Page 50 of Fish Out of Water

Jake unclasped his hands, finally ready to shake theirs.

“Uh, this is my friend, Jake Wynn.”

“Filler words, Robert.” Madeleine shook her head. “For heaven’s sake.”

Robbie ignored her entirely. “He’s new in town, and he’s only staying temporarily.”

“What brings you here, of all places?” Madeleine asked, looking down over her nose at Jake’s outstretched hand. He suddenly saw where Robbie got that infinitely irritating expression from.

“I’m helping my aunt get her place ready—” An elbow nudged him in the ribs. “Ready for winter.”

“Your aunt…” Madeleine crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her elbow.

“Isabel Haver,” Jake said. “My Uncle Mark died a few months ago. I’m just helping her out for a bit.” He was already fed up with having to explain himself to every single person in town, but Madeleine and the other Robert genuinely seemed to not care, and for some reason that pissed him off all the more.

Robbie must have noticed how agitated he was getting, because he took a step away from his parents, resting the tips of his fingers on Jake’s back as he moved. “We should be going,” he said smoothly, his eyes never leaving his parents even as hisfingers pressed in harder. “It’s late, and I’m sure you have a great deal to do still tonight.”

“We do,” Robert said, picking his book up to open it where he left off.

“I’ll see you soon, I’m sure,” Robbie said.

“Goodbye, dear,” Madeleine said dully.

As soon as they had both turned away, Robbie moved his hand over to Jake’s arm, grabbing it and dragging him out of the room.

“That was it?” Jake hissed. “No invitation to dinner, no offer to stick around and talk and have fancy coffee and shit?”

“No,” Robbie said quietly, his voice much calmer than Jake’s, “and if you thought they would, then you’ve gravely misjudged Madeleine and Robert Eaton.”

13

ENOUGH

Both Robbie and Jake said goodbye to Susan, the only pleasant person in the house, as they left. She offered a polite goodbye to each in return as she heaved open the heavy front door, still calling Jake “Mr. Wynn.”

Outside, Jake circled around to his side of the car while Robbie jumped in and started it, clearly eager to get away from this place as soon as possible.

“Your parents are?—”

“Spare me,” Robbie said, holding up a hand. “Whatever you’re going to say, I’ve already heard it or said it myself. At least now you understand why the town is so cool on the Eaton name.”

“I guess so.” Jake buckled himself in and sat back, staring out the passenger window at the house. “Imagine having all that money just to sit inside on your phone with a stick up your ass. Is that why you spend so much time volunteering? So you don’t turn out like…”

“Like them?”

“Well, yeah.”

Robbie didn’t respond. Jake already knew his answer, and if it made Robbie feel better to leave it unsaid, then so be it.

“You would never turn out like them,” Jake told him after a moment. “How could you? Compared to them, you’re a peach.”

“And I suppose I should thank you for that raving assessment?”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Jake said earnestly. “I just think that whatever your parents think of you, you’re a lot better than them at the end of the day.”

“Uh-huh. At least now you’ve met them, so you don’t have to pretend you don’t want to ask about them all the time.”

“What? I never?—”