“That’s pretty cool. I like to read, too.”
“You do?”
He does? I didn’t know that.
Tia nudges me with her arm.
“Told you so,” she mouths.
“Yeah. I have an even bigger bookshelf in my house, with tons of books.”
“I want to see that,” Noah says excitedly.
“You will. One day,” Michael promises, glancing at me.
“That’s so cool. What’s your favorite book?”
“Uh, I have a few, actually, but if I had to choose one, maybeOutliers.”
Noah blinks at him. “Never heard of it.”
I smile.
“Yeah, it’s a big book. You’ll read it when you’re older. Uh…” Michael trails off, probably thinking of a way to salvage the conversation. “I like Harry Potter, as well.”
Noah’s eyes light up. “I love Harry Potter, too. My mama bought me the book, see? She took me to a bookstore when we lived in LA and bought it for me. After that, we went to watch a movie. It was a funny movie. There were clowns and elves in it,” he says in a rush.
Michael listens attentively. “Elves can be cool,” he agrees.
“Yes, but they can also be ugly.” Noah giggles.
“So, you like watching movies?”
“Yeah, but I like reading more.”
“I can see that. You really read all the Harry Potter books?” Michael questions.
Noah blinks. “How many are there?”
“I think there are five or six. It’s been a while since I read it.”
“I only have one. The first one, I guess. I’m not finished reading it, though. The words were getting hard to understand. I found another book to read. Aunt Tia got it for me, it’s great. Mommy reads it to me now.”
Michael scratches his neck.
“Harry Potter is pretty advanced for your age. You’re in the first grade, right? I read it when I was in fourth. It’s amazing that you even tried to read it in the first place. How about I read it to you from now on? I’ll even get you the rest of the books. Would you like that?”
Noah jumps up and down.
“I would love that! Thanks, Mike.”
Michael laughs, and I feel my smile grow.
“He’s good,” Tia says to me.
I find myself agreeing. “He’s much better than I expected.”
“You think we should give them a little privacy? We can get started on dinner,” she suggests.