Page 123 of Boys Who Hunt
“Max …” Dad says. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know if I wanna talk about it. If I should.”
“Then eat.”
“No.”
“Then why did you come here?” he asks.
“Why?” I frown and lift my head. “I come to your restaurant every week.”
“Exactly. So either eat or talk or get out and do something else.” He throws the towel he just used to wet his sushi over his shoulder.
I groan again and put my hand under my face to support myself while I languish in self-misery. “It’s this girl.”
He places two flat hands on the bar and stares at me. “A girl? Tell me all about her. What does she look like? What’s her name? What does she like? Where does she live?”
“Wow, wow, calm down,” I say.
“No, I need all the details. You’ve never mentioned any girl before.” I can almost see the hearts floating in his eyes. “I can’t believe it, my boy is all grown up and falling in love.” He wipes his forehead and pretends to faint.
I snort. “Oh God. Do I sound like that too?”
“Like what?” He picks up one of the sushi he gave to me and chucks it into his own mouth. “Mmm, delicious.”
I roll my eyes. “Anyway, I kinda messed up.”
“Messed up what?”
“With the girl.”
“Oh, right. Spill the beans.” He leans onto the bar and winks. “I can help.”
“Can you?”
“C’mon, give me a chance.”
I sigh out loud. “Well … I sort of fell in love with her the moment I saw her.”
“Oh wow.” A big smile forms on his face. “You really are just like me.”
“What, you fell in love with Mom the first time you saw her?” I frown. “But she’s an angry b—”
Dad slaps his hand in front of my mouth. “Don’t. Don’t say that shit out loud.” He leans in. “She can hear you.”
Now I’m frowning even more. “She’s not here.”
He points at the cameras in the corners.
Oh. Is that how she keeps tabs on us?
“It makes her feel better if she knows we’re safe,” he adds, picking up his knife.
“Obsessive.”
He cuts through the carrots. “I prefer to call it ‘affection.’”
“Right. Anyway, my girl is not like that. But she is cunning. And beautiful. And … so damn spicy.”