White Space Season 1

all the blacks so they were slightly convex. He shuffled the deck as Emma kept her eyes on his hands.
    He set the pack face down on the table, then looked at Emma and said, “Is the top card going to be red or black?”
    She stared at the deck for several seconds. “Red,” she said.
    Jon smiled. “Wrong,” he said, turning over the nine of clubs. “How about now?”
    “Red.”
    “Wrong.” Jon showed her the two of spades. She smiled.
    “How about now?”
    “Red.”
    “Ooh, I like that,” he said, “sticking to your guns and playing the odds. That worked. This one is red for sure.” He smiled, then flipped over the seven of hearts.
    Jon wasn’t sure how long the trick would hold Emma’s attention, but he was hoping it would be at least long enough for her to feel the victory of figuring it out before he shifted her world with a sentence or two.
    They were halfway through the cards when Emma pointed at the deck and said, “They’re all bendy. That’s how you know, right? Hearts and Diamonds one way, spades and clubs another?”
    Jon nodded, smiling. “You’re good at figuring stuff out,” he said. “That’s a great quality to have.”
    He leaned in closer, making sure Emma was looking into his eyes. “If you can do that, you can figure out most of life.”
    “My mom used to say stuff like that.”
    “Your mom was a smart woman,” Jon said. “I’m not always so good at figuring stuff out, myself. That’s why I loved being with her so much.” He pulled Emma’s right hand into his. She seemed slightly uncomfortable, and like she was going to pull it away, but it was only a moment before she let her five fingers settle into the nest of his palm.
    “Do you know I loved your mother?” Jon said.
    Emma shrugged, then shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “Though I figured you might have, and you had to know her pretty well.”
    “Why did you figure that?”
    She shrugged again. “I guess because you’re here. You would have to care a lot since you came to the island. You’re a famous actor and everything, right? Plus I know she used to cry sometimes after she watched your movies, even though she didn’t know I knew.”
    Jon said, “You’re better at figuring stuff out than I am.” He winked, then squeezed her hand tighter. “I just figured something out myself a couple of days ago. And it’s something I have to tell you.”
    Emma’s eyes looked up to Jon, waiting.
    Jon sighed into a long, lingering, and nearly endless silence. Finally, he ripped off the Band-Aid.
    “I’m your father.”
    Emma said nothing, only nodded. After a minute of silence, Jon said, “Do you understand?”
    Of course she understands. Asshole.
    Emma nodded. “How come you didn’t know before?”
    The last thing Jon wanted to do was condemn Sarah for never telling her daughter, but he was staring at a truth he’d never shaded before. “I just didn’t,” he shook his head. “I left the island before I found out, and didn’t know until I came back.”
    “How come you know now?”
    Jon leaned against the cushion and sighed. “Well, I guess I first knew when I saw the way you wrinkled your nose while you were stashing your cookies. But that was just a guess. I knew for sure once I started asking questions.”
    Emma’s face changed. She looked like she might cry. “Did Cassidy know?”
    Jon nodded.
    “How about Nana?”
    Jon nodded again, then said, “But they weren’t doing anything wrong by not telling you. It wasn’t like I was here and they were keeping it from you. I didn’t know, and I’m sure your mom would have told you the truth when the time was right.”
    Awkward silence buttered the air. Dishes clattering in the kitchen were practically thunder.
    “I’m sorry,” Jon said. “Not that I’m your dad, I’m thrilled about that.” The thin smile felt foreign on his face. “But I’m sorry you didn’t know, and that you had to find out this way, so soon after everything that’s happened.”
    He squeezed her hand.
    Emma squeezed back, then said, “So what happens now? Am I still going to stay with Aunt Cassidy?”
    Jon shrugged. “I’m not sure. This is all new to me. I think we should do what’s best, and what’s best for all of us is what’s best for you.”
    Goddammit Jon. Don’t do it. Give the girl time to process.
    He ignored the voice inside him. “Do you know what you might want?”
    “Could I live with you if I wanted?”
    Jon nodded. “Yes.”
    “Would