His face inscrutable, even to his mother, Simon watched her as he munched apple. "Live there, with him?"
"Well, stay at his house for a little while. Like a visit."
"Moe, too?"
At the sound of his name, Moe grabbed his beloved tennis ball in his teeth and wedged his wide head under Simon's arm.
"Yes, I'm sure Moe could come."
"Sweet." After giving the ball that Moe had dropped at his feet a kick to send the dog chasing it, Simon reached for a grape. "He likes it over there. It's fun."
"We'd be guests, Simon, so you and Moe—" This time she gave the ball a kick. "You'll have to be on your best behavior."
Simon nodded as Moe skidded across the floor, rapped smartly against the back door, then retrieved the ball. "Okay. Will you and Brad sleep in the same bed and have the sex?"
"What?" It came out in a squeak.
"Chuck says his parents have it in their bed, and it's right in the next room. He says his mother makes noises like it hurts."
"Oh, my God."
Munching grapes, his eyes sharp on his mother's face, Simon sent the ball and Moe across the room. "Does it hurt?"
"No," she said weakly, then cleared her throat. "No, it doesn't hurt. I think we'd better, you know, pack if we're—"
"Then how come she yells and stuff, and makes noises like it does?"
Zoe could actually feel the blood draining from her face, then flashing back again like fire under the skin. "Well. Um. It's just that some people get…" Oh, please, God, help me out here. "You know how when you're playing a game or watching one on TV and you're excited, so you… you yell or make noises."
"Yeah. Because it's fun."
"Because it's fun. Sex can be fun, but you have to be old enough, and you need to care about each other and want to share this with each other."
"Guys are supposed to wear a condom so you don't make each other sick or have babies before you want to." Nodding sagely, Simon finished off the grapes. "Chuck's father has some in the drawer by his bed."
"Simon McCourt, you have no business going into Mr. Barrister's drawer."
"Chuck did. He got one and brought it to show me. They look funny. But Brad has to wear one if he's going to have the sex with you, so you don't get sick."
"Simon." She had to close her eyes a moment. "Simon," she repeated. "We're not going to stay with Brad so we can have the sex. And when two people, two adults, have the kind of relationship that includes ah, being together that way, it's very private."
"Then Chuck's mom shouldn't be so loud." Zoe opened her mouth, closed it again, then just laid her head on the table and laughed until she cried.
When Brad arrived, she had a suitcase packed for each of them, a duffel stuffed with items Simon considered essential to his survival and another filled with what she considered essential to hers. In addition, she had the cooler loaded with perishables from her refrigerator and some of Simon's favorite cereals and snacks. Beside it was the best part of a twenty-five-pound bag of dog food along with a box crammed with Moe items.
"Are we going on safari?" Brad asked as he scanned the luggage.
"You asked for it," Zoe reminded him.
He nudged the cooler with his toe. "You know, I actually have food at my place."
"This will spoil if it isn't used. And speaking of spoiling, I don't want you to feel you have to cater to Simon, or to me, for that matter. He'll need to have rules and chores just as he does here. If he gets out of line, just let me know and I'll deal with it."
"Anything else?"
"Yes. I'm happy to fix meals for all of us, and we'll split the expenses for food."
"You want to cook, I'm all for it, but you're not going to worry about paying for half a loaf of bread."