Page 48 of The Secret
He didn’t let go of my hand.
“Yeah, okay. So, one day Hulk-smash-Constantine picked a fight with the wrong guy. The richest kid at my high school. Drove a red Camaro. Total entitled punk, but his father was a big-deal lawyer. We played football together, and one time he… I dunno. He pissed me off.” Con shifted, stretching his legs out before folding them again. “Made some stupid, shitty comments about a girl I…liked, so I went all avenging angel and poured bleach in his gas tank while we were partying that night.”
“Bleach. In the gas tank.” I wasn’t sure if I was horrified or impressed.
“Ironically, something I learned about on a science show,” Con said. He turned toward me. “Which should really be a warning to parents about the dangers of educational television, if you think—”
“Constantine.”
He pushed out a breath and collapsed in on himself a little, looking back out over the marsh. “His engine stalled, which was what I’d expected. But when it did, he lost control and ended up getting in an accident.” He winced. “Crashed into a fence. Coulda died. So could the people in the car with him.Reckless endangerment, you know?”
I closed my eyes as understanding dawned. “So this is why Pat at HG Supply tells me you’re the next thing to a serial killer?”
Con laughed and rubbed a hand over his eyes tiredly. “He said that?”
“Wanted to warn me off you.” I squeezed his hand. “We see how well that worked, huh?”
“Yeah, well, you’re maybe the only person whodidn’tlisten. Money talks, and big money talksloud.” He picked at the last crumbs of his muffin. “They wanted me arrested. Jailed. Tarred and feathered. Walking the plank. Whatever. Mitch was a friend of my dad’s, and he said there wasn’t enough evidence to press charges for reckless endangerment. But the kid sued. Or, I mean, his dad sued my mother.” He shot me a glance. “Couple of minors, you know?”
I nodded.
“I never got the exact details of how they settled things. It was a long time before my mother couldlookat me, let alone calmly explain shit.” He cleared his throat and pulled at the legs of his shorts. “Is it getting hot out here?”
“No. Keep talking.” In actuality, now that the sun was mostly up, it was gettingverywarm, but I needed him to finish.
“That’s pretty much it. Mama managed to keep the house and the business, but all her savings, all the money from my dad’s life insurance, were gone. We were screwed. Julian, ah—” He broke off and wiped his forearm over his forehead. “No, but seriously. Heatwave, Micah. We should—”
“Julian what?”
Con blew out a breath. “Julian switched colleges so he could be closer to home. To be closerto the family. And, I mean, no one ever said, and he never complained, but it was basically so he could babysit my ass.” He picked at the fraying edge of his shorts. “Mitch made me do community service at the station, and that turned into me working for him part time now. Kinda out of pity and kinda because he genuinely likes me, I think. And I spent the rest of my time working for Ross Landscaping, since my mother had to cut expenses and couldn’t afford to pay someone.”
“So you worked for free?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Notfree, though. It’s more like I’m making up for what she lost thanks to me. Which makes sense, you know? And it works out fine. Except when my car breaks down and I have nothing saved.” He gave me a broad grin. “And then I have to accept the first job some asshole at a bar offers me and, well, here we are.”
I couldn’t smile back, though. My mind was spinning a little, trying to take this in, trying to reconcile it to what I’d overheard at the farmer’s market weeks ago. “Your motherstillmakes you work for her for free as punishment?”
“What? No!” Con said, turning toward me fully. “No, no, no. You have the wrong idea. It’s not a punishment, it’s more like family duty. To keep the business going. Er. I mean, to keep it profitable and competitive.” He winked. “Now that there’s a new florist in town.”
I frowned. “Did they put a lien against the business? In the lawsuit?”
He shrugged. “I told you, I don’t know details. I don’t think so? The kid and his family moved out of town that summer, but Mama’s still trying to dig out from under. I’m guessing she’d like to retire at some point, you know?”
“No,” I said honestly. “Idon’tknow. I mean, I’m not a lawyer, but this happened years ago, so unless they got a judgment against the business or against your mom or something, the business should be turning a profit. That’s how business works. Did she have to take out loans, or—”
“I don’tknow,” Con said again, more impatiently this time. “It’s none of my business.”
I peered at him. “Well, except it is your business.Literally. It’s yourfamily’s business.”
“It’s my business to keep Ross Landscaping running,” he retorted. “To make up for what I did. Mistakes have consequences. Big mistakes have big consequences.”
“You keep saying that. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Con huffed out a laugh. “Did you justPrincess Bridequote me?”
“Con, even jail sentences have end dates, unless you murder someone in cold blood. You were a kid. Your mistakes should propel you on to bigger and better. To do something constructive.”
“Yeah, well, maybe it will. But I’ve gotta do my time first,” he said stubbornly. “Make amends.”
