Burn You Twice - Mary Burton Page 0,99
the serious and thoughtful boy, actually looked excited. “Is that for me?”
Clarke held up a wrapped box. “Sure is. Want to open it before everyone arrives?”
“Can I, Mom?” Nate asked.
“You sure can.”
Clarke handed the other box to Kyle. “And this one is for you, pal. I know you’ll like it.”
Clarke followed the boys toward the large dining table, set with paper plates, napkins, and spoons. In the center was a birthday cake covered with mathematical symbols and horses. Clarke looked pleased as the boys ripped the wrapping paper away. It quickly became clear that Nate’s gift was an expensive computer that must have cost at least a grand. A chunk of change for a municipal employee.
“Is this for me?” Nate asked.
“All yours, pal. I thought about getting you a desktop, but with you ready to skip high school and go to college, it seems a laptop would suit better.”
“I’m not in college,” Nate said. “I’m auditing a class.”
“Which is as good as it gets for a ten-year-old,” Clarke said.
“That’s very generous.” Ann’s emphasis on the last word spoke to her disapproval.
“He deserves the best,” Clarke said. “He’s smart, and I want him to go as far as he can.”
“What did you get, Kyle?” Joan asked. Kyle held up an electric car. “Sweet!”
“I know how you like to race them,” Clarke said.
“Thanks, Uncle Clarke.”
Nate looked up at his mother, his eyes glowing with excitement. “This is awesome! Can I set it up now?”
“Your dad is here, and your guests are arriving soon.”
“I can’t stay,” Clarke said. “I have to take a shift tonight. But we’re still on for dinner next Wednesday, right?”
Ann nodded. “That’s right.”
“Thanks again, Dad!”
“Anything for you, pal.”
“Why don’t you two boys set up the car outside? I’ll hold on to the computer,” Clarke offered.
Nate and Kyle seemed pleased with the compromise and ran outside, slamming the front door behind them.
“That computer and the car were very, very generous gifts,” Ann said. “I thought finances were a little tight.”
“They were, but not now.” He leaned toward her a fraction, as if hoping she would meet him halfway for a kiss, but when she did not, he made up the distance and kissed her gently on the lips. “I want you to really consider moving back into town. It’s not safe here.”
“We’ve been through this.”
Joan ducked her head and reached to pick up the discarded wrapping paper. She should have given them privacy but was curious about Clarke’s recent change in finances.
“We’ll talk next week,” he offered.
She hesitated and then nodded. “Sure.”
“Great.” He strode toward the door and yanked it open. “Stay out of trouble, Joan.”
She crumpled the wrapping paper into a tight wad. “I’ll do my best.”
“You do that.”
Joan tossed the paper in the trash. “Where do you think he got the money? That computer is at least a grand. And that car was close to five hundred.”
“Noncustodial parents like Clarke are known to compensate with expensive gifts, as if that will make up for their lost time.”
She shook her head. Clarke did not appear to have any suspicions about the boy’s paternity. But that did not mean that, on some level, he didn’t sense he could be in a competition with the very intelligent Elijah Weston. Could he suspect that Ann had slept with Elijah? “I suppose that’s it.”
Just then, several cars pulled into the driveway. “Let the fun begin.”
If volume of noise was a measure of success, then Joan decided that Nate and Kyle’s half-birthday party was a hit. The six boys ran around the house, and when Nate nearly crashed into a coffee table, Ann ordered them all outside.
For the first time since Gideon had arrived two hours ago, they looked at each other and laughed.
“I need a drink,” Joan said.
“What? The noise getting to you?” Gideon asked.
“Yes.” She held a cold beer bottle to the side of her head. “How does so much sound come out of such young humans?”
Gideon sipped his soda. “It’s a mystery.”
“Did you hear about the gifts Clarke gave Nate and Kyle?” Joan asked.
“Something about a computer and a car.”
“A really expensive computer and remote-control car.”
Gideon was silent for a moment. “He’s always wanted to provide the best.”
“A sentiment I can appreciate. But where does a firefighter get that kind of dough?”
“Credit cards. Sold one of his hunting rifles. I don’t know. Why does that bother you?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Clarke is rough around the edges. But he has always been a straight shooter, and he’s always treated Kyle like a