“No, we were just hanging out, playing some Monster GO,” Jacob explained.
“Tommy, what in the hell are you doing here?” I asked, doing my best to stay calm.
“Last I checked, we live in a free country,” he said, as he crossed his arms to stand his ground in front of me. “I finished cleaning my room and Mom said I should come find you. It was just lucky I looked here first.”
“Tommy, I’m going to give you three seconds to turn around and go home.” I stated, my words slow and measured. Inside, I was ready to pummel the kid for interrupting what would have been an amazing first kiss.
“Or what?” he snapped back. “What, Alicia? What are you going to do?”
“Three.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Whatever, I’ll just tell Mom if you try to hurt me.” He took a small step back, but kept his chin up defiantly. “I told you I wanted to come play Monster GO.”
“Two.”
“I’m not moving,” Tommy said, but he glanced around like he was planning his escape.
“One,” the last word came out of my mouth and I took a step forward. Tommy’s faux bravery faded instantly and he ran quickly away, screaming out at the top of his lungs. A few people in the park looked over. I had only taken one step forward, but it was enough to get my point across.
“You know, I don’t mind if your little brother hangs out with us,” Jacob said quietly. “It’s not a big deal.”
I sighed and sat back down on the bench. Tommy had run over to the oak tree nearby and was standing there with his tongue out at me.
“He wasn’t supposed to come with me today,” I said. “He promised that he’d stay home and leave me alone for a little while. He's a great kid, but I'm just not used to having someone too young to drive around all the time. It's different living with him than it is just coming home for a holiday.”
“Let me go talk to him,” Jacob offered. “I have a way with kids.”
I turned to face him, flashing an expression that showed just how insane I thought he must be for offering something like that. When Tommy wanted something, he could be as stubborn as me. It was definitely a family trait. “You sure?”
Jacob just chuckled as he stood up from the bench. “I'm going to give it a try.”
He turned and made his way toward Tommy. This ought to
be good, I thought. I sat on the bench, petting Athena. I had no idea what Jacob was going to do to convince Tommy to leave him alone for a while.
The two were out of earshot, but in perfect view. Jacob strolled up and knelt down. I saw them exchange a few words. A few seconds later, Tommy smiled as he nodded quickly. They gave each other a high five and then immediately after, Tommy turned and skipped away, making his way back across the park in the direction of home.
What the…? I thought. No way.
Jacob came and sat back down on the bench with a relaxed smirk. The man was pure confidence with the ability to back it up.
“How did you just do that?” I asked in complete disbelief. “What kind of magic do you have?”
He just shrugged like it was nothing. “I told him that it was incredibly important that I spend the time with you to get you leveled up in the game.”
“That’s it?” I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. There was no way that was all he said.
“Pretty much.” He shrugged and grinned at me.
I playfully slapped Jacob’s shoulder. “I know for a fact that it took more than that to get him to go away. I know Tommy, and he’s not easily persuaded. What else did you say?”
“You really want to know?” His blue eyes sparkled as he waited for me to answer. “It's my amazing secret ability.”
“Yes, tell me,” I begged. I needed to know how he had performed this miracle.
Jacob shrugged. “I gave him ten bucks.”
“Seriously?” My jaw opened and stayed there.