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He looks at Fifi instead of me. “Levi said I shouldn’t come anymore.”
“Why?”
“He said it’s not fair.”
“To who?”
“You. He said if I keep coming here, you might feel like you have to be nice to me. Because I’m a kid.”
My chest tightens.
Of course Levi would try to do the right thing and somehow make me want to throw something at his head.
Theo’s voice gets smaller. “I told him you like when I come.”
“I do.”
“He said you’re nice, so you’d say that even if it wasn’t true.”
I close my eyes for one second.
That stupid man.
When I open my eyes, Theo is watching me with careful, worried eyes.
“I’m going to go talk to him,” I say. “I want you to watch Fifi for me, okay?”
He looks both terrified and hopeful. “Am I in trouble?”
“No.” I grab my cardigan from the back of the chair. “He is.”
I open the motel door and step out into the late afternoon. Levi’s Mustang is parked in its usual spot at the far end of the lot. He sits behind the wheel, one hand resting on top of it, staring straight ahead.
I cross the parking lot before I can lose my nerve. He sees me halfway there. For a second he doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself. Then I reach the car and rip the door open. He scrambles out.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask.
“Lot of things. Take your pick.”
“You’ve just decided for Theo and I that it’s best we don’t see each other anymore?”
“I don’t exactly know what the fuck I’m doing,” Levi says. “Not sure if you picked up on that.”
“Were you planning to ask me how I felt about this?”
“You don’t want to talk to me. I’m not telepathic.”
“You don’t get to make decisions for me anymore.”
“When have I ever made decisions for you?”
I shake my head.
“Seeing you upsets him,” he continues. “He comes home gutted every day. It fucking sucks.”
Levi’s voice drops. “He misses you. And he thinks if he says the right thing or brings the right homework or makes you laugh, you’ll come home.”
I look away.
