Brainy and the Beast by J. M. Cartwright Read Free Book Online Page A

something at the end there when he said my name.
    I hesitated. “You sure? I was going to call my dad.” When he nodded, I grabbed at the lifeline he threw. “Oh. Yeah. Yeah!” I gave Grant a warning stare. “Go get your stuff. We’ll meet you by Henry’s car. It’s the black fintail parked near the concession stand.”
    Exhaling in relief, I followed Henry. If he wasn’t going to say anything, neither was I. I always figured people who wanted to talk about stuff could go on Oprah.
    Mr. Denial, that’s me.
    Cars loaded with kids and parents moved all around us as the team and its fans headed out. Excited Lake Forest students yelled to each other as they celebrated their victory.
    Over the roof of the car, I watched as Henry fiddled with his key ring. The fidgeting struck me as odd, except that I really didn’t know him. Maybe he was a closet fidgeter. But so far, he’d been fairly self-contained. Well, maybe not when my dog was humping his leg. There was that.
    I opened the rear door as Grant trudged over. The exuberance he’d shown on the field had morphed back into normal teenage sullenness. Head down, he tossed his gear bag in, then plopped onto the seat without a word. Maybe he was rethinking his big mouth?
    I considered that as I got in. I didn’t know that the kid and I had ever had a real conversation. So I guess, if I was going to be fair, I’d think it was a good sign he was talking to me. Maybe.
    Nah.
    None of us did any talking on the fifteen-minute ride back to the shop. I was figuring Henry couldn’t wait to get away from both me and the kid—and who could blame him? Yet another missed opportunity I could lay at the feet of The Bitch.
    I was glad to see the outlines of our place as we neared the lot on Western. I was anxious to get out of the car and get Grant away from Henry. The kid had been restless, nudging my seat with his knee, sighing, cranking his window down, then up. I could just feel him bubbling with something more to say. Fortunately, though, Grant saved me the trouble of telling him to get over to our car. He hopped out without a word and walked toward the Volvo.
    “I can print your invoice if you want to wait a minute.” Without looking too closely at Henry, I hurried inside. I could hear Rum and Coke barking from the interior office.
    The bell over the door clanged softly as Henry stepped up to the counter. I mentally urged the printer to go faster.
    “Would you like to have dinner with me?”
    My thumb hit the space bar, and I heard a protest from the computer. “What?” His pink bow tie caught my eye. Why had I not noticed it was pink?
    “I asked if you’d like to have dinner with me.” The blue eyes were on me, moving between my hands and my face.
    “Dinner.” I pushed the keyboard away.
    “Yes. Dinner. The meal that is usually eaten in the evening.”
    “With me.”
    A slow smile crossed Henry’s face, and I couldn’t tell if he was laughing at me. “You.”
    I scratched my chin. Okay, I kind of hadn’t expected this. “I thought…”
    He waited.
    The guy didn’t waste any words, did he? “Well, it’s just that… I thought—”
    “Yes?” He leaned an arm on the counter, the leather elbow patch on his jacket catching my attention for a second.
    “I didn’t think you were interested, if you want to know the truth.” I flicked my thumbnail. “When the dogs attacked you, shit, I figured that was the kiss of death.”
    Henry’s silky brows curved upward. Man, the guy looked sexy when he did that. “Hmm. That wasn’t the highlight of the afternoon, no.”
    “And then Grant shot off his mouth today.” Christ, why couldn’t I keep my own shut?
    “Yes, he did. Still, I’m willing to overlook that.”
    “You are? You are. Uh, good. Okay. Um, when?” Cripes, did I have clean clothes at home?
    “Do I make you nervous?”
    I forced a laugh. “No! No way. Come on.”
    “Good. How about tomorrow night?”
    I nodded.
    “Seven?”
    I nodded