Chapter8
Jeff came down the stairs to his mother’s kitchen, his mouth watering at the scent of whatever Charlie was making. “What is that?”
“My own pasta sauce with sausage, peppers and onions.”
“Wow, that smells good.”
“Are you hungry?” Charlie asked.
“Starving, but I’m on my way out.”
“No worries. I’ll put some aside for you to have later.”
“Oh. Thank you. That’s nice of you.” How long would it take, Jeff wondered, not to be shocked by the never-ending kindness of his new stepfather? Sure, he’d known fathers like Charlie existed, but having never experienced such a thing firsthand, it still came as a surprise to him.
“Where you off to?”
“Going to see my friend Kelsey. Today’s her birthday.”
“Oh, fun. What’ve you got planned?”
“I made a reservation at the Lobster House.”
“Fancy. You need some money?”
Jeff stared at him for a second, wondering if he was for real.
Charlie pulled his wallet from his back pocket, tugged out a C-note and put it on the counter. “Put this toward it.”
“I can’t take that.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
Charlie’s laugh was a mix between a growl and a grunt. “I want you to have it, which means you can take it.”
“You don’t have to do that, Charlie.”
“I know, but after years of bad luck, it’s fun to share my good fortune with the people I care about, so take the money and have a nice dinner with your friend.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure.”
Jeff reluctantly took the bill, all the while waiting for Charlie to strike out, to tell him he was a loser for accepting it, to do something other than smile with pleasure that Jeff had accepted his gift. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Thank you for everything, Charlie. Not just this, but for making my mom so happy.”
“Making her happy is the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
“I’m sorry if we can be a little skeptical sometimes. It’s in the DNA.”
“No worries. I get it.” Charlie turned to face Jeff, making eye contact. “I swear on my life that what you see is what you get with me, and that’s never going to change.”
“You have no idea what that means to us.”