Page 8 of Legacy of Lies
He rubbed his neck. “Yes, son. She is a very nice lady. Smart, too.”
“Does she like me?”
In spite of himself, he smiled. “Of course she likes you.” He crossed his arms. “But she also talked about your behavior.”
Zach’s open, grinning face crumpled.
“What behavior?” Zach said. “I listen. I have good marks for staying in my seat. Um, and I only get marked down for talkingsometimes.”
Shit, he sucked at this parenting thing. “Uh, did she ever say anything about you acting up with the other kids?”
Zach stared at the floor. “No.”
“Want to try that answer again?” He wouldnotuse his ability to find the truth on his own child. Thankfully, he could read his open-book son without the help of any extra powers.
“Maybe.” Zach slid his socked toe in an arc on the floor. “Some kids aren’t that nice.”
“Are they picking on you?”
“Naw.” The corners of his mouth drawing down canceled out the attempt at a light tone. Bony arms peeked out already from the sleeves of the shirt Shelby had bought Zach at the beginning of the school year.
“Really?” Garrison asked.
“Well, a couple of kids were kind of mean.”
“How?”
“Nothing.” He stared at the floor, puffed out his cheeks, and blew out the air. “They said stuff about how I don’t have a mom.”
When Zach raised his head, the depth of sadness in his light brown eyes nailed Garrison like a sucker punch to the jaw. How much had his kid been hiding? How much had he dealt with on his own? What kind of father didn’t see how much Tiffani’s leaving had hurt Zach?
His son toed the base of the wall. “And about not having a mom? That’s crap.”
Garrison snapped. “Who taught you to swear like that?”
His son’s head whipped around, and he flushed red. “No one,” he mumbled.
“Zach ...”
“Well, Kerr was saying ‘crap’ a bunch when he and Eric were breaking that new horse.” He dropped into a whisper and darted a glance behind him. “They said badder words, too.”
Damn it, Garrison would have to talk with his younger brother, Kerr, about his language in front of Zach. Again. Add that item to the growing to-do list.
“So don’t use that word. Just because other people say bad words doesn’t make it right, okay?”
Zach’s pale brow furrowed. “Okay.”
“So. What about these kids in school? What happened, and what did you say back?”
“I said they were dumb, and ...”
“And what?”
“And I maybe sort of pushed one of them.”
“Sort of?”
“Really did,” he whispered. Even his ears turned red.
