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“Then I won’t say anything.”
“Promise? Because I don’t want her to be mad at me.”
Alex raised his fingers. “Scout’s honor. But just so you know, she
wouldn’t be mad at you even if I did. She thinks you’re a great
kid.”
Josh sat up straighter and began reeling in his line. “Good,” he
said. “Because I think she’s pretty great, too.”
The conversation with Josh kept Alex awake that night. He found
himself studying the portrait of Carly in his bedroom as he sipped
his third beer of the evening.
Kristen and Katie had returned to the house, full of energy and
excitement as they showed him the clothes they’d purchased.
Surprisingly, Katie had returned nearly half the money, saying
only that she was pretty good at finding things on sale. Alex sat on
the couch as Kristen modeled an outfit for him, only to vanish
back into her bedroom before returning wearing something
completely different. Even Josh, who ordinarily wouldn’t have
cared in the slightest, set his Nintendo game aside, and when
Kristen had left the room, he approached Katie.
“Could you take me shopping, too?” he asked, his voice barely
above a whisper. “Because I need some new shirts and stuff.”
Afterward, Alex ordered Chinese food and they sat around the
table, eating and laughing. At one point during dinner, Katie
pulled a leather wristband from her purse and turned toward
Josh. “I thought this was pretty cool-looking,” she said, handing it
to Josh. His surprise gave way to pleasure as he put it on, and
Alex noticed how Josh’s eyes continually flickered toward Katie
for the rest of the evening.
Ironically, it was at times like tonight that he missed Carly most.
Even though she’d never experienced nights like these as a