Page 41 of It Starts With A No

Hearing those words …

How could he describe how he felt? Something untangled in him. A knot he didn’t even know existed.

“Seth?” Clary said so softly he barely heard it. If it wasn’t for the soft, warm breath that washed over his lips, he would have thought he was imagining it.

A snatch of piano music broke the silence and whatever was happening.

Seth leaned away while Clary reached into her bag.

“I need to take this,” she said as he started the car.

“Go ahead.” He’d appreciate some space between them right now. But since they were stuck in the car together, he was glad for the phone call. Maybe offering Clary a tour wasn’t such a good idea.

Clary tapped on the answer button, then smiled and waved at the phone. “Hey, Gemma.”

I’m just doing this to butter her up, he told himself.

He’d told her it would be a fun distraction from her work, but he just wanted to get on her good side. She was, after all, the only person who could get him in touch with Edward Eolenfeld. And if he were to guess, she might even help sway the old man if he decided to go back on his word regarding the loan.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Seth glanced over, but Clary didn’t pay any attention to him. Her brows were furrowed, and she was only interested in whoever was on the other end of the call.

“I can’t do it,” a high-pitched female voice cried. “I’m just too stupid.”

Seth’s heart ached as he heard those words, spoken in between sobs. How many times had he heard his brother Aldric say that about himself?

“The teachers say I’m too far behind. They say I’ll never catch up anyway.”

Clary’s chest rose. “Gemma, look at me,” she said, her tone stern.

Seth ran his tongue under his teeth. Stay out of it. It wasn’t his problem. He’d always thought it unfair to blame a child for not being able to learn. What else would that add to the child besides pressure?

His brother turned out just fine anyway. Well … fine enough.

“I’m sorry.” The girl on the other end of the line continued sobbing. “I know you tried really hard to get me into the school, but I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to do it anymore.”

“Gemma.” Clary said nothing else. She simply waited. Then, eventually, she cracked a smile. “You’re not stupid.”

“They—”

“I say you’re not stupid, and you know what? Most importantly, Jesus doesn’t think you are.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. I know that. He would never have helped me get you into that school if He didn’t think you could handle it.”

“But I can’t. I’m failing everything.”

“It’s tough, I know. You’ve missed a lot of school, but you’re smart.”

Seth halted at a red light and told himself to stop eavesdropping, but there really wasn’t anything to distract himself with.

“You memorized our number from a poster you were passing by,” she said with a small smile. “Then you were smart enough to trick your father—a psychology professor—into leaving the house without his phone. That’s how you called us. You got you and your baby sister out of a dangerous situation and away from a horrible man. How could a stupid person accomplish any of that? And more than that, you have gumption.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means you’re willing to do whatever it takes. I know you can do this.”

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