“I find that hard to believe,” Robert said. “You’re very beautiful. I bet you have all the boys salivating over you. Do you have a significant other?”
“Jesus Christ,” Jeremy groaned.
What the fuck was happening? “Uh, thank you? And no, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m a little busy these days. School takes up a lot of my time. And with Phoenix House added on top of that now, I don’t have a lot of time for anything else.”
Robert nodded. “Education is important. I admire your focus. But you shouldn’t forget to allow yourself some enjoyment in life. You’re young yet. Don’t forget to remember that. Otherwise one day you’ll look in the mirror and see wrinkled skin and wonder how that happened.”
“You look fine to me,” Charlie said gruffly. “Like… cheese. Or cognac. Some of it gets better with age.”
We all turned to stare at him.
Charlie glared at me, daring me to say something.
I kept my mouth shut.
“What a lovely thing to say,” Robert said. “You’re cheese to me as well.”
Sandy and Paul were never going to believe this. I couldn’t wait to tell them.
Speaking of. Time to turn the tables a bit. “Charlie and I were just discussing how you live right down the road from us, and the fact that we didn’t know.”
Charlie wasn’t pleased with me.
I winked at him. I was in for it now. I wondered if he’d strap me to the sawhorse he kept out in his back shed.
“Yes,” Robert said, frowning. “That. Imagine my surprise when Jeremy came home the other week gushing that we’re practically neighbors.”
“I wasn’t gushing,” Jeremy yelped.
“You were certainly exuberant about it,” Robert told him.
“I was surprised.”
“Whatever you want to call it,” Robert said. “But no matter. Now we know, it will make things much easier.”
Charlie looked at him warily. “For what?”
“To invite your kids all over for a meal,” Robert said. “You know I’ve wanted that. You’ve certainly talked about them enough. I feel like I know them well, even though we haven’t spent much time together. They’re important to you, Charlie. That means they’re important to me.”
“So cute,” I breathed.
Charlie began to splutter. “It’s just—I’m not—” He looked at me, almost stricken. “I’m not trying to keep you from them.”
This might have gone a little too far. I reached across the table and took his other hand in mine. “We know,” I told him gently. “And you know we’re not really pissed about it. We just like giving you crap. The fact that you’re happy makes us happy. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re good kids,” Charlie said quietly. “Better than an old man like me deserves.”
“Nah. We’re pretty much stuck together for life. You know that.”
“What a wonderful turn of events this is,” Robert said. He squinted down at the menu on the table. “Charles, since this is your area of expertise, I would have you help me navigate this delightful place. It’s been far too long since I’ve eaten at an establishment where the menu is laminated, and I look forward to the experience. I seem to have forgotten my glasses in the car, so please tell me what’s good and what I should avoid. There appears to be large amounts of cheese on everything. I approve of this.”
“Dad,” Jeremy said. “You need to remember your diet.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “It’s just one meal. Let me live a little. It’ll be our secret, and I promise to eat the rabbit food you consider sustenance without complaint for at least a week.”
“Two weeks.”
“Two weeks,” Robert said irritably. “You always did drive a hard bargain.”