I gaped at him. "One hundred? We agreed on fifty."
"You're not gonna tip me? And really? You're being cheap in front of your date? Is that really the look you're going for?"
There were smothered giggles across the table from me, making me laugh myself as I dug in my pocket for some cash. I pulled out two crisp hundred dollar bills and handed them over.
"A three-hundred percent markup because I respect the hustle," I told him. "You're going to run Wall Street one day, kid."
Grabbing the money with the world's biggest grin, he quickly pocketed it like I might change my mind, which I wouldn't do of course, and then he ran off once more... probably to dream aboutridiculously overpriced gaming skins or other in-game currency he'd blow it on.
"I knew I should have hired a professional," I muttered, hoping to make my date laugh again.
Glancing at her, my comment had indeed hit the mark, her cheeks pink, what I could see of them anyway, her eyes dancing with amusement.
"You're really good to him," she said.
I shrugged, not so sure about that. "I do my best. But I'm not really sure that's enough. You know?"
"I think it is. I can see it in the way he looks at you, the way he interacts with you. He's comfortable around you. I know one thing from being a kid myself, especially a teen, to have one person you can trust, someone you can confide in, it makes all the difference in the world."
I let out a breath, her words like a balm to a niggling worry that was always inside me these days. "That's good to hear."
She eyed me over the rim of her wine glass. "How long has he lived with you?"
"Off and on for years really. But full time... that's a more recent development, maybe the last six months or so."
"I... well, I read about your dad and his ex, I mean, Archie's mom, a little. But what really happened there? If you don't mind my asking, that is."
"I don't mind."
Actually, I was glad she had asked. It meant she was taking an interest in me and my life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Archie would be a wingman for me, but it appeared that she was drawn in by the whole situation.
She watched me as I took a sip of my wine, thinking about how much I wanted to reveal. It wasn't something I talked about to many people. In fact, nobody. Who exactly was I going to open up to in my life?
My parents? No fucking way. My basketball buddies? Not likely. My work colleagues? Not a chance in hell. So my opening-up skills were a bit rusty.
"So it's not the most exciting story in the world, not like one big blow-up or something. It was just my dad and his wife Leona were as mismatched as my mom and dad were, fought all the time, clashed on anything and everything, and ended up hating each other. Same story as his first marriage pretty much. I guess my dad is destined to be alone."
It was kind of sad, but that's what happened when you were an asshole and treated everyone like shit.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "That's no life for a kid."
Her words went straight to my chest. She had no idea what they meant to me. "No. It's not. And that's why I intervened and tried to have him live with me, away from all the drama and bullshit."
The smile she gave me was soft, something gentle and warm about it. "That was really thoughtful of you. I'm surprised they let you."
"Ha." The laugh that came out of me sounded bitter. "It was a battle at first. They used him like a pawn in their shitshow of a marriage. But Archie's pretty good at getting his way. And he fought for it just as much as I did. And in the end..."
This part was pretty damn painful to say out loud, to actually admit how terrible my father really could be.
"In the end?" she prompted.
I sighed. "In the end, they were both too selfish to actually put in the work of raising a kid. They both just wanted to live their own lives and not be bothered with trivial things like teacher night or swim meets or making sure he at least attempts to eat a vegetable once a week. So sadly, once he'd stopped being useful in their divorce battle, they gave him up without much of a fight."
"Oh, God."
"Right? Not that he knows that really. Just between you and me."
She nodded. "Of course."
