Chapter Twelve #3
Distrust flared in the Ryder’s eyes as he stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his stance stiff, as if waiting for Owen to back out. Not that he could blame the kid for not wanting to make this easy, for testing him.
Owen squared up and let the ball fly. It bounced around the rim like a ping-pong ball before falling away. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket, found a ten, and handed the bill to Ryder.
After pocketing the cash and retrieving the ball, Ryder took the same shot, hitting nothing but net.
“Nice form,” Owen said as he retrieved the ball. Then he moved a few feet closer for his next shot. “You gonna make it until the year’s over? I had senioritis bad. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I couldn’t bail or A&M would dump my sorry ass.”
“More school. I’m not sure I can take that.”
“I thought that too. When I griped to my dad, he told me four more years of school and getting a professional job in an air-conditioned office was better than spending my life digging ditches in one-hundred-and-ten-degree Texas heat.”
Ryder picked at the basketball seams for a minute before he let a three-pointer fly.
This time the ball hit the rim like a bowling ball, sending the rebound out at least ten feet.
“College might not be an option if I can’t pass calc.
I was doing okay last semester when I had Mrs. Carlson, but she had a baby and her sub’s lousy.
Nothing that woman says makes sense. If I fail, I lose my scholarship, and ditch digging here I come. ”
“Have you talked to your dad or Carly about this?”
The kid made a sound halfway between a laugh and a snort, as if to say, why the hell would he do that.
Owen raised his eyebrow. He studied Ryder, recognizing confusion and distrust in his gaze. “You don’t think they’d help?”
“If either one of them gave a lick maybe.”
“Come on. You can’t believe that.”
Another snort. This time with an eye roll.
“You couldn’t tell the other night because you were wasted, but what I saw told me both your dad and Carly care.”
A mocking grin spread across the teen’s face. “If you believe that you’ll be real disappointed at Christmas when Santa doesn’t bring you any presents.”
“I might be a lot of things, but gullible isn’t one. Soldiers can’t afford to be. Those who are and stayed na?ve don’t last long, especially in my field.”
“Then you need to get your eyes checked.”
Owen recognized a tough guy cover-up act when he saw it that let him know a good kid still buried deep inside.
Instead, he focused on the fact that Ryder admitted college might not be an option if he didn’t pass calc. The kid wanted to succeed but had become afraid to hope, believed no one cared, and refused to ask for help.
“I took my share of calculus and have free time. We could meet at Brew You to see if I can help it make sense. I’ll even spring for the coffee.”
Ryder dribbled the basketball. The rhythmic thwapping of the ball against cement kept a running beat as the teen mulled over the offer.
After a moment, he said, “If you think helping me will get you in good with Carly, think again. All I am to her is a pain in the ass, and she’s as eager to get rid of me as I am to get away from her. ”
Owen thought he’d been doing better lately following conversations, but he’d sure lost the thread with this one. “What’re you saying?”
“Never mind. You wouldn’t believe it ’cause you’re like everyone else around here. You think Carly’s a damn saint. With the way she’s conned everyone, she should go into acting.”
This time Owen couldn’t overlook the slight. He braced his stance, crossed his arms over his chest and pinned Ryder with his best tough guy, no-nonsense stare. “Do I look like people pull crap over on me?”
The teenager shrugged. “Everybody’s got a blind spot.”
That might have been true in high school. Lord knows when Carly told him she wanted to play the field in college, he’d been blindsided, but he’d learned a lot since then. “I can’t afford weak spots.”
“You want to know what she said? Fine. Here’s the news flash. She’s moving as soon as I graduate. She can’t wait.”
Shock and surprise ricocheted through Owen before he could cover his reaction, leaving his legs weak and shakier than usual. “She told you that?”
“I overheard her on the phone. Her exact words were, ‘Once Ryder graduates, I’m free. I can live anywhere I want.’”
Questions ricocheted in Owen’s head. Where was she going? Did she have a new job? How soon after graduation was she leaving? No wonder she’d wanted to keep whatever the hell was between them light, fun, and casual.
Despite his simmering irritation and burning curiosity, Owen said, “I got to admit, that sounds bad, but working in intelligence taught me there’s always more going on than we think.
” He prayed that was the case for both Ryder’s and his sake.
“Whether you want to figure out the truth is up to you. Just like whether you want to accept my offer on the calculus. But remember, being an adult means putting your anger aside to make smart decisions. My father always said listening to your anger can make you cut off your nose to spite your face.”
Ryder didn’t answer, but Owen was satisfied he’d done all he could. He nodded toward the hoop. “Now, how about double or nothing I can make a shot from here?”
*
Thursday evening after her board meeting, Carly stood in the library’s conference room trying to decide whether to text or call Owen with the good news.
What she wanted was to see him in person.
That way she could apologize for her stupid let’s be friends with benefits comment after bowling and hopefully repair the damage she’d done.
While he’d been kind enough this week he’d been different, almost distant, and she missed him.
Not wanting to simply show up, she texted him. “Just finished with board. Can I come over to share the news?” Her stomach growled reminding her she’d been too nervous to eat earlier. “If u haven’t eaten, I could bring dinner.”
“Great. Parents at a movie. Leftovers in fridge look iffy.”
A few minutes later, Carly stood on the Southern-style front porch at Owen’s parents’ house, excited to share her news with him, but nervous about being alone with him.
Armed with his favorites—chicken Parmigiana, cappuccino pie from De Luca’s Italian Table, and a bottle of cabernet—she’d thank him, and they’d discuss the board’s decision.
She’d make her apology and hopefully they’d settle into some sort of normal relationship.
She rolled her eyes and laughed. What would she want next?
To develop the superpower to read people’s minds?
Trying to regain some semblance of control, Carly knocked on the front door, and when Owen answered, she said, “I wanted to share how the board meeting went, and I thought I might as well bring dinner.”
He eyed the sacks clutched in her hands, leaned forward, and inhaled. “De Luca’s. Tell me there’s cappuccino pie in there.”
“Of course.”
“Thank goodness.” He took the bags from her and stepped aside for her to enter.