Page 92 of Rigid

I picked up the bottle.

Sandwich Pal Horseradish Sauce.

I grinned and closed the drawer.

I made my sandwich, and spread a thick layer of horseradish sauce on the bread. As I ate, I decided to make a mental list of all the things about Smokey that I didn’t like. By the time I was finished eating, I hadn’t come up with one single thing. On my way to the sink, I came up with no less than six things about him that I did like.

Convinced that I could fall in love with him if he could fall in love with me, I washed my hands and walked into the living room.

Eddie was relaxing on the couch with her Kindle.

“Oh,” I said. “I thought you were in the shower.”

“I was,” she said. “Not anymore, though.”

“When does your dad get home most of the time?”

“On Saturday?” She shrugged. “Before dinner.”

“I didn’t have to work, so I’m just kicking it.”

She looked up. “We can kick it together. If you want.”

I sat down. “Okay.”

She tossed the tablet to her side and sighed. “I’ve got a lot left to read.”

“What are you reading?”

“I like NA stuff.”

“NA?”

“New Adult.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a genre about kids my age. Leaving home. Relationships. Finding a job. College. Just stuff like that, but it always includes falling in love.”

“Sounds fun.”

“NA, or falling in love?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Both.”

“It’s fun to think about.”

“Falling in love?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Is Richard the one?”

“I don’t know. He’s cool, and we have fun together, but who knows.”

I wondered if she was being totally truthful with me and quickly decided she probably wasn’t. I doubted she trusted me, for one, and secondly, I suspected she thought I’d tell her father anything she told me.

I wondered about developing a friendship with her, and wondered if I could so and maintain some level of separation as a parent.