Page 155 of Anti-Hero

“You’re incorrigible,” I sigh.

Kit chuckles as he reverses out of the spot. “You love it.”

I love you.

The words pop into my head, which they’ve been doing regularly.

Kit starts driving before I can decide if this is the right moment to say them.

Our dinner reservation is at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. Not the steak house we ate at before, but it has a similar ambiance. Cloth napkins and flickering candles and soft jazz playing in the background.

The biggest difference? Unlike the last time we went out to dinner, I feel relaxed. Happy. An involuntary smile stretches across my face as we get settled at our table for no reason except that I’m excited about this evening.

“What?” Kit asks.

“I was just thinking about the last time we went out to dinner together, at the steak house.”

“Yeah.” He chuckles at the memory. “About time we did it again, huh?”

Our waiter appears, delivering water glasses and rattling offspecials. Kit declines ordering a beverage, and I do the same. I’ve noticed he avoids drinking alcohol around me, which seems like the exact sort of considerate choice Kit would make.

I’m dunking a square of focaccia in olive oil when my phone buzzes with a call. I check it, then slide it back into my coat pocket. “My mom, checking in,” I tell Kit. “I’ll call her back tomorrow.”

He nods. “Have you talked to your dad lately?”

I shake my head. “No. But that’s normal.”

Kit sets down his menu and exhales. “I think you should talk to him, Collins. For real. Ask for an explanation about what you saw.”

“He’s had years to explain.”

“He doesn’t know you’re waiting for him to, Collins.”

“I’m not. I mean, what could hepossiblysay that would make it better?”

“I don’t know. But wouldn’t him sayingsomethingbe better than never knowing? Staying stuck in the same place with it? You want our kid growing up, wondering why you’re acting strange around your dad?”

I dunk my bread again. “You’re playing dirty.”

He shrugs. “Maybe. But I’m right. And I think you know that, that you wanted a push to talk to him, or you wouldn’t have told me about it.”

“It’s just so strange to think of my dad … having an affair. He wears tweed suits. He always smells like coffee. And he’s ascientist. They’re supposed to deal with logic and reason, not secrets.”

“Chemistry isn’t logical or reasonable, Monty. It’s filled with all sorts of mysteries. Are there any undiscovered elements? What is the composition of dark matter? How did nonliving matter transition into the first living organism?”

He says allthat, then casually sips some water.

I stare at him for a few seconds. “You’re kind of a nerd, Kit Kensington.”

He grins. “Thanks.”

“Will you do me a favor?” I ask.

“Anotherone? I already contributed my nerdy genes to our kid. If Eggplant wins a Nobel Prize one day, it’ll be ’cause of me.”

I roll my eyes. “Just … don’t act any differently around my dad, okay? He likes you, and I like that you guys get along. I don’t want my issues with him to affect that. Okay?”

Kit hesitates before nodding, but he does nod. “Okay. But for the record, I still think you should talk to him.”

---