose,” I said. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” he said, hanging up the phone.
Setting the phone down, I felt for a moment completely unmoored, as if I had suddenly lost my balance.
Of course, Steve had no idea of the real situation that had developed between me and Johan, no clue as to what had already happened. And yet, he had suggested that I do almost exactly what Johan wanted: go and talk to him. In fact, Steve had gone a step further, proposing that I try to “make him feel special.” How was I supposed to interpret that?