Page 65 of Worth the Trip

Landon’s whole face changed.

“That’s what I’m talking about. Tell Malik he better stop by my office once he gets settled. No reason to be on that campus acting like he don’t know nobody.”

“You know he will.”

We kept moving.

Nobody behaved like Landon was famous. They simply knew him. And he knew them back. Names. Mothers recovering from surgery. Children leaving for college. Businesses. Families. Small details that only remained small if you weren’t the person being remembered.

“You know everybody.”

“Nah.” I looked at him. “I know the people I know.”

“That answer made absolutely no sense.”

“Made perfect sense. Knowing somebody’s name ain’t the same as knowing them.”

I considered that while he led me toward a narrower pier.

“Daddy used to bring me and Lennox out here before sunrise. Lennox hated waiting. He’d cast every thirty seconds like fish were supposed to respect his work ethic.”

I laughed. “Did it help?”

“Made Daddy threaten to throw the whole rod in the Gulf.”

“And you?”

“I could sit.”

“Patient even then?”

“Observant. Patience came later, when I realized rushing didn’t make fish give a damn about my schedule.”

That sounded more like him.

We stopped at the end of the pier.

Water folded around the pilings below us.

“Daddy used to tell me water would expose whether you wanted something or just wanted control over when you got it.”

I looked toward him.

Landon shrugged once, like the statement didn’t need additional decoration.

“Did you listen?”

“Eventually.”

“Apparently consequences got tuition.”

He cut his eyes toward me.

I smiled.

“You remembered that?”

“I pay attention too.”