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“I don’t need Nathanial anymore, Dad,” I insisted. “I’m big now.”
“Oh, then I guess we can give him to Henry,” Dad teased.
“No, that’s… that’s okay. He’s comfortable on the shelf there. I don’t need to sleep with Nathanial. I’m not a baby,” I explained. “But, he can stay next to me. He likes it up there.”
That made him laugh again and I didn’t really understand why.
“Carter, I think you’re going to find that there are lots of different kinds of smarts out there. Elias got the numbers and facts kind. The school kind. But, there’s going to be someday soon where you get to teach him something he knows nothing about,” he promised.
I didn’t believe him. Our teacher was already having Elias try to help some of the kids in the class who were struggling. Including me. “I don’t think so, Dad.”
“Trust me, Carter. You probably don’t see it yet, but you got all kinds of smarts. In fact, you got my kind of smarts,” he told me. “You’re like me.”
That made me smile. I was like my dad and my dad was my hero.
I had his kind of smarts.
Suddenly, I realized that Zoe was waving at me. Right. We were in a bar having a conversation and I drifted off into la-la-land.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about something,” I told her, shaking some sense into myself. “Actually, something that you might find kind of useful. Something my dad said when I was whining about Elias being smarter than me.”
“I’ll take any advice I can get.”
“I’m not sure if it’s advice per se, but he did say that there was a day when I was going to be able to teach Elias something that he knew nothing about. He said I should wait for that day and we’d be kind of… equal again.”
Zoe mulled that over and nodded. “When is that day going to come?”
“Well, for Elias and me it was when he first got a crush on a girl. I think he was about thirteen and he couldn’t talk to her without hyperventilating,” I told her. “Suddenly, he wanted to know what I knew.”
She smirked. “Something tells me you’ve always been good with women.”
I shrugged. This wasn’t the moment to get cocky about that kind of thing.
She sized me up. But two could play at that game.
“You don’t exactly look like you’ve ever struggled to attract the opposite sex yourself,” I told her. Nothing could happen between us, but she deserved to know how pretty she was. I hoped one day she’d hear it from the right guy.
“Yeah. Maybe when I was your age.”
“You say that like you’re a hundred,” I joked. “And if you are, then you look amazing for a centenarian. I mean, whatever you’re using for your skin could make you a cool million.”
“I’m thirty-four, Carter. And, let me tell you, I feel every one of my years sometimes,” she sighed. “But, thank you. You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
I couldn’t tell if she meant it or not and I wouldn’t get my chance. Another three girls in their Saucy’s uniforms wandered into Rook’s and I recognized one of them immediately.
“Hey, handsome,” Caroline said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. She smacked a kiss to my cheek, demanding my attention and totally ignoring Zoe. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Caroline, it’s nice to see you, but I’m kind of in the middle of a conversation,” I told her, easing her arm off of me.
“Sorry,” she said. She offered her hand to Zoe. “I’m Caroline. So you’re a…friend? Just a friend?”
“Subtle.” I rolled my eyes. Why did Caroline basically have to announce to her that we’d fucked?
“I’m Zoe,” she said, giving Caroline’s hand a quick shake. Zoe signed her check and grabbed her purse. “Just a friend.”
“Zoe, don’t go.”
“No, it’s cool,” Zoe replied, coolly. “It’s about time I head home. Um… thanks for the talk. And for saving me from drinking my weight in vodka cranberries. My tomorrow-self appreciates it.”
