“So?” Eric said, unimpressed “Bill Messing’s girlfriend moved to Raytown, so he got a job at Wendy’s to be closer to her.”
“Adult careers are a whole lot harder to change than teenagers working at fast-food joints.”
“You said Lanie can’t find a job here, but attorneys are a dime a dozen. You could find a job there.”
“Wouldn’t it bother you that I just started hanging out with you and then I moved away?”
Eric shrugged. “Yeah, but I don’t want you to let her get away, either. It took you over thirty years to find a girlfriend. You’ll be really old in another thirty. And maybe I could come visit you.”
The food arrived soon after, and Tyler watched in amazement as his brother plowed through his own fettucine, then moved on to to half of Tyler’s salmon. But Eric was so busy chowing down, he didn’t have time to talk, which gave Tyler plenty of time to think.
It might not be that hard for Tyler to get a job in Atlanta. At the very least, he could put out a few feelers.
“So…” Tyler said as Eric shoveled in the last of his broccoli. “Let’s say I wanted to tell Lanie that I’m considering moving with her. What do you suggest?” He felt like an idiot, but so far, the kid’s advice had been sound. Why not listen to him?
“You need a grand gesture.”
“A grand gesture?” Tyler asked. “You mean like Say Anything?”
“What?”
“You know, the eighties movie with the boom box.”
“What’s a boom box?”
Tyler groaned. “Never mind. I get it. A grand gesture. Like what?”
“How big are you willing to go?”
It only took a second to come up with the answer. “Big.”
Eric’s eyes widened with excitement. “Dude, you could get a hot-air balloon. Or do one of those flash mob things.”
Tyler shook his head. “No. I already know what I need to do. Are you finished? I fed you and so now I own you for the next hour or so while we go shopping.”
“Shopping? You’re not going to buy her clothes, are you? Because Tim Merriman bought Delany Nichols a pair of shorts and it did not go well. Epic mistake. Just sayin’. You should get her a puppy. Girls love those. David Hammerstein bought his girlfriend an Australian shepherd, and she couldn’t stop crying.” Then he added, “From happiness.” He shrugged. “Girls are weird.”
“No clothes or puppies. What I have in mind is much better.”
Eric gave him a dubious look. “Nothing beats a puppy.”
Tyler hoped this was one instance when his brother was wrong.