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Walker just rolled his eyes. “Please. You couldn’t whip my ass if you tried, Mr. Administrator. I’m a man’s man.”
Micah grinned. “No. I’ve definitely got you beat in that department.”
And just like that, it was easy again. The horrible conversation was over. Walker would get his GED and then they’d never have to speak about it again.
They finished their food and drank another half a pot of coffee, and Walker let himself wonder if he could do something different with his life. Something he’d never expected.
“I’d better find a hotel,” Micah said, suddenly looking exhausted despite all the coffee.
“No way. You’ll stay with me.”
“I’ll be here for a few days. I’m not sleeping on your damn couch that long.”
“Fine. But at least come hang out tonight. We’ll order pizza. Watch a game.”
“Sure. Drop me off at my car?”
Micah excused himself to use the restroom, and Walker threw the tip down and headed for the cashier to pay. A stack of newspapers caught his eye with an unusually large headline across the front. Nothing like the normal celebrations of local parades and kids getting awards. This was real news.
Local Business Developers Under Investigation for Fraud
Walker grabbed a paper and handed over an extra dollar before moving slowly outside. Brow furrowed, he forced himself to concentrate on the tiny print. Even as slow a reader as he was, it didn’t take him long to find the names Keith Taggert and Meridian Resort. And then another name: Brad Allington.
He breathed out a curse and kept reading. This had to be about Charlie. It had to be. But he scanned the whole front page and didn’t find her name.
“Shit!” He closed his eyes for a second and then started over.
“Hey, brother, I was going to pay for breakfast.”
“Hold on,” he muttered, and held up a hand when Micah kept talking. “Just give me a second.”
He tried reading faster, but that didn’t work, so he slowed down again and just read the first sentence of each paragraph. Finally he found it.
An employee with security ties to the resort first brought this story to the attention of the paper via a voice recording. Owing to the explosive nature of the allegations, the paper contacted the district attorney’s office about—
“What’s going on?” Micah pressed.
“Holy shit,” Walker breathed. “It’s Charlie. It has to be.”
“Who’s Charlie?”
Walker looked up at his brother and shook his head. “No one.”
“No one? You look like Dad’s ghost just walked up and smacked you in the forehead.”
“She’s...no one,” he tried again, but Micah stared him down, suddenly looking every inch the older brother despite that he was younger by two years.
Walker spilled the whole story.
Five minutes later, they were sitting on the curb staring out at the highway together.
“Well, damn,” Micah said.
“Yeah. Damn.”
“You really like this girl?”
Walker nodded, his head slightly dizzy when he moved too much. “Yeah.”
