Page 85 of A Much Younger Man
Chapter Twenty
Over the beach,the sky was full of kites—figural kites, fabric kites in rainbow colors, and elaborate dragon kites. The sight of them made me catch my breath in awe. Nacho’s Bar was packed and jumping. A live jazz band played Brubeck’s “Take Five,” the sound of exuberant horns spilling out along with the scent of delicious Mexican food.
A little farther along the boardwalk, a bunch of people surrounded a seated musician. I assumed that was Beck, playing his guitar. People clapped along, danced in time to the music. Someone drummed on an upturned Home Depot bucket.
I meant to get closer, discreetly, just to watch. He’d invited me, but as soon as I saw it was mostly people his age, I came to a standstill.
Jeff from Bistro had taken a seat on the ground next to him. Between them, there were pop bottles and bags of chips. They’d obviously struck up a friendship. It reminded me of the first time I saw Beck when Tug offered his ice cream and Beck leaned in and opened his mouth.
There was something kitten-like about Beck. Something that made you want to pick him up, cuddle him to you, and take care of his needs.
Maybe it was his innocence or the way his eyes lit up with happiness when he saw something he wanted. Maybe it was his quirky sense of humor or the way he laughed at people with kindness and not malice.
Anyone could see he was special. Everyone could.
Who was I to think he’d seen something in me he couldn’t find in someone his own age—in the same place on the journey, so much more in step, in sync, with him?
He glanced up, saw me, and gave a little wave. Callie barked hello, and I went over to greet her. Her ears were so soft, and she dug her snout into my chest to be sure she got all the scratches and rubs she needed.
A few of Beck’s friends said hello. I’d met a lot of the kids with their pets at the clinic.
“Have a seat.” Beck motioned toward the ground next to Jeff. “A group of us were thinking of getting some pizzas later.”
Jeff leaned closer to Beck and whispered something.
Beck nodded and said, “We’re getting a fire pit later if you want to come hang out.”
From my experience “hanging out” meant beer and weed and sitting on the beach with the wind whipping smoke and ash into your eyes.
“I’ll pass, but thanks for the invite.” I wasn’t going to be graceless about this. “I need to get some paperwork done this afternoon, and I’m on call at the clinic.”
I was always on call, which was a wonderful excuse for bowing out of things I didn’t feel comfortable doing.
“Oh, okay.” I couldn’t read Beck’s face. I didn’t know if the invitation had been serious, and I couldn’t tell if it mattered to him one way or another if I went. “You have fun.”
“You too.” I gave Callie a final full-body rub down. “Do you want me to take Callie with me? Or are you going to a dog friendly beach?”
He glanced up, mouth open. He’d probably not given that much thought since he’d camped out with her the whole time, city ordinances be damned.
“You mind?”
“Of course not. She’s delightful. I’ll look after her. You can pick her up in the morning.”
He met my gaze with a slight frown. “If it’s okay, that might be best.”
“I’d be happy to have her.” I took Callie’s leash from him. “Callie and Rico and I will have our own party.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Perfectly.” I stood with Callie by my side. “Have fun, Beck.”
“You too.” There was something odd in his gaze when he waved goodbye.
Callie and I took the long way back to my place. The more I thought about Beck, the more obvious the answer to at least one of his problems became. If he wanted to go to school, or work, or find a place and they didn’t take dogs, there was no reason Callie couldn’t stay with me.
Perhaps it wasn’t the best solution—after all, he’d made a solemn promise to his little brother—but surely he’d let me help take care of Callie so he wasn’t responsible for her twenty-four seven. Surely, he’d see that he could have a future and keep his word without either of them suffering the kind of deprivation they’d experienced on the road.
Later that afternoon, Callie and I took my car to the clinic where we fed the kittens and raided the supply room. I found a nice dog bed, some toys, and a big bag of the kind of food I gave Beck to feed her. At my place, I saw her staring at the door a couple of times, no doubt wondering when Beck was going to come for her.
