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“Oh my God you’re going to hate me.”
“Yeah?” He grinned and leaned closer. “How much am I going to hate you?”
She paused and tried not to laugh. “Mony Mony.”
“No.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Jesus.”
“The Billy Idol version. You know the one from the 80’s.”
“Yeah. I got that.”
She shrugged. “Sorry but my dad used to crank it and we’d rock out.”
“Okay. No apologies necessary. Music and art are personal.” His eyes darkened, those long lashes blinking slowly as he watched her closely. “What were you studying in college?”
For a moment the change in the line of questioning surprised her and she fiddled with her cup. “Engineering.”
He whistled. “Somehow I’m not surprised. Where did you go?”
“MIT.”
“MIT. Shit, that’s impressive. It’s like the god of engineering schools, isn’t it?”
“It’s one of them. I considered Berkley, but MIT is closer and it was a good fit. I got a full ride and for a while I lived my dream you know? I mean, I delayed going by two years because I couldn’t leave my dad with Connor when he was so young. But when I finally got there I thought that, that was it. I had my future and I wasn’t looking back.” She shrugged. “And I didn’t until I had to. Until
I had no choice.”
“How long did you attend MIT?
“I was about to start my fourth year when my dad...well, when he passed away. That was two years ago.”
There was silence for a few moments and she reached for a grape, nervous and wanting something to do.
“So I’m guessing there was no one to look after Connor.”
She shook her heard. “No. My dad’s family is scattered all over the country and my mom, well, her parents are dead and the only sister that she has is a woman I met once when I was seven or eight. None of them were interested in us while my dad was alive and they sure as hell had no interest when he was dead. I guess my mom came by that honestly.”
She laughed, but it was a cold, hard laugh. “She sent a card months after Dad passed away. It was a typical condolence card.” She paused for a moment, lost in the memory. “You know the ones with fancy gold script, and a picture of a rainbow or heavenly clouds. It was generic. I’m sure hundreds of people have the same card stored away in their funeral boxes. She didn’t include a note or anything. Didn’t ask about Connor or how I was doing. Didn’t want to know what arrangements had been made for her son or what was happening with the family business. She just…”
Charlie could see the card as clear as day. “She just signed her name. Elizabeth. She didn’t even write, Mom.”
“I’m sorry.”
She could tell that he was, but Charlie had already bared enough and didn’t want to talk about the sad state of her life.
“What about you?” she asked. “What’s your story?”
Rick looked surprised and, hey now, was that something like panic in his eyes? Suddenly anxious, she reached for another grape—at the same time that he did—and there went those zigs and zags that had been haunting them since they’d first met. She blushed and popped the grape into her mouth, settling back as she watched him.
“I was born in Florida.”
She scrunched up her mouth. “How old are you?”
He grinned. “How old do you think I am?”
