Page 42 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
“Hm…Clarification, please.” I wasn’t sure if it was the lottery scratch off or the Monopoly dog. “Number one. You were both in the seventh grade, or you took a child bride?”
He gave me a shove with his foot. “Shut up.”
“Obviously, it’s the Monopoly dog story. You made that one up. Everyone knows only the car or the thimble will fit up the average child’s nose.”
“Bzzzzt. I’m special. You lose. Drink up, sonny boy.”
“Shoot. It was the scratch-off thing, huh? The way you told it sounded so likely.”
“That’s because my brother did it. The event was in Idaho. The best lies have an element of truth.”
“You’re right. Okay. Hush. I need to think.”
We went two more rounds and took the second bottle of bourbon, the game, and Morrigan outside to visit Hades and Persephone. Neither of us was any too sober since we both kept losing. Once we settled in the kennel with our furry friends around us, it was my turn again.
“Okay, I have it.” I leaned my back against the bars of the kennel with Hades’s head in my lap. His fur was coarse, not soft like Morrigan’s. “Hades needs conditioner. One: I had a cat named ‘Mouse.’ Two: My father left because I accidentally told him Mom was asleep with a Brazilian leather-goods designer. Three: When I was sixteen…I…thought I was invincible.”
“Two. The lie is two.”
“Bzzzzt. You lose—” His hand came down over my mouth.
“Even if one or three is also a lie, so is number two, so you lose anyway. Your dad left because your mother slept with a Brazilian leather-goods designer, not because you accidentally told him about it.” He blinked down at me. “How old were you?”
“Five,” I whispered. “I was five, and I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret. She told me they were having a grown-up slumber party.”
“Holy shit.” He put his hand on mine. “Listen. Dads leave. Sometimes that happens. But it’s never, ever a kid’s fault if they do.”
“Logically, I know that.” With shaky hands, I poured myself a shot and downed it. “It was just a figure of speech. The real lie was I never had a cat. Mom is allergic to fur and hair and responsibility.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like your mother very much.”
“Mom’s not very likable, actually. She’s entitled as hell, she does things that are just awful sometimes, then she acts all sweet when she gets her way. That’s why I stayed with Dad whenever I could. But Mom lives in LA, and that’s where the work was…so…”
“My turn, huh?” He tapped his fingers on his thigh.
“Mmhmm. But after this round, I think I need to hit the road. If this fog gets any thicker, I’ll have a hard time finding my way back.”
“Morrigan and I will walk you back. Okay. Okay. I’ve got it. The last hurrah. One: I lost half my face when an enemy pressure cooker exploded. Shhh.” He put a finger to his lips and waved me forward. “That’s not the real story, but if I told you I’d have to kill you, so…that’s the official lie, except not for these purposes because that makes it true, doesn’t it?”
I blinked up at him. “You’re too drunk for this game.”
“No, I’m not. Two: My ex-wife, Serena’s, the only girl I’ve ever…you know. Been with. She’s the only girl I’ve ever even kissed.”
My mouth dropped open. What could that mean? Was he saying he was into guys? Why didn’t I get that vibe at all?
“Three: My kids think I’m a hero whenever we get together, and they love to play with Hades and Persephone and Morrigan.”
“Two. Two is the lie.” Of course his children thought he was a hero. What kid wouldn’t want a dad who worked with trained wolfdogs in the movies? “Drink up, bubba. I told you, you were too drunk for this game.”
“Bzzzzzzzzt. You get the long buzzer this time.Bzzzzt.Bzzzzt.”
“Come on. What the heck? What was the lie then? The one about the pressure cooker?”
He shook his head. “Nope. It was three. Actually, my children think I’m a monster. I scared them so much, Serena asked me to leave and never come back. She’s remarried toJasonnow, so the kids have a new dad. I’ll bet he’s not a monster.” His eye glistened. “I hope he’s not.”
A tear ran down his cheek and hung on his chin for a bit before darkening a spot on his shirt. He ran his sleeve over his face too late.
I was never going to forget the sight of him in pain like that. It made me wish I could say comforting words, but I was better at reading lines. I could schmooze with the best, but I had nothing in the face of cruel things, and this was cruel.
