Page 88 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
“You do. But would you have paid enough attention to allow it to irritate you?”
Now he’s being intentionally annoying.
“What are you getting at here, Rafe?”
“My point is, you take in a lot of information every minute that you’re awake. It registers to you in ways it may not for someone else. Why do you think my clothing choices make a difference to you now, when they wouldn’t have a year ago?”
“Because you’re in my face every day?”
“Maybe.” He stares at me and waits.
“I don’t have time for games. If you have something to say, say it.”
“The truth is, I’ve been dying in these sweaters. It’s fucking ball-sack hot out there, and the air conditioning doesn’t help all that much.”
This is the guy who counsels people using toys. Perhaps he has no critical thinking skills at all.
“Did you feel as though something was off when you saw me in these sweaters every day?”
“Yes, I figured you weren’t very bright.”
“But we went to college together, and you know that’s not the case.”
“Book smart does not always equate to common sense.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t. You’ve spent so much time alone that you haven’t had to practice many social skills. But you are aware of them. It’s a matter of digging into why something seems off to you, thinking on it, and if you can’t figure it out on your own, asking why something is happening.”
“Are you trying to teach me a lesson?”
He sports a grin that makes me want to hit something. “You’re catching on. Now, let’s go back to the day you removed Kara’s door. To you, removing it made sense. She was slamming it, it bothered you, so you removed it from the equation.”
“After I told her not to slam it at least a hundred times.”
He tilts his head and studies me. “Has she slammed any doors since you’ve been here?”
“No. So that’s even more proof that the kid she was hanging out with was bad news.”
“That’s one possibility. What else is different since you’ve been here?”
“There are fucking people everywhere.”
“It is a nosy bunch.” His agreement takes the edge off my attitude. “It’s also possible that all these nosy people have become invested in Kara.”
“I’m invested.”
“You’re invested in her safety, her care, yes.”
“I want her to have more than I had.” The words vibrate in my ribcage as they exit my mouth.
“I know you do. So what does she have here that she didn’t have in New York?”
“Lottie.” I knew Lottie would fix everything.
“What specifically about Lottie though?”
“Can’t you just give me the answers you’re looking for, Rafe? Is all this necessary?”
“I could, but do you learn a new code by having someone tell you about it, or by figuring it out on your own?”
