Page 48 of Tapped By My Roommate
I’d been batting around some ideas for the fundraiser, possibly a scavenger hunt to tie in with social media. Maybe a movie night of some sort, though I wasn’t sure movies that misrepresented wild animals were a good choice, and a documentary was unlikely to get much excitement.
Rhett perked up. “We could do something at the bar.”
“Really?”
“I’d have to talk to my boss. Maybe…a night where we have a special and half of all sales go to the rescue? I don’t know how much that would add up to. Or maybe…some bars have trivia nights?”
“Oh! Could we do wildlife-themed trivia?”
“I mean, this is all hypothetical, so why not?”
I grinned. “That could be a fun conclusion to the scavenger hunt.”
Rhett looked thoughtful. “You could even do a bar hop that ends with trivia at Tracks. I’ll talk to Hal, my boss. Let you know what we might be able to do.”
“Thanks. Even if he says no, you’ve given me a good idea for my proposal.” I blew out a breath. “I was pretty stressed.”
He looked surprised. “You hide it well.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I knew the answer would come eventually with enough research and brainstorming. But I’m not great with this kind of thing.”
“What kind of thing? Fundraising?”
“Fun,” I said.
Rhett snorted a laugh, then stopped. “Oh, you’re serious.”
I nodded, feeling awkward. “I mean, how many people do you know that find research fun? Or caring for wildlife? Or, um…”
“WatchingGodzilla? I don’t know,” he said lightly. “I found that pretty fun.”
My face heated, but I resisted calling him out on Rule Five. He was trying to make me feel better. But facts were facts, and the fact was, I wasnotfun by anyone’s typical definition. “You know what I mean.”
Rhett leaned in, his eyes fixed on mine. “I do get what you’re saying. But you’re incredibly smart, and if anyone can make caring about wildlife fun, it’s you. Because I could listen to you talk about those animals all night. You love what you do, and that’s amazing, Ethan. Do you realize how lucky you are, to love something like that?”
The way he was looking at me, the intensity of his voice—it made me quiver inside. Rhett saw me. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever seen me like that before, beyond the childish excitement over Godzilla and the geeky knowledge of everything reptile. He saw to the heart of me, to the importance those things had in my life, and he called itamazing.
“Don’t you love anything like that?” I asked tentatively.
He smiled wistfully. “I wish. Hard to be passionate about slinging drinks and computer science.”
“Then why do you do it?” I asked, mystified.
I’d been surprised when he’d told me his major, but I had assumed he must have some affinity for it.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” he said with a tired chuckle. “I want a good-paying job, so I can help my brother and sister go to school. I’m only at Hayworth because I got a full ride. They might not be so lucky.”
I nodded. It all made sense. Once again, Rhett was putting other people first. He had such a generous heart, but it was a shame he hadn’t managed to follow his joy. And I was just one more person he was giving to, but I wanted that to change. I wanted to give somethingback.
I just had to figure out what that something was.
* * *
RHETT
“Thanks for the drink.” A very pretty boy slid a ten dollar bill into my tip jar. “Now, can you pour it out for me?”
“Sorry, what?” I glanced at the Cosmo he’d ordered. “Is there a problem with the drink?”
