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Alex pointed a fork at his face. “And I’m telling you. You just lost your phone.”
“You can’t do that,” AJ argued. “It’s my phone.”
“Well, you never pick it up anyway, so what does it matter?”
“Alex.” Madison’s hand landed softly on Alex’s.
She’s right. I know she’s right. I’m too emotional to do this now.
But if I back down now, who knows what he’ll do next. Steal a tank comes to mind…
Alex pictured him, allOrange is the New Blackand serving time in Sing Sing. Instantly, his candy shell hardened to steel. “As soon as you’re done eating, you can leave your cell on the table.”
“But—”
“This is not a negotiation,” Alex said, twirling his pasta until the whole damned bowl surrounded his fork.
“I’m not hungry,” AJ seethed.
“Then I guess you’re excused. As soon as you leave your phone.”
Simmering for a moment, AJ stood, set his phone on the table, and stomped to his room. “This is total BS!” he yelled.
“Watch that language, mister!” Alex barked back.
As soon as AJ was out of earshot, Madison laughed. “Such colorful language.” Hands over her ears. “My ears.”
Alex’s anger dissipated quickly. “Am I fucking up?”
“Probably,” she kidded. Smiling, she laid a gentle hand over his. “You can’t take his phone.”
“Yes I can. That’s what father’s do. Kids screw up. Dad’s take their shit. It’s the law.” He threw his napkin on the table, the mound of spaghetti on his fork suddenly unappetizing. “Did I tell you he’s fluent in six languages?”
Madison’s eyes widened, her smile growing. “No.”
“I’ve been shifting from English to Russian, Italian to German, Chinese to a little French. Formal. Informal. It doesn’t matter. He holds his own. Plus, he’s a self-taught computer geek savant.”
Madison swallowed her food. “So, either we’re raising the next US President or Dr. Evil.”
He chuckled at the thought. “He’s smart, Madison. Like, crazy smart. I can’t go easy on him.”
She leaned in. “I put my foot down at Tiger dad.” Tiptoeing on the subject, she added, “You can’t take his phone. What if his mom calls?”
Alex winced. “Shit. I am fucking up.”
“Not horribly,” she teased. “But, he’s right up those stairs. If you hand back his phone now, he can at least get it charged.”
“I guess.”
“Then, who knows? Fingers crossed he uses those Drake genetic powers for good.”
Alex nodded sadly.
Madison offered him the last morsel of her food. “Meatball for your thoughts.”
He bit it, chewing, deep in thought. He shook his head, and peeled back a painful layer of his life. “It was right around his age that I did it.”
“Did what?”
