Page 110 of A Much Younger Man
“If she ever hears about this conversation, you tell her I said ‘delightful,’ you hear?”
I laughed. “I get it.”
“I’m going to need unconditional immunity regarding this conversation.”
“You have it. Go on.”
“Half the officers I knew dropped their first wives in favor of some young thing Beck’s age.”
“This is not an endorsement is it? Because—”
“No, no. Let me finish. Most of the time when a man goes out with someone half their age it’s about trophy hunting. You know it, and I know it.”
I did know it.“Right.”
“Thing is, I don’t think that’s who you are. You wouldn’t pick up just any young thing to bang. I know you better than that.”
My ears burned. “How?”
“You’re not shallow.”
“My coworkers said I’m one Harley shy of a midlife crisis.”
He stared at me for a long time then shook his head. “I don’t see it.”
“So what, then? It’s not about me. Mom’s right. He’s too young to fall for someone like me.”
“She doesn’t know that. Neither do we. It’s up to him who he falls for.”
“But—”
“Oh, I know. I heard all the arguments. You’re both right about one thing. It could go horribly wrong.”
“Well, when you put it that way, where do I sign up?”
He gave me a shove, and I lost my balance, stepping into the water with a splash that soaked the hem of my jeans. “Hey.”
“Do you think it couldn’t end horribly if you got together with Dylan? Or had stayed with Nick?”
“That did end horribly. Rico loves reminding me.”
“That’s my point.” He clapped me on the back. “Even if you were exactly the same age and perfect for each other, there’s no telling what could happen. Whatever you’re worried about, it could happen to anyone.”
“Dad, I’ll be sixty when he’s forty. He could end up being more of a caregiver than a lover.”
“You remember your cousin Celeste?”
I winced. “Yes.”
Celeste had gotten married right after college, and her husband died around his thirtieth birthday from ALS.
“Life’s not predictable,” Dad said.
“I know that. But shouldn’t we play the odds?”
He waved his hand as if to say, fifty-fifty. “There are odds and then there are odds. From what your mother tells me, the odds of you going on a second date with anyone anymore are pretty goddamn slim. What are the odds you’ll ever connect with someone else the way you do with this boy?”
I turned toward the waves. “Based on experience, not good.”
