Page 53 of The Secret
“Theo,” I began. “I don’t know what you think you know, but…”
“I don’t think I know anything,” Theo said, all innocent. “Except that hate is, like, oneteensystep away from love, and hate sex can be fun.”
“I’m not havinghate sexwith Micah Bloom,” I whispered hotly. “I’m not havinganysex withanyone.”
An unfortunate, painful truth.
“Maybe that’s your problem,” Theo challenged. “Maybe you need to take the bull by the horns. Reach out and take what you want for once.”
“I have!” I said. “I do!”Sometimes.
“You know, some guys really like it when you make the first move.”
“I do not want to know how you know that, Theodore,” I said. “But seriously, you need to keep your theories toyourself. Mama already laid into me a couple months ago just for acknowledging Micah’s existence, and I—”
Theo set his hand on my shoulder and his eyes, the same sharp blue as Jules’s and mine, turned serious. “Constantine,chill. I know you think I’m still nine years old or something, but I’m not. I know how to keep secrets, and I can keep yours, too. Okay?”
I wasn’t sure Iwasokay with it, but I didn’t really have a choice.
Fortunately for me, a whole group of people came by the booth then—some kids who wanted to plant sunflower seeds, and a bunch of teenagers who wanted to shoot the shit with Theo—which succeeded in distracting me from both the conversationandfrom Micah.
When the little kids were gone I wiped my hands on a towel and grabbed a water bottle from the cooler.
“I think there’s one more box of mini plant pots in your trunk,” I told Theo. “Can you handle things here? Mama’s coming when she’s finished with her meeting, which should be in a couple hours. And I’ll have my cell. You can call if you need me.”
Theo looked around at the total lack of people approaching the booth, then shared a commiserating eye-roll with his friends. “Yes, Con. If there’s a mad rush of people dying for a free potted seed and I just can’t handle the stress of it all, I’ll call you.”
His friend Dante snickered and looked away.
I dropped my head to my chest. Was I doing to Theo what Mama did to me?Gross.
“Sorry,” I said. “I really do appreciate your help this morning.” I hoped my glance conveyed that I meant the pep talk as well as manning the booth.
“If you wanna thank me, buy me a burger,” Theo said with a grin. “Extra—”
“Ketchup,” I finished. “I know.”
I decided it would be easier to get the burger first and then haul the box from the trunk, so I headed for the food area, guzzling the water as I went. And since I was feeling a little brotherly guilt, I decided I’d stand in the massive line at the Burger Geek booth. I was not above buying Theo’s silence with his favorite burger.
I smiled to myself at the brilliance of this plan, and got in line behind Lisa “The Dragon” Dorian, the town’s librarian, who immediately turned her gimlet gaze on me.
“You seem chipper today, Mr. Ross,” she said, like my smile had personally offended her.
I smiled even more widely. “What’s not to be chipper about, Ms. Dorian? The sun is shining. The wholecommunityof O’Leary has turned out for this magnificent festival.You’rehere, wearing that delightful outfit.”
She was wearing head-to-toe red, white, and blue, like Uncle Sam with frizzy hair and reading glasses. And Jesus, once I thought it, I couldn’tstopseeing her as Uncle Sam, right down to her deep-set eyes and beaky nose. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh.
“Some people don’t understand the importance of these festivals,” she said severely. “As a part of our agricultural heritage. Young people in particular want everything to be a party.”
I nodded, not offended in the slightest. The thing about The Dragon was that she disliked everyone and everything exactly the same, and once you realized this, it was hard to take anything she said personally.
But not everyone knew this about her, including the person standing in front of her, who turned around and stared down at her with scathing green eyes.
“You know, I sometimes find that people take thingstooseriously,” Micah said. “I’ve been accused of it myself.” His eyes came to mine. “Morning, Mr. Ross.”
“Mr. Bloom,” I said, my heart rate picking up.
Fucked up as it was, this was the first time he’d acknowledged me in public in months—since the day I’d teased him at the farmer’s market, right in these same fairgrounds—and just hearing him say my name in that deep, formal way made me shiver despite the hot sun.
