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“Horrendous, tremendous, hazardous, stupendous.”
“Huh.” She stands, still considering that information. Then she shakes her head and hands me my coffee. “Anyway,” she draws out. “I totally got busted yesterday. Uncle Owen got off early, and I wasn’t at the coffee shop when he showed up.”
“How did that work for ya?”
“Look,” she says, waving something an inch in front of my face. I lean back until a phone comes into focus. “I got a huge lecture until I told him I was here. He just took me to the phone store and bought me a phone.”
“So he’s cool with you coming here after school?”
“He’s totally cool with it.” She’s so excited about the phone she’s bouncing in front of me. “He said he likes my initiative in finding someone as brilliant as you to tutor me in math. I just needed to let him know next time.”
“That sounds like sound advice.”
“Right?! He said he’d just wait for me at the station. I don’t have to rush back.”
“Then I guess we should get to it.” She grins and sets her new phone on my desk. I notice a selfie of her and some ridiculously cute boy on the screen saver. “Hold on. Is this the infamous Colton?”
“Isn’t he gorgeous?”
“I think I now understand why your uncle is worried,” I say. She slumps into a chair. “But I know Colton’s parents, and they’re nice people. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.”
“Not you too.” She flaps her arms in frustration. I might be wrong. This kid might be more like Austen. That’s fine. I’ve had years of learning how to deal with drama. “I have an idea. Why don’t you come to dinner tonight and let Uncle Owen know his parents are nice? That might help.”
“Sorry. I can’t tonight. I have something I need to do.”
“Is it something crazy that’ll get you in trouble with the sheriff? Uncle Owen has told me all about some of the things you’ve done. Can I come?” I suspect in high school she’ll do what I have planned for tonight, but I’m not about to be the person who introduces her to it.
“No, you can’t come. It’s something I need to do on my own.”
“Can you give me a hint for when I’m grilled later for information? Uncle Owen is going to want to know what your plans are. He asks every day when we head home. He thinks he’s being all stealthy about it.” She laughs. “He’s not fooling me. He’s so into you.”
I smile then I scowl. If he’s so into me, why can’t he tell me that himself? I ignore her question and pull her math book to me. Negative numbers this time. Gross. I sigh and begin the lesson. At least it will take my mind off of Owen and all the questions I have. Nothing gets your mind off your life like some good old negative numbers.
* * *
OWEN
“What do you mean you don’t know what she has planned?”
“I mean she didn’t tell me what she’s doing.” Tessa rolls her eyes. I’ve gotten a lot of that lately. I also know I’m grilling my twelve-year-old niece about Eliot’s plans when I should just call her myself. “She did mumble something about it being a cold jump.”
“She’s jumping from something?” I yell. She raises an eyebrow at me. “Sorry.”
“Colton said that in the summer, everyone goes to the river where there’s this cliff you can jump off of. Maybe that’s where she’s going. He said it’s what the high school kids do.”
“Then how does he know about it?” No, I haven’t warmed up to this Colton kid yet. I get another eye roll. I’ll let it drop for now. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Uncle Owen,” she draws in frustration. “Just call her.”
“I will.”
“Soon. Before it’s too late.”
“I will,” I say a little more emphatically. We pull into the driveway.
“Men,” she says, rolling her eyes. Pushing her door open, she hops out. “Sometimes you guys are so dense.”
“Hey.” I follow her up the stairs. “I can still put you in timeout, you know.”
